Good afternoon, friends. This is Pastor Don from St. John’s UCC. On Sunday I preached on that very short encounter Jesus had with his disciples in which he asked a quite pointed question: Who do YOU say that I am?
Although you may tend to back away from questions like that which feel like they could be a trap, I think you can relax around Jesus who never seemed to be in the business of laying traps for people.
Peter was quick to blurt out an answer saying he believed Jesus was the Messiah, the one who would save his people. But the truth is, all of the disciples had their share of questions about who Jesus was and it took them until well after Jesus’ death and resurrection to come to some clarity in themselves.
I happen to believe that Jesus was quite understanding about their uncertainty and questions and I also believe that God is similarly quite understanding about OUR questions and doubts. I also believe that we humans aren’t apt to make a lot of progress toward resolving these questions until we are able to name those questions honestly. To put this in another way, I can’t help you get to Cleveland until you are able to tell me where you are starting from!
So, even if people around you seem to insist on you being certain about what you believe at this stage of your life, I think God is very tender with the twists and turns of our journey. So, when you feel like Jesus is saying to you: Who do YOU say I am? I encourage you to be honest – trusting that you will be loved no matter how you answer.
LET’S PRAY: Compassionate God, we are such skeptical people sometimes. Help us to trust your love even in the middle of our questions. Amen
