Who am I? (Mk 8:27-35)

         One time as they walk along Jesus asks his disciples two very different questions.  Both seem very ordinary, but the second poses a serious challenge that compels a choice on their part. The first question about who others are saying Jesus is compels very little from the disciples beyond their reporting the known facts, much like reporting the results of a political poll.  Their answer about who others think Jesus is reveals nothing about what the disciples themselves believe about who Jesus is.  Nor does the question require any commitment to Jesus or to his way of life.

         The second question, on the other hand, seems just as ordinary but turns out to be challenging and the disciples’ response revealing. This second question—who do YOU say that I am—is also a bit mysterious because by this time the disciples had a fairly good idea of who Jesus is based on what they saw him do.

         They saw the large crowds gather as he went around teaching.  They were there when Jesus fed the people with a few loaves of bread. They witnessed his challenge to the overbearing authority and hypocrisy of the Pharisees.  They saw how deeply Jesus cared for the poor and the oppressed and went out of his way to include sinners and outcasts in his inner circle of friends. So, why on earth did Jesus ask them such a question?   

         Jesus knows that his time with the disciples is nearing an end and thus they must decide who they believe Jesus is once and for all.  The question therefore prods some level of commitment from the disciples right then and there. From this point on, the disciples can no longer remain aloof.  They must decide what they personally believe about who Jesus is, and their answer will establish who they are in relation to Jesus. The question thus calls for a commitment to Jesus and a determination of a relationship with him. 

         Had the disciples remained aloof, they would have answered his question based only on what Jesus did.  But, they knew because Jesus had shown them that a person is always more than the sum of what he or she does.  Parents are more than bread winners, grass cutters, house cleaners, cooks, chauffeurs, and disciplinarians.  Children are more than students, sports players, budding musicians, and consumers of parental resources.  We are always more than “Do-er’s;  We are “Be-ers”.

         Likewise, Jesus is more than the sum of what He does.  That’s why he asks:  Who do you say that I AM?  When Peter says, “you are the Christ,” he is saying from his heart: You are the Anointed One of God.  In this way, Peter affirms that Jesus is in relationship with God, and that this relationship is the essence of who Jesus is; the essence of his being.  If Jesus is in relationship with God, then so are the disciples.

         This mutual relationship is what motivates Jesus to teach the disciples to begin their prayer with the words, “Our Father.”  This greeting shows the disciples that they too are in relationship with the Father and with each other, just as Jesus is in relationship with the Father and with them.  Thus, the disciples are also in relationship with Jesus as brothers and sisters.

         The same applies to us as well.  We too are in relationship with God our Father and with each other, and in relationship with Jesus, our brother, and he with us.  This is who we are; this relationship is the essence of our being. Thus, when we answer the question Jesus asks—who do you say I am?—we also answer the question—who am I?  Our answer reveals who we are in relation to Jesus and in relation to each other.

         Jesus asks the disciples these questions while times are good to prepare them for the bad times ahead.  Later, the disciples will have no time for reflection.  In this sense, Jesus tries to convey the urgency of Isaiah’s warning to “Seek the LORD while he may be found, call him while he is near” (Is 55:6).  Jesus knows that his disciples will need to rely on more than what others say about Him in order to get through the tough times ahead.   The disciples will need their own personal commitment to Jesus and faith in him and in each other to overcome the challenges and threats that are about to unfold.

         Jesus asks the same two questions of us for the same reason.  The answer to the first question may be easy enough as it was for the disciples.  Our answer to the second question is likewise as revealing for us as it was for the early disciples.  Our answer reveals who we believe Jesus is and who we believe we are in relation to him and to each other.  It is a question that we cannot avoid however we choose to answer.