Peters Confession of Christ
27 And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” 29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” 30 And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.
17th October 2024: Horsham
The purpose of Mark’s Gospel is to present Jesus as the Son of God. Mark wants you, the reader, to see who Jesus is, and to respond.
There have been a number of points already when Mark has shown us Jesus in conflict with the religious leaders of his day. There were argument because Jesus healed of a man with a withered hand in the synagogue on the sabbath. There were the Pharisees, grumbling at the front of the crowd when Jesus forgave the sins of a paralytic. Most recently in Mark’s gospel, Jesus confronted the Pharisees and Sadducees on the shores of Galilee when they demanded a sign of his Lordship. The Jewish leaders, Herod Antipas, the Romans and everyone else is taking a view on who Jesus is. Each time, as he relates these stories, it’s as if Mark is saying, what about you? Which side are you on? What do you think about this? In these verses, it’s happening again!
it would be normal for a rabbi to teach as they walked along, and at this point in the story, our group of followers have walked a long way. Jesus has taken the disciples on a journey, leading them north, beyond the borders of Israel, to the Mediterranean cities of Tyre and Sidon, and then inland, to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. Jesus was probably teaching the disciples in preparation for his death.
Whilst there would have been some Jews living in the region, this was a largely pagan area under Greek / Roman influence with temples dedicated to Baal, and the Greek god Pan. Against this background of disbelief and spiritual darkness, Jesus asks the disciples, ‘Who do people say that I am?’ (v27).
Most people, they say, thought Jesus was something pretty special. Some said John the Baptist. That’s a bit strange, because John been alive at the same time as Jesus, but had been recently murdered by Herod. The idea that he had somehow been resurrected would be deeply troubling to Herod and everyone else. Some other people say he is Elijah. Elijah was the greatest of Old Testament prophets, and it was thought that his return would herald the coming of the Messiah. Again, the assumption that Christ was a resurrected prophet, and not just any prophet. Elijah was a huge character in the Old Testament and his return was said to precede the arrival of the Messiah. Others again thought he was one of the prophets of old. All of these suggest that Jesus is resurrected. None of them suggest he is viewed as a magician or a charlatan.
‘What about you?’ says Jesus, ‘Who do you say that I am.’ Peter’s response is massive. Thee disciples may have suspected it. They may even have talked in whispers about it. But this is the moment, the first moment, when anyone says it out loud.
‘You are the Christ.’ Peter declares that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah.
Jesus response is simple. This is dynamite. Let’s keep it between ourselves – for now.
End Piece
‘This passage’, says NT Wright, ‘is really the centre-point, the turning point, of Mark’s gospel.‘ From this point, Jesus and his disciples head south, back towards Capernaum and the Sea of Galilee where his public ministry has been focused. He will spend some time there, but their journey will continue on, beyond Galilee, towards Jerusalem, towards the cross.
As I said at the top of this piece, the purpose of Mark’s Gospel is to present Jesus as the Son of God. He wants you to see that, and to respond to it.
So, answer the questions. In your culture – in your world, who do people say that Jesus is? If you ask around, the answers might surprise you.
Mark doesn’t want you to stop there, and neither does Jesus. They want your response. Allow Jesus to look directly into your eyes as he asks the question.
What about you? ‘Who do you say that I am?‘ (v30)