My Dear People, 

When Jesus asks his disciples, who do you say that I am?, this is a pivotal question which answers why Jesus came to Earth. Jesus’ name in Hebrew, “Yashua,” means “God saves.” This means Jesus came to Earth to save us from our sins. How is this going to happen? Jesus talks about it at the end of the Gospel of Today. 

But first let us deal with how Peter, on behalf of the Apostles, replied. Peter’s Confession serves as a hinge, marking the transition from the end of the Bread Section to the beginning of the travel narrative (8:31-10:52). After Jesus heals the blind man at Bethsaida, he and his disciples set out toward Caesarea Philippi, about twenty-five miles to the north (in present day Golan Heights). Jesus’ travels take on the character of a purposeful journey as he directs his steps first north then south toward Jerusalem. Jesus is on the way to Jerusalem. His actions mark when God led the people on the “way” out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. Later, during the Babylonian exile, Isaiah prophesied that God would prepare a “way” for his people to return home to Zion (Jerusalem) with great joy. Similarly, the journey to Jerusalem is both a geographical and a spiritual journey in which the disciples learn that the way to sharing in Jesus’ glory is by first following him on the way of the cross. For the early church, this theme of the Christian life as a journey, or pilgrimage, was so central that “the Way” became the first name for Christianity (Acts 9:2; 18:25-26).  

As they walk along, Jesus takes the initiative in probing his disciples’ thoughts concerning himself: Who do you say that I am? Often in the Gospel, Jesus’ questions are a signal that he is about to give a new teaching. This first question, about the opinion of others, prepares for the more personal and weighty question of 8:29.

Their answer lists the same popular opinions already mentioned in connection with Herod (6:14-15). Some, like Herod, see Jesus as a reappearance of John the Baptist, though it is difficult to know how literally this was meant. Others see him as Elijah, who had been taken to heaven in a fiery chariot (2 Kings 2:11), and who according to Scripture would return to earth to usher in the messianic age (Mal 3:23-24; Sir 48:9-12). Still others identify him as one of the prophets,  perhaps a specific prophet like Isaiah or Jeremiah, or simply a man who spoke to God. They do not go as far as to consider him the prophet promised by Moses, who would speak God’s definitive word (Deut 18:15-18). People undoubtedly thought these views represented a very high opinion of Jesus. Yet it is striking that each assigns him a merely preparatory, auxiliary role. They envision him not as anything significant in himself, but merely as a new manifestation of an important figure from the past. There is no mention of any popular speculation that Jesus is the Messiah (as there had been of John. (see Luke 3:15).

This same mentality about Jesus pervades today's mentality among many non-believers, (that is non-Christians). Some say that Jesus was a prophet, some say he was (cont’d on page 5)      a holy person, some say he was a teacher. Many are hesitant and reluctant to call Jesus the Son of God, that is, the Messiah, the Anointed, (Christus in Greek). There is a program which delves into the expression of “How Jesus became God.” This suggests that it was his followers who made Jesus God, when all that time he was just a great teacher or a prophet. They fail to understand the real purpose of Jesus. Jesus came to Earth to save us. That is his primary role; this is why after Peter acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, Jesus mentions why he came: to be rejected by the elders and die on the cross. That was the act of Jesus saving humanity.  

So, Jesus asks the apostles this question: But who do you say that I am? This is the question at the heart of the Gospel, and it is addressed to not only the disciples but to every reader. All that Mark had recounted so far has led up to this question. Jesus has appeared in Galilee as an authoritative teacher and miracle worker. He has spoken of himself as the bridegroom of God’s people (2:19), Lord of the sabbath (2:28), physician (2:17), and the founder of new Israel (3:14). His actions have prompted awe, amazement, and curiosity (1:27; 2:7; 4:41; 6:2). But he has also met with repeated resistance and misunderstanding on part of the religious authorities (3:6), his family (3:21), his townspeople (6:3), and even his own disciples (8:14-21). So, his actions are parables that both reveal and conceal the mystery of this identity. Everyone who encounters him must eventually wrestle with the question, Who is he? The form of the question is emphatic—it could be translated, “But you, who do you say that I am?”—suggesting that ultimately it must be answered from within the depth of each person’s heart. Is Jesus the Messiah for us?

[Source in part:  The Gospel of Mark by Mary Healy]

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente