Edgewood United Church

United Church of Christ

September 17, 2006          Edgewood United Church UCC          Rev. Karen E. Gale

                               Who Do You  Say That I Am?
                                           Mark 8:27-38

Jesus asked them,
Who do you say that I am?

Elijah, Prophet, Rabbi.
Son of God, Messiah, Christ.
The Way, The Truth, The Life.
Savior, Shepherd, Friend.
The last, the least, the lost.

Jesus asked Peter.
Jesus asked Pilate.
Jesus asks us.

Who do you say that I am?
--Katherine Hawker, Outside the Box

In today’s scripture Jesus asks, “Who do you say that I am?”
This is a difficult question, especially for us mainline, liberal Protestants who wrestle sometimes about whether or not we believe in Jesus at all. Who do we say Jesus is: a Messiah, holy man, good person, priest, incarnation of God, mysterious figure, savior?

Who do you say that I am?

The answer can shape our lives, our actions, how we deal with money, and what we choose for ourselves and our children.

Who do you say that I am?

“If the New Testament is any indication, the people around Jesus had a surprising number of answers for that one: the Son of God, Son of Man, King, Lord, Son of David, teacher, rabbi, king of the Jews, Son of the Living God, master, and gardener. In today’s lesson and its parallels, he is compared to one of the prophets, Elijah, John the Baptist, and Jeremiah. He was also called a blasphemer, a glutton, a drunkard, and an imposter.

“It is important to recognize that Jesus invites us all to answer the question “Who do you say that I am?” for ourselves. And equally important for us to consider is that the New Testament offers all of these answers and more, not limiting us to any single idea or label for Jesus. (Rev. Kirk Alan Kubicek, textweek.com)

In fact, I’ll be teaching a class next month on Marcus Borg’s book Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time where those who attend will be challenged to think through who they say Jesus is.

Who do you say that I am?
First off in our scripture Jesus turns to the disciples and asks them “who do people say that I am?” The disciples offer many answers. Elijah, John the Baptist, a prophet.

Elijah was a good answer. It was commonly understood that Elijah would return before the Messiah came. (Malachi 4:5; Mark 9:11-13.)

Elijah was supposed to show up as precursor to Messiah: a great sign that things would be different for Jews waiting for release from Roman domination, occupation and oppression. Salvation was expected: a bettering of a society where debt was omnipresent, terrible diseases lurked, there was never enough food, and corruption was the norm. Think of Iraq or the current situation in Lebanon for taste/understanding of what people were hoping and longing for.

John the Baptist was also a good answer. Remember back about six weeks ago when I preached on the beheading of John the Baptist and how Herod was terrified when he heard about Jesus thinking that John had been resurrected. Many thought Jesus was John who had come again.

But then Jesus turns to the disciples and says, “but who do you say that I am?” I imagine a long, long, long pause. And then Peter, the brashest and bravest, says, “you are the Messiah.”

The word messiah is a translation of a Hebrew word which means “anointed one.” If translated into Greek the word becomes Christ which also means anointed one. Jesus is the anointed one.

But anointed by whom? Anointed to what?
 
“Even in Hebrew scriptures and Jewish tradition there is not a lot of agreement as to what this word signifies. Or it is more accurate to say that it is a word freighted with many meanings. Because it can refer to individuals like Aaron, the priest who was anointed with oil and by God to be a priest in the Temple. Or it can be used metaphorically to refer to someone like Cyrus of Persia who delivered the Jewish people from their captivity in Babylon. It can even refer to the entire people of Israel as anointed by God to be a light to the nations.

“And at the time of Jesus, the idea of a Messiah coming to restore the kingdom was in the air. But there were many different interpretations of what that meant. He would be a warrior, a judge, a king, a prophet. None of which included the idea of being executed by the Roman government. 

