Have you ever met someone famous? I love the game at parties… “Two truths and a lie.” When I play this game I love to put famous names out there; two of them being a truth, and one being a lie. Patty and I have run across in random ways many people that were quite well known; politicians, film stars, musicians, sports stars, and even a US President (before he was the president). These would be recognizable people to you, but in the end they certainly DO NOT know me, and I can promise I really don’t know anything about them. I know nothing about who they really are, I just know their face.
Jesus had certainly become quite famous! As we have learned in our study in the Gospel of Mark this year, everywhere He went His fame was growing in intensity, and the crowds grew larger and larger. In a day when all news was spread only by word of mouth, from family to family, neighbor to neighbor, and town to town, the news about this Jesus was spreading like a major wildfire. He had of course performed some amazing miracles over diseases, demons, and nature. And His teaching was unlike anything anyone had ever heard. The crowds were growing huge and His fame was far and wide. But in the middle of His cultural fame, He pressed those closest to Him, His Disciples, with two critical questions:
Who do people say that I am?
Who do you say that I am?
This important question comes in the dead middle of the book of Mark, chapter 8. And the question was delivered to His closest followers — those famous Disciples — Peter, James, John, Andrew, Philip and the rest (including Judas Iscariot). And it’s fascinating that He asked them what the large crowds of people were saying about Him. But even more important he was asking what they, the disciples, believed that He was.
As you come to worship with your church family this Sunday this is our story. Come having read and contemplated Mark 8:27-30. This story of what we traditionally call “The Confession of Peter” is also found in Matthew 16:13-20 and Luke 9:18-20. You would do well to read all three accounts of the same event.
There is a monumentally important reason that this story is found in the middle of all three of these Gospel accounts. You’re going to find out this Sunday, and it’s not just because Jesus was a culturally famous person! I will also warn you that I am going to be proposing another question to you Sunday morning…. “Does it matter what we believe about who Jesus is?”
By the way, I’m not going to give you my list of famous people I’ve met because it would ruin my chances of winning the party game.
See you Sunday morning.
