Proper 16 (Pentecost 13A 2023)

Text: Matthew 16:16-18 “16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

It’s not surprising that lots of people were talking about Jesus back then. Who knows how many people He had healed by this point? And He healed them with a word or with a touch. He had fed thousands with a few loaves and fish, with baskets full left over. Many had heard the name by now. And they connected the name to a lot of really impressive miracles. But who was this Jesus? The question Jesus asked Peter makes a lot of sense.

Part of what makes this passage from Matthew 16 so interesting is that the question Jesus asked Peter is surprisingly relevant today. There are still a lot of people talking about Jesus. Just about everyone knows His name. They know that He’s a really important person. They know He’s done some really impressive stuff. But who is this Jesus?

There is no shortage of people talking about Jesus in our day. But the “Jesuses” they describe are wildly different. Not long ago we were told, with quite a bit of certainty, that Jesus would wear a mask and would get vaccinated. We were told, with equal certainty, that He would refuse. More recently, Jesus has weighed in on immigration policy— or, at least, we’ve been told what He would support. Now we’re being told that He “gets us,” whatever that means.

There are a lot of different “Jesuses” out there. But, more importantly, there are different “Jesuses” cropping up inside the church, as well. A recent interview with a man named Russell Moore highlighted that fact. He shared, in this interview, that he was receiving an increasing number of reports from pastors who are being accused of preaching “liberal talking points” in their sermons. They’re being questioned after preaching the Sermon on the Mount, for example, "Where did you get those liberal talking points?” And what were those pastors saying? They were quoting Jesus. The parts of their sermons that they were receiving complaints about were literally the words of Jesus.

"And what was alarming to me is that in most of these scenarios, when the pastor would say, 'I'm literally quoting Jesus Christ,' the response would not be, 'I apologize,'" Moore told NPR. "The response would be, 'Yes, but that doesn't work anymore. That's weak.' (Lee, Loyd. “Former top church official warns Christianity is in 'crisis' if people think quotes from Jesus are 'liberal talking points'.” www.Insider.com, August 13, 2023.)

“Who do you say that I am?” Unfortunately, that’s a very relevant question.

Now, I’ve never received a complaint like that. But that does not mean we’re immune to this temptation. You and I just do it in far more subtle ways. You judge the strength of the Church based on which party is in the White House. You judge the health of the Church based on which party controls the legislature. You judge the success of the Church by whether pro-life laws are being passed and upheld by the courts.

“Who do you say that I am?”

Not long ago we were up in arms because the church was deemed “non-essential.” Liquor stores had to stay open, but churches could not. But which has a greater presence in your daily life— the Church or the liquor store?

“Who do you say that I am?”

When you think of the word ‘Church’, what comes to mind are things like budgets and bylaws, committees and constitutions, new member classes and new roofs. How many hours have you spent in meetings or serving in the church in various ways? How much have you given to support the church through the years? But is that what Jesus was talking about when He said, “The gates of hell will not prevail against it”?

“Who do you say that I am?”

Thankfully Jesus was perfectly clear on who He was. And He understood what it meant that He was the Christ, the Son of the Living God, who would crush the ancient serpent’s head even though it would bruise His heel. Even though the powers of Hell did their worst, they could not break or hinder His plan. They could not turn His steps away from the cross. They could not overcome Him, even with the most powerful weapon that they had: death.

When He rose, He seized for Himself the keys of Death and Hell (Rev. 1:18) because His death was for you. He died the death that you deserved.

This is not an ordinary organization that is only as strong as the commitment and resources of its members. We aren’t some sort of advocacy group, trying to raise awareness for our cause. Our fortunes don’t rise and fall with the outcome of elections.

You are the body of Christ. Even while He is seated at the right hand of the Father, He continues to live and to love and to serve in this world through you.

Ultimately, the only election that matters is the one that took place before time began. The only voter in that election was God, Himself. And He chose you. He ratified the results of that election with His own blood as He hung on the cross, choosing you there, too.

That great mystery has been revealed to you, not by flesh and blood, but by your Heavenly Father working through His Holy Spirit by the power of His Word. And the powers of Hell have no more power over the church that is founded on that confession of Jesus Christ than they have over Him.

“Who do you say that I am?” That is the most crucial question. It is the most crucial question, in part, because it also reveals who you are: “one body in Christ, and individually members one of another[, with] gifts that differ according to the grace given to us[. L]et us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal, the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness” (Romans 12:5-8). It’s easy to get anxious about what we used to be that we’re not any longer. But don’t ever let that cause you to lose sight of what we are. This is not an ordinary organization that is only as strong as the commitment and resources of its members. You are the body of Christ.