“In Luke’s gospel only, Jesus is shown to be reading from the sixty-first chapter of Isaiah: “God has anointed me to bring good news to the poor … and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (that is the Jubilee year of Leviticus). He then announces that this scripture is fulfilled, suggesting to some that he is claiming to be anointed, messiah, christos.  (Rev. Kirk Alan Kubicek, textweek.com)

Who do you say that I am?
Returning to Mark’s gospel, this morning’s reading, Jesus teaches them what it means to be the messiah, the anointed one. “Jesus began to teach them that the Son of Man [another name of Jesus] must undergo great suffering and be rejected by the elders , the chide priests, and the scribes and be killed and after three days rise again.”

Peter wins prize by calling Jesus the Messiah. But he is unhappy with how Jesus defines that this means. Peter takes Jesus aside and rebukes him. This would be a huge insult: the student rebuking the teacher. But Peter is practical. I imagine him saying, “Jesus, come on. We have a good thing going here, don’t freak out the crowd. We’re going to be victorious. You are going to scare people.”

And Jesus turns to Peter and says, “Get behind me, Satan, for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” This line is a famous one. Get behind me, Satan. But only this week I was intrigued to learn that we can read this in two ways.

The first was is get behind me, get away from me. Do not tempt me. It is a command for Peter to get out of Jesus’ way.

But one can also hear these words as saying get behind me meaning get on board, start supporting me because this is what is going to happen. Get with the program. “The word for "behind" can also be used as "support" rather than "out of my sight." In other words, Jesus could be trying to convince Peter to quit tempting him to turn away from his purpose, and instead to get behind him, to back him up, to support him in his endeavor.” (Lindy Black, Sermon Nuggets)

Jesus seems really harsh here but I believe that Jesus himself may have been tempted at this point. You see we are at a turning point in Jesus’ journey. In the time between last weeks’ reading about the Syro-Phoenician woman and this week’s reading Jesus has crossed over.

Brian Doonst, a pastor, says, “I see the encounter with the Syro-Phoenician woman last week as the real hinge point of the Gospel of Mark, and the conversation with the disciples this week as the beginning of the second part of the Gospel.

“In part one, beginning with his baptism Jesus is sorting out his identity and call, and discerning how the mission of the Spirit within him relates to the old covenant community and its traditions.  The conversation with the Syro-Phoenician woman is like the last piece to the puzzle -- the final "aha" experience that helps Jesus finally see the whole picture of who he is and what he is about. Jesus is called to minister to those across every boundary, in every place.” His saving message is not just for the Jewish people, a group Jesus knows and affiliated with., it is for everyone and especially those at the margins. For everyone: Romans, pagans, unclean, poor, prostitutes, everyone.

“And now part two is about letting the disciples and others in on the secret, and inviting/challenging them to make their own choices about how they will understand and relate to what Jesus is about.” (Brian Doonst, midrash.org)

Who do you say that I am?
Jesus turns to the crowd and lays it on the line, “for those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. What will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?”

“But to be fair to Peter, he grasped something which many have not grasped: Jesus’ agenda was political as much as it was religious. It was about liberating individuals from oppression. It was about power-change in individuals and communities. It was good news for the poor, that would really count as good news.” (John Dominic Crossen)

Jesus understood that he risked almost certain death to preach this message. No wonder the disciples are concerned. One can imagine how many people turned around and left that day.

Who do you say that I am?

I wonder how many of you have seen the latest copy of Time Magazine. The cover story is “Does God Want You to be Rich?” The article examines prosperity churches, churches that preach that if you give your money to the church, God will bless you in return with material wealth. You will become rich.
“Known (or vilified) under a variety of names—Word of Faith, Health and Wealth, Name it and Claim it, Prospertity Theology—its emphasis is on God’s promised gereosity in this life and the ability of believers to claim it for themselves.” (Time, Sept. 18, 06)

These churches have been known to prey on poor, those in desperate need of getting wealthy or even getting enough to get by. But right now the largest churches and the fastest growing churches in this country are ones that promise God’s blessing to those who put their faith in God. And that blessing is money.
Now, one reason why these churches are popular is that, understandably, this message has a lot of appeal. Getting rich is a lot better message than going out to be persecuted, misunderstood, unpopular and killed for standing up for the excluded, poor and oppressed

Joyce Meyer, a popular television preacher quoted in the Time article said, "Who would want to get in on something where you're miserable, poor, broke and ugly and you just have to muddle through until you get to heaven?" I have to say that quote made me laugh out loud the first time I read the article. What an image.
However, in some ways that is exactly how I have understood parts of the call to Christianity. It is not glamour and wealth. But I have to agree with Meyer that it doesn’t make for a very good glossy brochure.

