Who Are You?
Posted on Sep 12, 2018 by
There is an old story about a wealthy man who owned his own business. Each year at the annual company picnic the man would spend most of the day going around and talking with his employees and their families. One year, as the day was coming to an end, the man finally wandered into the food tent to get some food. As he went through the line, he was handed a plate with a chicken leg, potato salad, green beans, and a biscuit. He leaned over the table and said, “May I have another piece of chicken, please?”. The woman replied, “One piece per person.” He tried again: “I’m a big guy, and I’m pretty hungry, and this is just a little, bitty leg.” She said, “One piece per person.” Finally, the man lost his temper a bit and tried to pull rank, so he said to the woman, “Look, do you know who I am?” to which she replied, “No sir, but I know who I am. I’m the chicken lady, and it’s one piece per person.”
Our Gospel lesson for this Sunday is Mark 8:27-38. In this story, Jesus asked the disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” (Mark 8:27). Now, we know this story, and after hearing what others are saying, Jesus says to the twelve, “Who do you say that I am? (Mark 8:29). It is at this point that Peter says it out loud, “You are the Messiah” (Mark 8:29).
As I read this story over and over, I am reminded that the question of identity that Jesus asked of his disciples isn’t just about Jesus; it is also about us. If Jesus is the Christ that was destined for suffering and the cross and not the glory of an earthly king, then what exactly does that mean for us, his followers? If, as Luther said, we are to be “Little Christs to one another,” what does that mean for us today? What does it mean to be people who respond to the world with that same love and mercy?
Well, according to Jesus, it means that we need to start by following in his ways. Instead of saying, well, we can’t do things because that just isn’t how the world works today, like Jesus did in his day, we are to be those who stand up and boldly proclaim God’s love for everyone, and then be willing to suffer the consequences. Jesus spent his life walking with the poor, the outcast, the marginalized, and the refugee. As we will read in our text on Sunday, Jesus said to Peter and the others, don’t follow the ways of the world, come follow me. In other words, do as I am doing.
It sounds easy enough to do, but as a good friend of mine likes to remind me when I start talking about being like Jesus, “Yes, but Jesus got himself killed!”. When we truly follow in the ways of Jesus, there is a good chance the world, our friends, and even some of our family won't like it, but Jesus invites us to pick up those crosses and change the world. To do this, though, we have to be certain in knowing who and whose we are.
Like the “chicken lady,” who did not fear, when the world says to us, who do you think you are, we can boldly say, I don’t know who you are, but I am a beloved child of God’s marked with the cross of Christ forever.
Shalom, Pr. Dave