Twice within one week Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do people say I am?" Peter answered and I felt the need to also answer. Recent gospels came to mind: words Jesus spoke, attitudes he conveyed, and how they gradually formed a composite sketch of Jesus in my mind. Yes, He is the Son of God, but He is also very much a man.
Jesus is different from us, in that His humanity was driven by His divinity. And His divinity poured out of Him when He spoke or acted.
I thought of His encounter with the women at the well. They conversed, Jesus talked with her about her marriages, five of them and she was in awe of who he was. Then there was His concern for the great crowd of people without anything to eat. He took pity enlisting His disciples to act.
I loved the exchange with the blind man putting spittle in his eyes. Yes, I’m sure there is some biblical reference for this action, but it was primitive and human from His who is divine. He did something similar with the man who had a speech impediment. He took him apart, away from the crowd and put his finger in his ear and touched his tongue. Mercy and compassion flowed from his person as He spoke to the boy’s father saying, "bring him to me."
"Who do people say I am?"
The gospel today offers yet another unique insight into the personality of Jesus, the Son of God who can teach us how to live and act as humans if we listen.
We heard today how some of his disciples were upset when they discovered that people who were not committed to Jesus or his mission, or who were performing actions in his name and taking credit for it.
The disciples wanted to stop them, but Jesus told them to leave it alone.
Today’s gospel is brief, but the lesson is far reaching, challenging all in our tendency towards group think.
Jesus saw the good in people, even those who were not His followers. Jesus wanted a close group of disciples, but His compassion was not limited to a chosen few. Jesus opened wide the outstretch of his arms.
"And you, who do you say I am?"