We all have to wrestle with who we say Jesus is. Is he a divine figure of prosperity or a divine advocate of the poor and excluded? Which image will we follow? There are consequences of our choice.

Today we reflect on Nicaragua which is one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere.  It is also a country with a history of standing up against oppression including oppression from the US government. Leadership in these struggles has come from Roman Catholic priests who live in base communities, gatherings of people dedicated to lifting up the poor, fighting for rights and against oppression and preaching the world of Jesus the savior of those on the very bottom of society.

These are the ideas can bring consequences of life and death as they have in Nicaragua as in many places. Following Jesus is dangerous, challenging, and many have died in service to this message.
But we too living in this country make choices we make that effect lives in Nicaragua. One of Nicaragua’s biggest exports is coffee. Their high altitude, shade grown coffee, is some of the best in the world. Ten percent of Nicaragua's coffee is grown by workers in small cooperatives who are able assess the quality of the beans and avoid middlemen - who are called "coyotes" by some people -- who usually get most of the profit from the sale of coffee beans.

One way to help coffee growers in small farms is to keep the number of "coyotes" to a minimum so that these farmers get more of the profit.  The coffee grown on these farms and sold in the United States is called "fair trade coffee." Because they are paid a higher price, farmers are able to make a living for their families. (Lutheran global services)

So every morning we make a choice about the gospel in the coffee we drink. Fair trade or not? We choose to serve fair trade coffee at church even though costs us more. What do you choose to drink in your home? On your way to work? At your workplace? At your favorite coffee shop?

Americans are greatest consumers of coffee in the world, consuming 20% of all coffee grown everywhere. Think of the power we have. Who do we say Jesus is in how choose our coffee? A small choice with big consequences. Who do we say Jesus is when think of Nicaraguan farmer crouched over coffee plants on high elevations, trying to avoid coyotes who take the profits so we have cheaper cup of coffee?

It is not easy. It does take sacrifice. And that is just one small decision in our day. Perhaps it is the decision we have to make first thing in the morning when we are sleepy and trying to face another day of work. Or getting kids to school. Or being caregiver for loved one. Every morning we wrestle with, “Who do you say that I am?”

Jesus says, “what will it profit them to fain the whole world and forfeit their life?” Jesus clearly says we can’t have it all. Gathering riches is not congruent with the gospel. This is a hard message unlike another man quoted in the Time article who said, "Why not gain the whole world plus my soul?”

This is not an unheard of sentiment. “In a Time poll, 17% of Christians surveyed said they considered themselves part of the prosperity church movement, while a full 61% believed that God wants people to be prosperous. And 31%--a far higher percentage than there are Pentecostals in America--agreed that if you give your money to God, God will bless you with more money.” (Time, Sept. 18, 06)
I do not believe it works that way. Jesus clearly spells out that it doesn’t work that way in today’s lesson. We must choose what to do with our lives and with our money—whether it goes to the bank, or a new hot tub, or church or charity. We must choose what to do with our life: to refuse to work at high paying job with questionable ethics instead working at lower paying one that will not make us rich but lets us sleep comfortably at night.

Who do you say that I am?
Prosperity doctrine promises personal financial gain in the name of gospel. Joel Osteen who preaches to perhaps the largest prosperity gospel church in the US has spoken memorably on how his wife Victoria's “"speaking words of faith and victory" eventually brought the couple their dream house; how Joel discerned God's favor in being bumped from economy to business class.” (Time, Sept. 18, 06)

When I hold those sentiments up to today’s scripture, they do not match. Edgewood is not a prosperity gospel church. We don’t lift up a theology of financial prosperity.
We do preach of God’s abundance. And I do believe that as we give, as we are generous to church and to other, we will be blessed by the act of giving. Not because God then gives great financial rewards. But because learn to live with less, or rearrange priorities, or derive great clean hope and passion for people of the world. We are blessed because it is the right thing to do to share what we have with those who have less, or to advocate, or to work for a more equal sharing of resources. Lives are changed by our efforts, even the small effort of choosing our coffee.

