Who do you say that I am?

According to John Pilch in "The Cultural World of Jesus: Sunday by Sunday, Cycle A", in the Mediterranean world of Jesus’ time, people were relational to such an extent that they had no sense of their individuality but depended on the opinions of others to help them know who they were. So, Jesus question to his disciples in today's Gospel is not a “theology quiz” for his followers. Rather Jesus is curious about how others see him. He needs feedback because he does not know who he is and he is trying to learn this from significant others in his life. This may seem strange to us who have grown up with the idea that Jesus is all-knowing. But remember, just last week we heard Jesus struggle with the boundaries of his mission – was he sent just to Israelites or did God’s mercy extend to Syro-Phoenician women and other outsiders.

As I reflected on this new understanding I wondered if this story is not meant to be a kind of mirror for us. In his historical understanding, Jesus came to know himself through what others were saying about him. What if we, too, come to know ourselves from what another says of us? I’m not talking about being worried about rumors and the false impressions that our friends, neighbors and colleagues might have of us. I am talking about gaining our identity from Jesus himself. It is as if we echo back the question of Jesus – “who do you say that I am?”

By looking to him and asking the question, “who do you say that I am” we discover the God-given answer to our identity – you are my beloved son, my beloved daughter. This is has been the consistent message of the pontificate of Pope Benedict. He has been proposing that we turn to Jesus in whom we will find happiness and identity. In his remarks just prior to World Youth Day he said, “Christian faith is not only a matter of believing that certain things are true, but above all a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is an encounter with the Son of God that gives new energy to the whole of our existence. When we enter into a personal relationship with him, Christ reveals our true identity and, in friendship with him, our life grows towards complete fulfillment.”