who do you say i am?

In my ponderings these past few days, I have had this specific passage sticking out in my mind. It’s Mark 8:27-30, where Jesus is walking with the disciples and He begins to question them. He looks to them and asks, “Who do the people say that I am?” The disciples all then begin to pitch in names, calling off the top answers they’ve heard from all of the different people they’ve met on their journey. Oh, some say you’re one of the old greats, come back to us. You’re one of the prophets, here to help bring us back on track. And then, I just picture Him nodding His head, pausing... and then looking directly at them and saying, “But who do you say that I am?” And then there’s a long pause. The disciples suddenly find themselves rolling around in their minds all of these different names and roles they’ve attributed to Jesus. And they are stumped. Who is this man before them? And then, nervously, Peter speaks up and says, “You are the Christ.”

Right now I find myself facing this same question. Over the few short years and experiences which create the story of my life, I have encountered many different descriptions and roles of this man named Jesus. It seems that in these many centuries since He walked the earth, Jesus has had many different people try to say who He is. The list seems to go on and on. Savior. Redeemer. Lover. Friend. Unifier. Divider. Willful Giver. Jealous Keeper. A Middle-Eastern Man from Nazareth. A Man Who Goes Beyond Culture. Simple. Complex. Peace and Tranquility. Disturber of the Peace. Gentle Father. Harsh Judge. Rule Maker. Rule Breaker. Friend of the Poor. The list, I’ve found, goes on and on. I find I can easily answer His first question. Every generation has seemed to come up with an explanation of who He is.

But I find myself in that same position with the second question. He’s looked me directly in the eyes and has asked, “But who do you say that I am?” And I find myself at a loss of words. Who do I say He is……………..

I want to call off all of these different roles and adjectives which I feel describe Him. But, as they appear on my lips, I find these words somewhat inadequate. I feel like I’m… boxing Him up. I’m forcing Jesus into the role that I’ve allotted for Him. But is that who I want to say He is? For some reason, it just seems so…. insignificant. He is so much more than what I think. He’s more than my Savior. He’s more than Lord. He’s more than peace, love, justice, disturber of the peace or even a man from Nazareth. I’m finding the only appropriate response I can think of is the same as Peter.

He is the Christ.

I don’t fully grasp this. I doubt during the short story which is my existence I will ever fully grasp the significance to this statement. There’s so much to it. But what I have learned, and what I hope to share with you, is that I need to throw off my preconceptions of who He is. I cannot allow Him to become weighed down and defined by the different definitions conjured up by someone else. Like Peter, I need to allow God to be the one to reveal who His Son truly is. I need to let God shatter my boxes and instead let Him show me who He is.

The question’s been asked. “But who do you say that I am?”