"The Jesus question" by Gregory Crofford for Wednesday 3 January 2018
There are many intriguing questions in Christian theology, but one matters most. It's the question Jesus asked his disciples:
Who do you say I am? (Matthew 16:15, NIV).
Simon Peter replied that Jesus is the "Messiah," the "Son of the living God" (v. 15, NLT). This simple fisherman saw in Jesus of Nazareth the One anointed by God, the Christ. This confession of faith - Jesus as the Son of God - is the rock upon which Christ builds his church (v. 18).It's the Jesus question.
In math class, our teacher taught us to simplify fractions. Instead of 4/8 - she patiently explained - find the largest whole number that divides into both the numerator and the denominator. The anwer is 4, and when divided by that number, 4/8 becomes 1/2. It's easier to work with simplified fractions.
What is true for fractions is true for theology. The Jesus question keeps us from getting lost in a maze of valid but ultimately less important questions; it simplifies things.
The Jesus question is helpful both corporately and individually:
Corporately -- It's a church, but is it a Christian church? Look past more complicated issues and determine what they think about Jesus. If a given church teaches that Jesus is both fully human and fully divine, if they believe that he is the Savior of the world and is himself God, that he died for our sins and rose again to reconcile us to God, then they clear the minimum bar. But if Jesus is in some way demoted or held to be a great teacher or prophet but not himself God, that church may be many things, but it is not Christian.
Individually -- The Jesus question confronts each of us. Jesus wasn't content to just know what the crowds were saying about him. He narrows it down to them, and to us:
"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say that I am?" (v. 15, NIV)
We must decide who exactly this Jesus is, not only for others, but for us. Peter concluded: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Then he moved beyond words to action. He continued to follow Christ. For many of us, to respond positively won't be a continuation of a journey but the beginning of a new one. To us and to all, Jesus says: "Follow me."Christian theology asks many questions. Theologians offer a wide variety of answers, but on the question of Jesus, voices unite. Only he is God's eternal Son, God's anointed, our hope for this life and the life to come. How have you answered the Jesus question?
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
Thursday, January 4, 2018
Categories: Christology, Uncategorized
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