Mark 8:27-38, “Who do you say I am?”
Today’s text comes from Mark 8:27-38, about who Jesus is and discipleship. From our text, we note that Jesus draws a line between outsiders and insiders who believed Jesus was the Messiah and those who did not. Jesus asked, “Who do people say I am?” Jesus’ disciples replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” At this point, I want to bring your attention to where Jesus asked this question to his disciples. It was in Caesarea Philippi, twenty-five miles from Galilee, a city dominated by immoral activities and pagan practices. It was a city known for Baal worship, a fertility god who was believed to produce crops in the field and produce cattle and children; its worship involved ritualistic, perverted sexual practices in the temples and all kinds of despicable acts, including self-mutilation and child sacrifice. In addition, in Jesus’ time, this city, Caesarea Philippi, was associated with the worship of Greek fertility gods, and in its worship, people engaged in horrible practices, including sexual interaction between humans and animals.
In the city, where there were many false deities and pagan worships, Jesus asked his disciples again in verse 29, “What about you? Who do you say I am?” Jesus’ head disciple, Peter, answered, “You are the Messiah!”
Jesus was aware that there were people who saw and treated Him as another human being, not as the Messiah, the Savior. He didn’t think too much of the opinions of those outsiders, but Jesus cared what his disciples, those followers of Jesus, thought of him. Jesus drew a line between outsiders and insiders on this earth, as there will be a line between those who will enter the kingdom of God and those who will be cast outside the kingdom of God.
We are living in the modern-day Caesarea Philippi, where abortion, a form of child sacrifice, is legalized. All sorts of sexual perversions are practiced and recognized as God-sanctioned sexuality, forcing us to embrace them as such. Accepting them as our brothers and sisters who need God’s forgiveness and praying for their repentance is one thing. However, approving their practices as God-sanctioned practices is another thing. We must know the difference between the two. We live in a world that forces us to approve of transgender people, approving of their practice of changing their God-given gender. Of course, there are exceptions in all cases. There can be unavoidable abortions, such as to save a mom’s life or incest victim cases. In transgender cases, if anyone’s genetic makeup is 99 percent female yet born with a male genital organ, then the operation is necessary. The other day, I visited a patient whose gender was classified as female on the chart, but I only saw a male in the room in his twenties through and through a robust male. I was so confused! What is so despicable of all these is having sex with animals, which can be seen on YouTube. It is so satanic, destroying the clear distinction between human and animal, sacred and filthiness, holy and impure. We are living in a modern-day Caesarea Philippi where even clergies say that Jesus was just a human being, a “chunk of clay” who had identity crises.
In our world, in Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asks us, “Who do you say I am?” Who is Jesus to you? Is he another human being? Or the Messiah, the Son of the living God, who came to die for our salvation? Suppose your answer is that Jesus was just a human being, another social and religious reformer, or another enlightened teacher. In that case, you are not an insider but an outsider with whom God doesn’t have much to do.
Secondly, if we confess Jesus as the Messiah, then we are to believe in his suffering, crucifixion, and resurrection (vs. 31). “He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the law and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.” In other words, we must believe that Jesus suffered and died for our sins and became the living Lord through His resurrection because Jesus was and is God. He is not just a human being but is God. He is our resurrected Lord. That is how we can have hope in a world where we experience death in many forms. Yet, we can rise from the death bed, disappointment, frustration, and hell because the gates of Hades, the power of death, will never prevail over us, the insiders! Because Jesus has overcome death through His resurrection. As Christ’s followers, we will arise from our deadly circumstances and situations or conditions through His resurrection, and we will not stay in death.
As our resurrected Lord, He is the only way, the truth, and the life. Without Him, no one can come to God; no one can enter the kingdom of God without Him. Only in Jesus is there salvation; we are to proclaim this in our daily living to the world, which is challenging to do in this time and age. People might think that we are bigots, not respecting other people’s beliefs and religions. We will be considered ‘enemies of the common good,’ not embracing and approving those who have different religions, lifestyles, and beliefs. The followers of Jesus, the insiders, will be persecuted; it is expected more and more as it approaches the second coming of Jesus. This leads to the third point: carrying one’s cross and following Jesus.
Jesus warned his followers, the insiders, in vss. 34-35, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.” If you want to follow me, expect that there will be times when you might have to risk your life, your safety, and your place in the society where you live. In other words, suffering is necessary in following Jesus. The necessity of suffering comes from how Jesus lived — a series of actions not paying attention to social and cultural/religious norms, a life set apart for the Holy God. In other words, true Christians who do not belong to the satanic world of evil practices are the light and the salt of the world, dispelling darkness surrounding them and teaching the world that they are wrong. Such a life prescribes suffering and persecution.
Korean national television broadcasted news clips about what had happened in Torrance and LA, California, about a week ago. It showed that a Korean American pastor was being fired by UMC personnel because of his theological stance on LGBQT issues. Another clip showed a Korean pastor being fired right in the middle of the service by a UMC representative who barged in irrespective of the worship that was going on, approached the pulpit and announced the dismissal of the pastor of that church for the same reason. It happened despite the church’s decision to disaffiliate from UMC by 79 percent of the vote.
We are living in a world of hostility and hatred toward Christians. We all experience small and large persecutions in our daily lives for standing up for what we believe in God. I face that every day, mingled with racism. This time and age call for wisdom to live faithfully to God and, at the same time, to communicate God’s truth in a loving way. How does that look like? For one thing, we must know that we all need God’s forgiving grace. Never condemn anyone as if they are done with God. Until we die, we all have chances to be forgiven. We are to be there for anyone to extend our help and always show our love through actions and words. That should be different from condoning sins, however. We should be able to stand up for our beliefs to the point of risking our lives. Jesus warns us sternly vss. 36-38, “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
What good is it if we have a place, safety, and people’s approval in the world yet forfeit our souls? If we are ashamed of Jesus and his teaching, then Jesus will be ashamed of us when He comes again in His Father’s glory. Where do we stand? Are we outsiders or insiders? Are we following Jesus?