Who Do You Say That I Am?

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

There is a question Jesus asks in today’s Gospel that sounds simple, but it is probably the most important question we will ever answer: “Who do you say that I am?” Notice, Jesus does not ask, “What do people think about me?” He asks the disciples personally. And that changes everything. Because faith cannot survive forever on somebody else’s answer. At some point, the question becomes ours. Not our parents’ faith. Not our parish’s faith. Not what we learned in school. Who is Jesus to me?

Peter gives the right answer: “The Christ of God.” But then Jesus immediately speaks about suffering, rejection, the cross, and death. That is the part Peter, and honestly, all of us – struggle with. We are often comfortable with Jesus as long as He fits the picture we have of Him. We like Jesus the healer, Jesus the comforter, Jesus the one who answers prayers. But Jesus also reveals Himself as the One who walks toward the Cross. And if we really believe He is the Christ, then we have to allow Him to be Lord even when His way is not the way we expected.

Maybe that is the real challenge of this Gospel: Do I follow the real Jesus, or only the version of Jesus that is convenient for me? It is possible to know all the right words about Jesus and still resist Him when He asks something difficult of us. We can say He is Lord and still hold tightly to our own plans, our grudges, our habits, our need for control. Peter knew the right title, but he still had to learn what that title actually meant. And so do we.

There is something very freeing here. Jesus is not asking us to understand everything before we follow Him. He is asking us to trust Him. Sometimes faith means saying, “Lord, I do not understand this season of my life, but I know who You are.” “I do not know why this prayer has not been answered, but I know who You are.” “I do not know where this road is leading, but I know who You are.” That is a deeper faith than simply believing when everything makes sense.

So perhaps today, the question is not whether we know about Jesus. The question is whether we know Him well enough to trust Him. Jesus still asks each of us, quietly and personally: “Who do you say that I am?” And our real answer is not only what we say with our lips. Our real answer is the way we live, the things we surrender, the crosses we carry, and the trust we place in Him when life does not go according to plan.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You ask me today who I say You are. Help me not only to give the right answer, but to live it. When I do not understand Your ways, teach me to trust You. When the road is difficult, keep me close to You. And may my life quietly say each day: “You are the Christ. You are my Lord.” Amen.

– Homily by Rev. Fr. Patrick Agbeko