What Say Ye?

 PROPERS:          PROPER 19, YEAR B  

TEXT:                MARK 8:27-38

PREACHED AT ST. PAUL’S CHAPEL, MAGNOLIA SPRINGS, ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2021.

 

ONE SENTENCE:        Who we say Jesus is is indicative of the depth of our faith – and our willingness to act on it.       

 

 

 

            Jesus is in the boondocks in today’s gospel passage.  Caesarea-Philippi is in extreme northern Israel, at the foot of the snow-capped Mt. Hermon.  Even at Jesus’ time, the remote village was a monument to ancient Greek god Pan, God of the Wild and of flocks and herds.

 

            Almost within spitting distance of that ancient site are Israel’s borders with Syria and Lebanon.  Hezbollah rockets have routinely fallen in the nearby town of Qiryat Shemona.  This is contested territory today.

 

            But not in Jesus’ time. It is here that the baptismal waters which will ultimately become the Jordan River emerge from the base of Mount Hermon and begin their winding way to the Sea of Galilee and, ultimately, the Dead Sea.

 

            There is a massive grotto and a beautiful waterfall there.  It is to this place that Jesus has brought his disciples – some 25 miles due north of his home-base in Capernaum – to retreat and pose the essential question: “Who do people say that I am?”

 

            I suspect that the disciples were first stunned by the question.  There may have been an awkward but thoughtful silence. Then they began to answer: “John the Baptist; and others Elijah; and some others, one of the prophets.”

 

            But Jesus wants more: “But who do YOU say that I am?”

 

            I suspect Peter was usually the first to speak in most situations.  He seldom had an unspoken thought. And in this case, he does not disappoint: “You are the Messiah.” That means the “anointed one” – the one to deliver Israel from the perils of history.

 

            It is the same question Jesus poses to us today: “Who do you say that I am?”

 

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            It is tempting and easy to be flippant.  Of course, you know who he is.  Why else would you be here?  We recite the Creed – the essential statement of church faith – every Sunday.  What else is there?

 

            But there is more.  Much more.  How we answer that question – deeply and profoundly – affects the impact of Jesus on our lives.

 

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            James Fowler dealt with that concept and the result of his work is very insightful.  He sought to quantify the ineffable – to explain the mysterious.  He wrote a book entitled Stages of Faith. The upshot has to do with how we answer Jesus’ question – not verbally, but in our lives, practically.

 

            James Fowler identified six levels of faith.  They range from the cultural, almost superstitious level to a profound, mature, trusting faith.  There was no judgement of any level, but there was an increasingly solid foundation with each level.

 

            It reflected Jesus’ teaching that house built on rock is more resilient than a house built on sand.  A house built on rock can resist storms more easily than a house built on sand. So, a deeper, more mature level of faith provides greater stability.

 

            You have known people at all levels of faith.  There are likely all six levels represented here this morning.  Those people of greatly mature faith have had a tremendous impact on my life.  They are true saints who have walked this earth. But most of us barely dip our toes in the faith.

 

            How do we deepen our faith?  How do we respond to Jesus’ question with more faith?

 

            I wish I had a simple answer to those questions. However, my best advice is to go deeper.  Resist the temptation of easy answers.  Pray for deeper faith, and then seek it.  To do so is analogous to building muscle mass – exercise, resistance, again and again.

 

            As you exercise those muscles of faith, you will find yourself responding more deeply to Jesus’ question: “Who do you say that I am?”