Identity is important. It helps us to clarify who we are, what we believe, and how we may speak and act. For instance, we can identify ourselves by our family relationships. I am the daughter of Keith and Louise, the sister of Keith and Libby, the wife of Paul, the mother of Megan and Brian, and the grandmother of Elia, Peter, Nathaniel, and Liliana. I may identify myself as an Episcopal priest, a member of Christ’s Body, the Church, or a passionate Boston Celtics fan. Maybe we will claim our identity in politics, race, or by our gender. Perhaps we're ‘proud to be an American.’ Or maybe not.
In an article written by Kevin
Harrish, on August 2 of this year, he reported that people were furious at some
of the women on the United States Soccer team for not singing our national
anthem before each world cup game. “Throughout the 2023 FIFA Women’s
World Cup, the United States Women’s National Team has taken a lot of criticism
as the majority of the players on the team have chosen not to sing along while
the national anthem is played before matches. Those players once again remained
silent ahead of Tuesday’s match against Portugal, and they are once again
facing criticism.”
“As the New York Post points out, the majority of the team – with the exception of a few players – remained silent while The Star Spangled Banner played during the pre-match ceremony on Tuesday. In keeping with the trend of the tournament, Alex Morgan, Julie Ertz and Lindsey Horan were seen on camera singing along, though most of their teammates did not. The coaching staff also stayed silent, the New York Post reported.”
Critics claimed that the team no
longer had an identity but rather had become a group of individuals who cared
more about themselves than their team or their country. While some fans
supported their rights to free speech, indeed encouraging them to even take a
knee before the game, others were dropping like flies in their outrage. Some
people hoped they would lose; and they did. Earliest exit ever.
It’s easy to lose our identities
in a culture and a world that is constantly competing for our attention and our
allegiance. We disparage people who claim a certain political identity
different from our own. Interestingly, there was a disagreement by some
Republican candidates for president at their recent debate about whether or not
our nation has lost its identity. We may affirm or challenge our gender
identities and flock to movies like Barbie. Indeed, our identities can shift
depending upon many factors.
In all three synoptic gospels,
Matthew, Mark, and Luke, we find a recurring question about Jesus’ identity.
Who was this guy? Was he a prophet, a rabbi, a revolutionary politician, or the
charismatic leader of a particular religious group? Was he the Son of Man, the
Son of David, and the Messiah? As he spoke and acted in various settings, I
imagine people would look at him and wonder, “Who are you?” And yet the
demoniacs, coming out of the tombs, recognized him at once and cried out, “What
have you to do with us, Son of God?”
Perhaps Jesus had some identity
issues himself. And so today we hear him ask his disciples for some clarity and
feedback. Who do people say that the Son of Man is?
Many years ago I started my
sabbatical with time away by attending a two week course in Israel at St.
George’s College in Jerusalem. We followed in the footsteps of Jesus from his
birth in Bethlehem, up north to Nazareth, where he began his ministry in the
many towns of Galilee, and beyond that into gentile territory. As you heard
last week in Mike's sermon, Jesus traveled as far north as Tyre and Sidon,
Syro-Phoenician towns that were home to pagans and gentiles who worshiped
various gods. Today, Jesus takes his disciples to Caesarea Phillipi, a town in
gentile territory and known similarly.
Now recall that Israel had been occupied by
people from various countries all around it, and so they worshiped many gods
who were identified by different names. Caesarea Philippi actually began as a
pagan holy site in ancient times. Located there was a lovely grotto, which had
a dark cave, with a deep spring of water in the back. Because the grotto
inspired awe and mystery with so many people, it was believed to be sacred, and
people would come from all around to worship their gods. These pagan gods were called
Baal.
Now sometime after the death of Jesus, St.
Paul had written to the Christians in Rome telling them to “present themselves
as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which (would be) their
spiritual worship.” Centuries earlier, however, the worshippers of Baal took
this suggestion literally. They would throw human beings, presumably ones who
had offered themselves for this service or infants who had no voice, into the
deep pool at the back of the cave. If the body disappeared, they believed their
sacrifice was accepted by their god. If the body or blood rose to the surface,
they believed their sacrifice had been rejected, and the worshippers would try
again.
When the territory around Caesarea
Philippi later became occupied by Alexander the Great from Greece, an altar was
erected to the Greek god named Pan, who was part human and part goat. Known as
the god of shepherds and flocks, hunting and music, Pan represented the beauty
of nature and the arts, and goats were considered their sacred animal. This
grotto then became the “holy of holies” for Greek worshippers where fresh air
and dancing were the activities of the pilgrims. Worshippers didn’t throw
bodies into the water but would leave gifts of food, wine, and flowers on the
altar to Pan.
Now during the Roman occupation,
Herod the Great built a temple of white marble to honor Caesar Augustus as the
supreme Roman god. When Herod’s son Philip began to rule over this territory,
he enlarged the town and renamed it Caesarea Philippi. Still honoring the Roman
emperor Caesar as a god, Philip also wanted the town to be identified with him.
And it was into this place that Jesus brought his disciples, and asked them that
question. Who do people say that I am?
Clearly
the answers varied. Some identified Jesus as John the Baptist, who had been
killed by Philip’s brother Herod Archelaus, and was seeking revenge through
Jesus. Others claimed Jesus was the prophet Elijah who was signaling that the
end of the ages was coming, and the day of the Lord was imminent. And still
others claimed that like the prophet Jeremiah, Jesus was reminding the
Israelites to worship the one and only true God named Yahweh.
In
today’s passage from the gospel of Matthew, Peter names Jesus as the Messiah,
the son of the living God. For the Israelites, their messiah would be their new
king, and a religious leader who would save God’s people from the oppression
and discrimination of foreign governments. Looking for a political
revolutionary, they did not understand that their salvation would come in a
different way. Jesus’ power was not steeped in political, economic, or military
might. He used God’s power for healing and hope.
Last week, the
gospel of Matthew claimed that Jesus began to understand his mission
differently, expanding it beyond the lost sheep of Israel. And today’s passage
represents yet another turning point in the life of Jesus. After stopping in
Caesarea Philippi, Jesus heads towards Jerusalem, and “from that time on, Jesus
began to show his disciples that he must undergo great suffering at the hands
of the religious and political leaders.”
“It will be me,”
Jesus was saying to his disciples, “who will be thrown into that cave. Although
you will see my body and blood on the cross, you will not have to try again,
for my sacrifice will be once and for all people. I am your GOAT, an acronym
for ‘Greatest Of All Time.’”
On
that day in Caesarea Philippi long ago, when I was on my sabbatical, our group
of pilgrims reflected upon this passage in that particular location. In the
trickling waters that flowed down from Mount Hermon into the Jordan River, in
the current day Golan Heights, we renewed our baptismal covenants. Identifying
ourselves as Christians, people who believed that Jesus was the Messiah, the
Son of the Living God, who came for the salvation of all God’s people, we
offered ourselves once again as living sacrifices, to carry on the ministry
that he began long ago.
So how is it that we can present ourselves as living sacrifices to the one we claim as our Messiah? St. Paul offers his advice. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God-- what is good and acceptable and perfect. St. Paul reminds us that we are a team, that is we are One Body in Christ, with various gifts to offer by the grace given to us by God. We can sing songs of praise, and take a knee for our Lord, during our worship services. Then, after we leave this place, we can hope that people will identify us as Christians, that they will know that we are Christians by our love.
Romans 12:1-8 Matthew 16:13-20
