Who do I say that I am?

     Our gospel lesson for Sunday comes from Matthew 16.13-20.  This is a pivotal passage in Matthew's gospel in a couple of ways.  First, it is the first time Jesus is proclaimed to be the Messiah.  Second, it is the turning point in Jesus' focus; from here on out he is making his way back to Jerusalem to be crucified.  The passage begins with Jesus asking who people say he is.  I love this encounter because I think it shows the human side of Jesus really well.  Who doesn't want to know what other people think of them?  Aren't we all a little curious as to how we are perceived?  So Jesus just asks up front, "Who do people say that I am?"  It is an interesting question.  Think about the last time someone asked, "Who's that?"  How did you respond?  My guess is that you identified them either by who their family is, by what they do for a living, or by how you know them.  For instance, at the farmer's market yesterday I met someone for the first time but she had heard of me.  "Oh, you're the minister!" was her response. 
     So often we are identified by what we do, and that is not necessarily untrue of Peter's declaration when Jesus asks, 'who do you say that I am?'  Peter identifies Jesus by who he is: the Messiah, the son of the Living God.  Jesus, savior, Emmanuel - God with us, is who he is because of what he does.  Peter, on the other hand, is simply that: Peter.  Right after Peter declares who Jesus is, his own identity is affirmed.  He is not defined by what he does, or by whose son he is, his identity comes directly from the fact that Jesus is God's son.  And that is the foundation of the whole church - Jesus' identity as the Messiah of the nations, the savior, God's son, God-with-us.
     In a world where people and churches are defined by what they do or by whose family they are part of, Jesus' declaration that none of that matters is part of what it means to be loosed (v 19).  The same is true of churches - churches are defined by what programs they have, what kind of worship they offer, who the members are, etc., but Peter's declaration and Jesus' affirmation looses us from these identities and give us a new one: people and church in Christ.  Since who we are stems from the fact that Jesus is the Messiah, we are freed from worrying about everything!  We no longer have to worry about how people perceive us, or what sort of vocation we have, or what type of church we go to, or what political party we affiliate with, or...
     The heart of your very existence is that Jesus is the Son of the living God, a God who wants to be involved with your every moment of life, a God who sent a savior to loose you from all that binds you, to save you.  No longer do you have to worry about following the 'rules' that everyone seems to think are part of what it means to be Christian.  Jesus, God made flesh, savior of the nations, has set you free!  No wonder Peter spoke up so bravely when Jesus asked.  It is hard to keep such a wonderful gift under wraps.
     Now verse 20 can be perplexing given what I just said.  Jesus sternly ordered them not to tell anyone.  If we read this verse in the context of the whole passage, Jesus knew it wasn't yet time for people to receive the message that he was God's son.  He still needed to make it all the way back to Jerusalem before he could be crucified, and I think he was smart enough to know that people wouldn't be very happy if he went around saying he was God's Messiah, the savior of the world.  This command not to tell people must be held in tension with Jesus' final words to his disciples in Matthew 28.18-20, when he commands us to make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching them.  Jesus has already died and risen, Jesus has already set us free, and this is a message that ought to be shouted from every street corner, at every kitchen table, and in every workplace.  We have been loosed!  We are seen only in Christ, our savior, God with us.
     This is great news, and it nearly makes me bubble over with joy, but it still leaves me wondering: who do I say that I am?