Luke 9
“But who do you say that I am?” Jesus asks his disciples in today’s gospel. It should be noted when Jesus asked this question. It was not long after they returned from their missionary journeys. And just before today’s passage, Luke reports the feeding of the five thousand. The apostles experienced the power and authority of Jesus over diseases and evil spirits. And they also witnessed his divine power to multiply the five loaves and two fish to feed thousands of people. After having provided all these firsthand encounters, Jesus is asking his disciples about his identity. He was not testing their intellectual knowledge. He was asking for their testimony from their witnesses. He was asking for an answer from their heart.
If Jesus asks me the same question, what will be my answer? As a Christian born into a Christian family, I learned who Jesus is first from my parents. I read the lives of saints who encountered Christ in their lives. As I grew up, however, I observed how Jesus worked among people and in the Church. And I also saw how Jesus worked in my life.
St Peter’s answer, “The Messiah of God” was not a logical or theoretical conclusion. His answer was a revelation from the Lord. Peter saw how Jesus revealed himself in his works. And his answer was a confession of faith – an act of entrusting oneself to God.
At least one time in our life, Jesus asks each of us who I say that he is. I pray that I may be observant and vigilant enough to witness his presence and work in my life so that, when he asks me, I may also answer with the whole of my heart, “The Messiah of God.”
