Who Do You Say That I Am?

Who do you say that I am? Sunday, August 23, 2026
Every now and then, someone asks a question that changes everything. Not because it is complicated, but because it reaches beneath the surface. Jesus asks one of those questions in today’s Gospel. “Who do you say that I am?”
Imagine that Jesus is asking us this question. Who we say Jesus is tells us who we are. We can't answer Jesus without being completely honest about ourselves. If we think He is just a good guy from history, a great teacher with spiritual guides to life, we choose to stay in control of our own lives. But if we decide Jesus is Lord, everything changes, and we pledge to walking with Jesus as His followers
We find in Matthew, that the disciples initially answer with what everyone else is saying. “Some say John the Baptist. Others Elijah. Others Jeremiah or one of the prophets. “Those are safe answers. They don’t require much commitment. They simply repeat what others have said. They punted and deflected the question. Following the crowd.
Then Jesus makes it personal. “But who do you say that I am?” There is no hiding in the crowd now. It is no surprise that it is Peter who answers, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” It is one of the great moments in Scripture. Peter doesn’t figure it out by himself. Jesus tells him this understanding is a gift from God. Faith begins with God’s grace before it ever becomes our decision.
That is exactly where Paul begins in Romans. For eleven chapters Paul has been telling the story of God’s grace. Before we ever confess Christ, Christ has already come for us. Before we ever love God, God has loved us. Before we ever offer ourselves, God has already offered himself for us in Jesus. Everything begins with grace.
Paul asks, “If that is who Jesus is, who are you becoming?” Jesus has asked, “Who do you say that I am?” The two questions belong together
Paul uses an interesting phrase: “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice. “That sounds a bit terrifying. until we realize he is talking about ordinary life. Being a living sacrifice is less about dying for Christ than it is about living for Christ.
It is getting up on Monday morning and asking, “Lord, how can my life reflect your love today? ”It is being patient with a spouse. Listening to a grandchild. Helping a neighbor. Praying for someone who is difficult to love. Offering forgiveness when resentment would be easier. These last two are challenging. Yet, these ordinary actions become sacred because Christ is present in them.
Then Paul says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds” The world has plenty of opinions about who we are. You are what you earn. You are what you own. You are what you accomplish. What have you done for me lately, the world asks. Jesus says something entirely different. Your identity begins with belonging to me.
Peter’s confession tells us who Christ is. Christ’s love tells us who we are. Children of God. Forgiven sinners. People of hope. That changes everything. It even changes how we see one another. Yes, as you look at your neighbor, you see a person Christ has forgiven.
Peter certainly had the gift of boldness. Others had gifts of service, hospitality, encouragement, generosity, or mercy. Together they became the church. The same is true today. One person sings. Another organizes fundraisers. Another quietly balances the church books. Some prepare meals or teach children. Perhaps we can organize a group of individuals who sit beside someone who ill or grieving. They can simply listen. Each gift is different. You are as valuable as your latest success. Each one matters.
Sometimes we compare ourselves with others and think, “I don’t have much to offer. “I imagine the disciples felt that way more than once. Peter, who made this remarkable confession, would later deny even knowing Jesus. Yet Jesus was not finished with him. Grace had the final word. That is good news for us. Thankfully, our usefulness to God does not depend on our being perfect. It depends on God’s faithfulness.
When Jesus says, “On this rock I will build my church,” he is not saying the church rests on Peter’s strength. If it did, it would not have lasted very long. The church is built on the truth that Jesus is the Christ and on the grace that keeps reclaiming imperfect disciples. That is still how Christ builds the church. Not with flawless people but with forgiven people. People who know who Jesus is and who are learning, day by day, to let that truth shape their lives.
So perhaps the question Jesus asks Peter is the question he asks each of us today.
Who do you say that I am?
Not who does the crowd say. Not who does your family say. Not even who your pastor says. You must answer yourself. Because once you answer that question, you cannot keep living as if Jesus were only one option among many .If he is the Messiah, the Son of the living God, then he has claim on your time, your choices, your money, your relationships, your habits, your future.
So do not just admire him. Trust him. Do not just say you believe. Follow him with your life. Offer him your gifts, your wounds, your ordinary days, your unfinished self. And then go from this place and live like your answer matters.
May our words and our lives tell the same story.“ Jesus, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And because you are, Lord Jesus, here is my life. Take it. Use it. Send me. Amen.