There’s a point in the scriptures when Jesus asks his disciples a very direct and provocative question. Jesus asks his disciples: “Who do you say that I am?”

It’s a question that we’ve likely been asked before by a preacher or confirmation teacher, but it is nonetheless a helpful question to reengage periodically because the answer to this question doesn’t just reveal something about who Jesus is, but who we are as well.

Father Richard Rohr puts it beautifully: “Your image of God creates you.” Such a statement makes one wonder if the current climate of fear and hatred in our world is a product of Sunday school classes and Sunday morning sermons about an angry and vengeful god. I wonder, though, if the stories of Jesus the miracle worker, Jesus the teacher, and Jesus the transfigured and other stories of Jesus might alter our image of Jesus ever so slightly, and in so doing, change how we understand ourselves and our place in God’s grand story.

Take time today and consider this question for you personally. Who do you say Jesus is? And how does your answer to this question change the way you live each day?

Peace,
Pastor Nate Preisinger