8-25-96	Upon this Rock	Exodus 1:22-2:10

Romans12:1-8

Matthew 16:13-20

In our Gospel lesson for today we are told that Jesus went to Ceasarea Philippi. And what we know of Ceasarea Philippi is that it was a place known for its free-thinkers – full of people who lived by the motto, "Do your own thing." In fact, there were people living there who had been doing their own thing for so long that they thought that the way they had been doing it was the only way – the traditional way – the orthodox way, simply because they had lost touch with the traditions and the theology of the rest of the people of Israel.

In many ways, this is the way many people live, today, in our own country. If, for instance, you were to ask someone what is the right way to do something, they might base their answer on their own memory of how that particular thing has been done. Thus what we call "Old Time Religion" is typically the memory of how religion was practiced fifty, sixty, or seventy years ago. And even then, such a memory may vary from person to person, from region to region, and from town to town.

So, when someone comes into an area, like Jesus did at Ceasarea Philippi, whose knowledge of God is not based upon how things were done a few decades ago, but upon an actual knowledge of God from the beginning of creation, you can imagine what people might think. Some people might have rejected Jesus altogether, resenting his insistence that their knowledge of God was too limited, even parochial, self-centered, and self-serving. These might have ignored Jesus, even shunned him, hoping that he might go away. Or, on the other hand, if they were wise and fortunate, there were those who would listen to Jesus and learn from him and benefit from the learning.

So, it is understandable that as Jesus entered into this region known as Ceasarea Philippi he would ask his disciples: "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"

Of course, that question was pretty controversial. "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" It would be like asking, today, "Do you believe that Jesus is going to return by the end of the decade?" Drop a question like that on people sitting in any typical downtown cafe and you're likely to get at least ten different opinions. And hardly any of those opinions will be based on much more than what has been said by popular preachers over the last forty or fifty years. Not that that 's so bad, really, except that what is popular isn't necessarily true, but may be popular only because it is what people want to hear or find easy to accept. That which is true may actually be what people do not want to hear and find least easy to accept. Thus, someone who preached the truth, might be very unpopular, indeed. Nevertheless, he or she would be preaching the truth. While such a preacher might not be popular, he or she would still have his or her integrity. And you can decide which kind of preacher you would rather listen to.

So, Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" "Who is the Messiah?" And they had been listening. They knew. And so they answered, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

Sometimes it is difficult to know what to believe. I mean, look at this area: We have Jehovah Witnesses, Baptists, Mormons, the Assembly of God, Roman Catholics, Lutherans, United Methodists, Presbyterians, Christian Scientists, Unitarians, Eastern Orthodoxers , and goodness knows how many other denominations of the Christian faith, not to mention the Black Muslims, Hindus, Moslems, Hare Krishnas, Shintos , and Jews. So, which one is right and how is anyone to know? Some are content with believing that the right one is the one they grew up in. Others look around and figure they'll believe what the majority of the folks around them believe. Still, others ignore theology altogether and look, instead, for the church that is the friendliest, or has the best music, or has the nicest sanctuary, or has the most active youth group, or is the most pro-family. And, while all of these methods of choosing a church has its merits, each has its drawbacks, as well. So, the question persists: "Which one is right? And how is anyone supposed to know?"

In a very real way, this is what Jesus asked his disciples when he said, "But what about you? Who do you say I am?" What an important question this was for them! And what an important question this is for us, as well!

All too often, we Christians have equated Christianity with being self-reliant, self- confident, self assured, and independent. We have lifted these up as virtues, never considering that they might actually run against the teachings of the Christian faith, especially if taken to the extreme. Take the following story as an example:

Walking up an icy street, a little boy reached up, caught hold of his father's finger, and slipped. As he slipped, he let go of his father and went down. The father helped the whimpering boy up and they walked on. The father tried to take hold of the boy's hand, but the boy slapped at his father's hand and finally caught hold of the finger by himself. Once more he slipped; the automatic reflexes opened his hand and down he went. He whimpered again, and this time the father just reached down and caught the little fellow by his fist. The boy still wanted to do the whole thing by himself, but the father wouldn't let him and so they went along. All of a sudden, the boy's feet slipped and the telegraph reflexes from the boy's fist ran through the father's arm to the father's head; before the boy's feet could fly out from under him again, the father lifted him up. The boy kicked in the air for a moment; the father set him down, and they walked on together again.

There are two ways of trying to live the Christian life. If you try to hold on to God's finger, something is going to happen, and you are going to try to let go. But if you say, "Lord God, I can't stay on my own feet, hold me," He'll do it. When you slip, you may kick around in the air for a minute, but God is strong enough to let you kick and then to put you down again very quietly and let you get your footing and start on again. And God will keep you this way.

Being able to answer Jesus' question, "Who do you say I am?" is fundamental to our understanding of who we are in relation to God and with one another. If we somehow equate a faith in Jesus with self-confidence and self-reliance, rather than putting Christ at the center of our lives and trusting in God, alone, we worship a false-god that is as frail as we are. Or if we limit our faith and knowledge of God to what we remember from our childhood, then how can we expect to mature in the Christian faith? Or, if we continually insist that we have achieved the pinnacle of our knowledge of God and refuse to listen to those who may offer us more how can we expect God to lead us into the future? How can we be open to the Spirit of the Lord?

So, Jesus asked the question that we all need to grapple with from time to time: "Who do you say that I am?" And Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

The question here is: How could Simon Peter have known such a thing? Jesus knew that no human being had ever told Simon Peter this. He hadn't learned it in Sunday School from a popular curriculum. He hadn't read it in The Reader's Digest. He hadn't heard it in the downtown cafe. He hadn't heard it from a popular preacher on T.V. The only way Simon Peter could have know that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God, was to have heard it from God, himself. And the only way he could have heard it was from walking close to Jesus for a while.

Certainly, that is how any of us should grapple with our faith to know what is right. Walking with Jesus, you're bound to learn some things, and hear some things, and experience some things that are going to shed some light on the mysteries of the ages.

But, what does it take to walk with Jesus for a while? Sometimes walking with Jesus means just getting out of your own neighborhood, maybe to live and work with poor people in mission and in ministry for a week or two. I've done that, and we've had persons from this church do that, too. And when you do that you come back changed a little because you've walked with Jesus for a while.

Or, sometimes, walking with Jesus may mean spending some time in a Christian retreat center for a few days, spending time in prayer, meditation, Bible study, and reading. I've done that, and I know that some of you have done that, too. And, again, when you do such a thing you come back changed a little because you've walked with Jesus for a while.

We all need to walk with Jesus for a while, even if it is only for a few moments each day, as we find solitude and silence for prayer, or journaling , or study, or as we reach out to others in various ministries. We all need to walk with Jesus for a while. For it is only then that you come a little closer to the truth and get a little nearer to what it is that God would have you do.

When Jesus asked "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." But the amazing thing is that Jesus responded to his correct answer by telling Simon Peter who he was! When Peter knew who Jesus was, he knew that much more about himself! For in knowing who Jesus was, Peter was told, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of death will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

And what a lesson this is for us, as well! It is by walking with Jesus for a while that we get to know who he is. Yet, in knowing who Jesus is, we learn more about who we are, ourselves!

Being members of the church should certainly be a walk with Jesus, shouldn't it? Sometimes that walk is easy and joyful. At other times we slip and fall. But, if, together, we take God's hand he will hold us steady and even set us on our feet again. And that, my friends, is the gospel of our Lord that we may either accept or reject, internalize or simply talk about for an hour or two a week. But if we make it our walk with Jesus how blessed we will be!

Amen.