Who do you say that I am?

 Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him.  So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town.  And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.  And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking."  Then he put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up.  And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.  Then He sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town."

Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, "Who do men say that I am?"  So they answered, "John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said to Him, "You are the Christ."  Then he strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him. 

And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.  He spoke this word openly.  Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.  But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind Me, Satan!  For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men." 

- Mark 8:22-33

Yesterday we read that the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Jesus, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him.  But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign?  Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation."  And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side.  Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat.  Then He charged them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "Why do you reason because you have no bread?  Do you not yet perceive nor understand?  Is your heart still hardened?  Having eyes, do you not see?  And having ears, do you not hear?  And do you not remember?  When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  They said to Him, "Twelve."  Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  And they said, "Seven."  So He said to them, "How is it you do not understand?"  

 Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him.  So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town.  And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.  And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking."  Then he put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up.  And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.  Then He sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town."  Once again, Jesus has crossed the Sea of Galilee after a confrontation with the Pharisees (see yesterday's reading, above).   He comes to Bethsaida, whose people were unbelieving (Matthew 11:21).  Once again, where people are unbelieving, Jesus leads the blind man away from their influence and out of the town to heal him.  My study bible says that this is so that the people would not scoff at the miracle and bring upon themselves greater condemnation.  That the man himself was healed in stages shows that he had only a small amount of faith, my study bible tells us, for healing occurs according to one's faith.  Yet this little faith, like a mustard seed, was enough, and it increased with the touch of Christ.  Jesus' command not to return to the town symbolizes that we mustn't return to our sins once we've been forgiven. 

Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, "Who do men say that I am?"  So they answered, "John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said to Him, "You are the Christ."  Then he strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.   Jesus is once again traveling north into Gentile territory, on the road to Tyre (map).  It is on the road in this place that He asks what my study bible say is the greatest question a person can ever face:  "Who do you say that I am?"  It is this question that defines Christianity.  Peter's correct answer prevents Christian faith from being seen as simply another philosophical system or path of spirituality.  It names Jesus as the one and only Son of the living God.  Such a perspective excludes compromise with other religious systems, and gives us a kind of fullness and depth that reaches beyond what else we know, and includes the hidden things of God.  Peter's understanding can't be achieved by human reason, but is rather given through divine revelation through faith (1 Corinthians 12:3).  Christ means "Anointed One," and is equivalent to the Hebrew title of "Messiah."  My study bible also notes that Christ first draws out mistaken opinions about Himself.  In this way He identifies incorrect ideas, as a person is better prepared to avoid false teachings when they are clearly and explicitly identified.  We note also the correct answer, and that at this point Jesus forbids them to tell others about His identity as the Christ.

And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.  He spoke this word openly.  Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.  But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind Me, Satan!  For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."  The first thing Jesus does after Peter's confession is to teach the disciples the true nature of His messiahship.  We are immediately in the territory of mystery:  His Passion.  Jesus will confound expectations of the Messiah.  It was thought that the Messiah would reign forever.  For Christ to die is perplexing to Peter, and remained a scandal to the Jews even after the Resurrection (1 Corinthians 1:23).  Peter here unwittingly speaks for Satan.  The devil did not want Christ to fulfill His saving mission which will come through suffering and death. 

The mysteries of faith itself are indeed great.  In today's reading we have a very interesting juxtaposition.  Jesus takes the disciples into territory where faith is not strong.  And yet, one of the most extraordinary miracles of healing happens here, truly a sign of the presence of the Messiah:  a heals a man and gives him his sight.  But as my study bible points out, this happens away from the town (where Jesus takes the man deliberately to avoid those who scoff and therefore deter from faith) and He also tells the man not to return to the town after the healing.  His gradual sight is a good metaphor for the gradual understanding that faith will build -- which is particularly on display through the disciples.  In yesterday's reading, we remember that when Christ warned them to "beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod," they thought He was upset because they'd neglected to bring bread for their journey!  In today's reading, Peter makes his great confession that Jesus is the Christ.  But immediately, there are realities of the identity and mission of the Christ that Peter simply cannot accept.  His denial of Jesus' suffering which will come is such a strong denial of what Christ must do that Jesus tells him, "Get behind Me, Satan!"  His words that follow tell us explicitly what is happening here, "For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."  The true realities of God call us to a place that is unexpected, not in keeping with what we "rationally" think given our own expectations and understanding of life.  The things of God have a hidden depth and reach that our own knowledge does not cover.  Thereby is the notion and understanding of faith:  that we are on a journey.  Christ is taking us somewhere with Him, into a depth of understanding of life that the mere surface that we know in this world does not take us to.  Therefore the image of the mustard seed gives us just the right understanding of faith, that it must grow into something so far beyond the image of the seed that we can't even be prepared for its expectations.  Once more, as in yesterday's reading, we notice that even the great apostle Peter is called "Satan" by Christ, as this terrifying spectacle of the death of the Christ is too much for him to take in, although Peter's faith is so strong that he is the one who confesses that Jesus is the Christ in the first place.  We look to the journey, we look to the meaning of Christ as Son of God, and we understand what a long, long road we are on.  The man whose sight is restored in today's reading must go through a type of journey himself for his healing -- taken out of what is familiar and the dissenting or jeering voices, away from his "hometown" in order to receive what Christ has to offer.  And even then, his sight is only gradually restored, and he's told not to go back.  Let us consider what kind of journey we are on, and how such a great and lengthy journey may look from the perspective of faith as small as a mustard seed.  With Christ, it is enough, so long as we can continue on and accept the changes in our own perspective that His depth and mystery will always ask from us.