In the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus asks his disciples and us, “who do people say that I am?” While this may seem like a very simple question, this question is really about how deep is our relationship with Jesus. The Church is built on the foundation of faith in Jesus Christ. This faith is rooted in our relationship with Jesus.

In times like these, Jesus assures us that God is always working on behalf of the salvation of the world. We are all on a journey. We must allow God to be God. Things indeed take time. God’s timing is not the same as ours. Throughout our faith journey with Jesus, he continues to reveal himself to us in the form of a relationship. The Psalmist reminds us that we must walk before the Lord in the land of the living.

There is an African proverb that says, “I am because We are.”
This proverb reminds us that our sense of self is shaped by our relationships with other people. Jesus understands that “We are in this together.” So when Peter announces that Jesus is God’s only Son, he summarized what the disciples had come to know about Jesus. Even Jesus seemed surprised by Peter’s response.

In Jesus’s culture, a person understood her- or himself with their cultural/tribal group. So when Jesus asked the questions “who do people say that I am and who am I to you” he was establishing his relationship with his disciples and with us. I am because We are.”

From that moment, Jesus increased in wisdom as “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” As we gather today as a family of faith, how would we explain Jesus to a person who had not heard of him? How has Jesus’ presence in our lives made a difference?