We all have to answer crucial questions in life. When we’re young, people ask, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” But, in time, the “What will you do with your life?” question requires a mature, thoughtful answer. But there may be no more significant question in all of life than the one Jesus asked his twelve disciples: “But who do you say I am?” The disciples offered various answers, but not satisfied with any of them, Jesus turned to them and asks: “But who do you say I am?” The structure of this question in Greek emphasizes the word “you.” It could be translated more literally, “And you, who do you say that I am?”
You and I can spend our lives studying the Bible theorizing about theology, grappling with the Gospels, puzzling over Paul. We can pour over commentaries that have wrestled with this question from almost two millennia. But, in the end, each one of us has to answer for ourselves the central question of life: “Who do you say I am?” This has to happen deep within us, and we must move beyond what we think we already know. We must reflect on what we have learned earlier, and what we’ve experienced throughout our lives. Even then, there’s only so far all of that can take us.
Ultimately, we need to decide who Jesus is. We need to wrestle with what Jesus said and did; his healings, his miracles, his teaching, what he has taught about God, the coming Kingdom and its implications. And that’s even before we begin to think about his death and resurrection. Only then are we in a position to answer adequately Jesus’ question, “Who do you say I am?” On that day, if we declare—as Peter did—that Jesus is the Messiah, we must be prepared to pick up our crosses and follow him, willing to lose our lives for his sake!