Who do You Say that Jesus Is?

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time
Is 22: 19-23; Rom 11: 33-36; Mt 16: 13-20
Dc. Larry Brockman

Just exactly who is Jesus to you? Is he a voice in the wilderness; a friend; a moral teacher? Or is he something deeper than that? Specifically, is he your Lord and Savior; and is he God himself?

The reason I ask is that it’s hard for us to conceive that another person, who was a human being, could actually be our Lord and Savior, and God himself. That seems a stretch of our powers of reasoning. God made everything- that makes him so far above us in intelligence and capability. That means God is transcendent, far above everyone and everything. And that’s the concept of God held in most religions- especially in Islam and Judaism. It’s really hard to imagine how the transcendent God could take on our limited form and limited intelligence, living within the constraints of humankind, and still be God.

The fact is, that the Jews wouldn’t even pronounce the name of God that was revealed to Moses, Yahweh. Such was their respect for the transcendence of God. As we listened to Paul’s letter to the Romans, we heard that theme as well: “Oh, the depth and riches and wisdom and knowledge of God”. And: “For who has known the mind of the Lord”.

Such would have been the dilemma of the Apostles in today’s Gospel When they were asked by Jesus who he was. These people lived with Jesus; they were with him all the time. They knew that he was special; yet he was just like them. He was like them in culture, religion, stature in society- he was a simple carpenter. But then, there were all those signs and miracles he worked. Still, a faithful Jew of the day, familiar with the scriptures, would have remembered the many signs and wonders that Moses and Elijah and the other prophets had worked. They had indeed worked many miracles that prefigured the works of Jesus, including healings, rising people from the dead, and feeding crowds. And yet, there was just something about Jesus that made him so special. But they had been raised to have the utmost of respect for the Transcendent God. How could they say that Jesus is the Messiah and God?

What it comes down to is that the Apostles, just like you and me, had to come to the conclusion that Jesus was God on Faith. And that Faith was instilled in them by God the Father through the intercession of the Holy Spirit. That is precisely what Jesus said to Peter in the Gospel. When asked by Jesus who he was, Peter, speaking both for himself and as a spokesman for the others, Proclaimed that Jesus was the Messiah, the Christ, and the Son of the living God; and so Jesus blessed Peter for proclaiming that because “flesh and blood” didn’t reveal it to him; rather the heavenly Father did.

Indeed, Jesus ushered in an entirely new concept of God- a God who was still far above us- transcendent; but a God who would always be close to us- intimate with us. And the intimacy came by God sharing His son Jesus with us, Jesus who is both true God and true man. It’s a matter of Faith, but all of us who have Faith profess with our lips that Jesus is our God and our Savior.

Now all of this sounds just fine from an intellectual perspective. We can understand that Jesus is God and Savior. But can we move beyond that? Justt how do we put it into practice? How do we live our lives recognizing Jesus as both an intimate friend and Almighty God?

First, we do it by showing the true respect shown to Almighty God. We do that by keeping the Sabbath and making God a priority in our daily lives; then by developing an intimate relationship with Him. You can show respect by listening to what Jesus tells you in your intimate relationship with him.

Each of us will be receiving Communion in just a few minutes. Jesus has left us Communion as a memorial of his intimacy with us. He is present, both as a human and divine person in the Communion we receive. In those few moments at Communion, praise the Almighty God that He is; thank Him for his ever-present relationship with you; and ask Him for the peace of mind and guidance that only God can provide; then listen to the small, still voices of your friend- your Savior and Lord.

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