What good is it to gain the whole world and forfeit our life? At Edgewood we say Jesus is liberator, challenger, on side of poor, leading us to justice work, calling us to question lives, government, status quo. As a church we have a strategic plan that challenges us to do more in the work of justice making, and advocacy.  Not to give because going to get rich. Or Because God wants you to be wealthy. Or because you will get a certain percentage back from God (prosperity churches promise a certain percentage gain for every dollar given). But because Christ calls us to walk this road with him that leads away from wealth and towards a life of service. And we are challenged to do that with our money as well as our actions. To spend our life in the service of the anointed one.

Who do you say that I am?
We know how this story ends. Jesus continues his ministry angering politicians, priests, Romans, Jewish leaders, secular and religious alike. And he is killed. And then comes the resurrection.

Who do you say that I am?
If we follow Christ we say we are ones who believe in his message of inclusion and hope and justice and love.
If we follow Christ we say that we will also walk this road though it will be scary, uncomfortable, costly, we may lose friends and anger family members and may even result in our death.
If we follow Christ we seek what is beyond earthly wealth to what is far most precious-human dignity and wholeness. And know that no matter what, we will always be loved by God and that death is not the final answer.

Who do you say that I am?
I have a neighbor whose name is Matthew. And since I moved into my house 4 or 5 years ago, Matthew has been sick. It has been like watching someone shrink, a strong healthy young man grow thinner and smaller and sicker.

Matthew went to his doctor and his doctor kept telling him he was fine. That there wasn’t anything wrong and nothing that he could do. Matthew continued to waste away. Finally, after being begged by a family member to get a second opinion, Matthew saw a second doctor who did the appropriate tests and immediately put Matthew in the hospital. His kidneys had shut down and Matthew was critically ill. After a month in the hospital Matthew came home but his kidneys would never work again.

A sad enough story until you learn that Matthew is African-American. And Matthew is gay. The reason he did not receive good treatment is that the first doctor discriminated against Matthew, not taking him seriously because he was gay, and the results were dire consequences.

Matthew started on dialysis and that could be the end of the story except that Matthew had a good friend Kathryn that he knew from high school and she had been in touch through this ordeal. She watched as Matthew’s doctors tried to find a donor for him but it is hard to find a match since there are not as many African-Americans in the organ donation pool which was Matthew’s best chance for a match.

Kathryn, who is white, decided to get tested and the test came back that she was a match. She could donate a kidney. Kathryn is a single mom. She has four kids and tries her best each month to provide for the family and raise them with love and a good home. There is never a lot of money left over at the end of the month. What about the risks? What would she do?

“For those who lose their life for my sake and for the sake of the gospel will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?”

Kathryn decided, despite the chances of complications, despite her being a sole provider for four children, despite a world that tells us to look to ourselves first, she decided to give a kidney to Matthew.
The surgery was a success. Both of them came through just fine. Kathryn’s kids consider her a hero. And it has been my great joy to watch Matthew grow before my very eyes—to put on weight and return to being a healthy, active young man again.

Who do you say that I am? “Do you identify yourself as a Christ-follower? What does that really mean to you? Why are you a Christian? Why do you want to be a follower of Jesus? Is it to get into heaven? Is it to get rid of guilt, to find peace in your life? Is it to make life smoother, more enjoyable? What is your motive for following this Christ around? (Preacher’s Magazine)

Who do you say that I am?
Jesus calls us, challenges us, asks us to spend our lives in service to the gospel message of good news, to give of what comes to us in service of the poor and oppressed, to release the power of the material and to give of all that we are. To find what is everlasting and eternal in the service of what is true and good and of God.

Who do you say that I am?  
Amen.