Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity Mark 8:27-end James 3:1-12

‘Who do you think you are?’ There’s a television series by that name. Each episode explores the ancestry of a well-known person, in order to find out where they come from. It can be quite revealing; sometimes the stories are sad, in other cases there is reason for joy. But it is something that grasps us: a family tree, especially if it is drawn up for the first time, gives people a rooting and answers certain questions. We find family trees in the Bible too. They put the stories in context, a bit like the background of a landscape painting, for instance. The part of Mark’s Gospel that we have reached today, does that too. Here, the story turns: from various healing and other miracles that Jesus has performed, the focus now narrows down on Jesus’ identity and the journey he is to take towards the cross. As Peter’s declaration of Jesus being the Messiah and Peter’s subsequent misunderstanding makes clear, there is expectation among Jesus’ followers but not necessarily the correct understanding of what the Messiah looks like. The general public’s perception of the Messiah was that he would be a military leader, who would chase the enemy away, rebuild and cleanse the Temple, and bring in God’s justice in Israel and to the world. In this image of the Messiah, he was to be an agent of God who would bring in the kingdom – that included sorting out Israel’s mess and putting the Gentiles in their place. But Jesus redefined this picture. His ministry had already spoken of a new agenda according to God’s plan, and although it gave rise to some fierce opposition as well as loyalty, this was the path that Jesus was going to take. His explanation, often so cryptic that even his friends didn’t understand, now finally comes home: Jesus is the Messiah; he is just not the kind of Messiah that they had expected. The Kingdom of God is about justice and mercy and all the things that Jesus had done so far were signs of it finally breaking in. What the disciples had not realised before, though, was that Jesus is not just a prophet – he is also the King.

Now when Peter voiced this new insight, Jesus again said something that might not be easy to understand: ‘he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him’. This pressing demand had a reason, though. It was both politically and religiously dangerous to claim that Jesus is the true King of Israel and the long-expected heir in the line of king David. It would make people suspicious, not least Herod Antipas, who ruled at that moment and who didn’t like to give way. It’s funny in a way: the disciples had not expected that the Messiah would be a divine redeemer; they were looking for a king. Now that they think they have found him, they are not to say a word about it; how frustrating! But also, how exciting! And in their excitement, they could easily spill the beans when it was most inconvenient in God’s plan. Hence the stern demand that they don’t mention it to anyone. What’s more, Jesus then begins to teach them the true nature of his Messiahship, to undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days to rise again. And Peter won’t have any of it; it doesn’t fit into his picture of the Messiah at all. It’s a hard time for Peter: first he is commended and then he is rebuked in the most severe terms. A bit of a roller-coaster ride for him. But it is so important that Jesus will be able to continue the journey of his salvation work unhindered, and ultimately to reveal his identity to the whole world.

It is not just the question of ‘who do you think you are?’ for him. He knows who he is and what he is about. The question is, rather, who we think Jesus is. Is he ‘just a prophet’ for us, a nice person, like Superman, who should simply turn on some magic to change the world? Or is he the King of kings, and Lord of lords, who has come to save us and give us true hope and a future? The eye-witness account in the Gospels should tell us. Amen.