But who do you say that I am?

 And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"  So they answered and said, "John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God."

And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day."  Then he said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels.   But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God."

- Luke 9:18-27

On Saturday we read that Jesus called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.  He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.  And He said to them, "Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.  Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart.  And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them."  So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.  Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him; and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again.  Herod said, "John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?"  So he sought to see Him.  And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done.  Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida.  But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.  When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, "Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here."  But He said to them, "You give them something to eat."  And they said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people."  For there were about five thousand men.  Then He said to His disciples, "Make them sit down in groups of fifty."  And they did so, and made them all sit down.  Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.

 And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"  So they answered and said, "John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God."  My study bible says that as in every generation, what the crowds have to say about Jesus is usually unpredictable and misguided.  There is a clear contrast here between those who are disciples and have faith in Jesus, and those who do not and do not know Him.  The question, "Who do you say that I am?" is the ultimate question in Scripture and all theology.  How this question is answered defines the universe, my study bible tells us.  But Scripture (as well as other aspects of the Church, such as its tradition and the ongoing work of God in the world) also defines the answer to this question, and leaves open so much more to be answered.  Christ (Hebrew Messiah) means "Anointed One."  This declaration by Peter that Jesus is the Christ of God reveals that Jesus is not just another anointed king of prophet, but rather the long-awaited Savior.

And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day."  Given the different ideas of the crowds, as well as the growing awareness of the rulers in power, Jesus desires to keep His identity as the Christ hidden.  This way He will avoid popular political and theological misunderstandings about His mission and His identity.  Only after His Passion and Resurrection can his identity as Messiah be understood, and all must come in light of the full completion of His ministry and saving mission.

 Then he said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels."   My study bible suggests that we note two things.  First, each person must take up his or her own cross.  Every person's burden in this world is different, each to his or her own.  Each person has been chosen by God to bear certain struggles for one's own salvation and the salvation of those around oneself.  We note also that the cross is to be taken up daily.  Commitment to following Christ isn't a one-time event, it's a full-time reality.  It is the continual practice, says my study bible, of faith and obedience, even to the point of being shamed and persecuted by the world. 

 “But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God."    In the verses immediately following, the story of the Transfiguration takes place (9:28-36).   This reference is to those who will witness the Transfiguration among them, as well as those in every generation who experience the presence of God’s Kingdom.

 There is an emphasis in today’s text about the essential need for Jesus’ ministry to evolve in a particular way, and that need has to do with why, from the beginning, the emphasis on right understanding was essential to the Church.  There is nothing missing or haphazard or done mistakenly or by accident in this ministry.  Everything has to unfold in a particular way so that Jesus is revealed to us in a particular way.  At the time, there were so many expectations of what the Messiah would bring, what the Messsiah would do.  But Jesus introduces something so extraordinary that no one could really have predicted what this event would bring.  The Incarnation is the greatest story ever told precisely because of what all the meanings of this Christ, or Messiah, bring to each one of us.  Its impact on the early Church set a course for struggles of meaning and understanding that would be fulfilled in the early Councils of the Church.  Jesus’ question to Peter, “But who do you say that I am?” becomes the most central question of all.  What does it man that God becomes a human being?  The multiplicity and infinitude of meanings and impact on us in this conception of Christ’s identity have the fullness of teaching us who we can be.  As Christ comes into the world to re-unite a separated God and humankind, He himself is God and human.  He makes it possible for us to understand that human beings are made for communion with God.  Not only that, but through Him we know that we are capable of becoming like God.  The true direction of all the practices of the Church is this unification, this road of becoming like Him.  We may manifest the fruits of the Spirit.  We may grow in this likeness.  The whole purpose of a devoted prayer practice is simply this.  And this is the way that you build the Kingdom in the world, for “the kingdom of heaven is within you" (17:21).  Without our understanding of who Christ is, then we wouldn’t have any idea what we’re capable of becoming, nor the great grace and honor that are given to human beings.  His words are simple and true; all we have to do is “Follow Him,” take up our crosses daily, and move into the direction He gives us, learning from Him, for “My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:30).  Everything depends on who we say He is, because how we find the deepest meanings in our own lives come from that understanding.