Posted: 3/8/05

Texas Baptists need to pursue a 'Jesus agenda,' Reyes says

By Ferrell Foster

Texas Baptist Communications

DALLAS—Texas Baptists should make sure they are pursuing “a Jesus agenda” as they move forward, said Baptist General Convention of Texas President Albert Reyes.

“A Jesus agenda will be Spirit-led,” Reyes told the BGCT Executive Board. “We may have lots of plans, lots of hopes, lots of dreams, lots of sophistication, but if we do not have the Spirit of the Lord on us, we are just busy Baptists not Spirit-led Baptists.”

A Jesus agenda “will always lead us to focus outward rather than inward,” said Reyes, who also is president of the Baptist University of the Américas, a BGCT-affiliated theological university. Jesus’ focus was outward on the poor, prisoners, blind and oppressed.

Texas Baptists’ missions and ministry heritage “gives proof of our track record of maintaining an outward focus,” he said. Reyes cited as examples the convention’s passion for church planting; ministries to abused, abandoned and neglected children; and college ministries that have affected thousands of students—including himself when he attended Angelo State University.

Such an outward focus “changes us,” he said. “Our communities need that. Our cities, our families deserve a body of Christian people called Baptists who are motivated, activated and energized by the Spirit of God.”

Many Texans face eternity without Christ and without hope, and they wonder if anybody cares, Reyes said. Children, senior citizens and college students “need someone to point the way.” An outward focus “will drive us there, to those people, to those who are waiting for a word of hope,” he added.

BGCT organizational changes “represent an effort to position the BGCT to become more effective, more accountable and more sensitive to a Jesus agenda that we can jointly pursue in our state and in our world,” he said.

“Let’s be the transformational people God has called us to be. Those in need are counting on us.”

Posted: 3/8/05

Moderates need to re-emphasize evangelism,
pastoral leadership Shurden says

By John Pierce

Baptists Today

ATLANTA (ABP)—Baptists need to recover their commitment to evangelism, preaching and pastoral leadership, which were de-emphasized during the conflict over fundamentalism in the Southern Baptist Convention, said historian Walter Shurden.

“Baptists will not see a new day until we reassert the centrality of preaching,” said Shurden, executive director of Mercer University's Center for Baptist Studies. “Good preaching makes a difference in a local church.”

Shurden, speaking to the annual convocation of the Mainstream Baptist Network in Atlanta, said many moderate Baptists have overreacted to dictatorial pastoral-leadership styles associated with fundamentalism.

“I believe moderate Baptists came out (of the SBC) with a bias against leadership,” he said. “The priesthood of the believer has never meant the elimination of the leadership of some believers.”

“We need to hear more in moderate Baptist life about beginnings,” added Shurden. Moderate Baptists, he said, focus well on spiritual growth but need to give more attention to “start-up faith.”

The Bible must be at the central point of our church's life, he continued. “We must be unashamed of … the Bible as the Word of God,” he said. “We have been 'out-Bibled' and need to return to that.”

One of the themes Shurden detected and affirmed during the two-day Mainstream meeting was that “theology matters.” He quoted the late Baptist missiologist Alan Neely as saying the whole Baptist controversy that reshaped the SBC over the past 25 years is “an argument about God.” Non-fundamentalist Baptists must convey “a biblical vision of God,” said Shurden.

He echoed other themes he heard throughout the conference, including freedom of conscience, the centrality of local congregations, affirmation of women and a commitment to ecumenical participation.

Concerning the latter, Shurden said: “I have long hoped that we would become bigger than Baptists—and stay Baptist.”

He also urged a recommitment to the “hard-earned freedom” of religious liberty. “We cannot relax,” he said, or the First Amendment “will go down.”

Shurden said the fundamentalist shift in the Southern Baptist Convention that began in 1979 is now at the local church level. “Now it's at the hard place,” he said. “We are seeing our churches torn apart by it.”

Posted: 3/8/05

NAMB, Bernall family 'disappointed'
movie on Columbine story fell apart

By Greg Warner

Associated Baptist Press

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (ABP)—Five years after paying for the right to make a movie about the Columbine massacre, the North American Mission Board has nothing to show for its investment.

The movie about Christian student Cassie Bernall, one of 13 killed in the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School, was supposed to be the first feature-length movie for theatrical or television release for NAMB, the Southern Baptist Convention’s evangelism and church-starting agency.

But the movie rights, which reportedly cost NAMB $20,000, expired in 2002 without the movie starting production.

“We bought the rights to the movie, had two years to make it, and came very close to funding that would have done the story justice,” NAMB spokeman Martin King said. “Our folks felt it was a tremendous opportunity to tell a story. It just didn't come together.”

Meanwhile, the Bernall family has been unable to get the movie project off the ground. “When it didn't pan out with the North American Mission Board, it didn't pan out anywhere,” said Misty Bernall of Littleton, Colo., mother of the slain teenager and author of She Said Yes: The Unlikely Martyrdom of Cassie Bernall, the book that would have been the basis for the movie.

The book is based on initial reports of the 1999 mass shooting, which indicated Cassie Bernall said “yes” when asked by her killer if she believed in God. Misty Bernall’s book focuses on her daughter’s transformation, in the months prior to the shooting, from teenage rebellion and occult involvement to a commitment to Jesus Christ.

Bernall said the expired movie rights reverted back to the book publisher, Plough Publishing House, which since has gone out of business. The family has been in negotiation with Plough’s successor, the Bruderhof Foundation, for a year and a half but has been unable to work out an agreement.

“We'd love to get the rights back to Cassie’s book so we could do something else with it,” she said. But, she added, the family has given up on a movie.

“We were very disappointed,” Bernall said, when the NAMB movie didn't materialize. They agreed to the movie proposal because of a personal relationship with NAMB chief counsel Randy Singer, she said. “We love Randy Singer. We were very comfortable with him handling it.”

Misty Bernall and husband Brad spoke to the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting two months after the shooting as part of the NAMB report. The movie deal was signed eight months later.

A NAMB spokesman acknowledged the movie’s potential suffered when an investigation revealed Cassie Bernall likely was not the student who said “yes” to killer Dylan Klebold. Although the account was widely circulated for months after the tragedy, investigators determined the student was likely Valeen Schnurr, who survived the shooting despite being wounded more than a dozen times.

“I understand that impacted some of the ability to get some of the funding” for the movie, spokesman King said. “The longer it went, the less sure we were that that story would be marketable.”

The movie deal was a departure for the SBC evangelism agency, but President Robert Reccord told NAMB trustees at the time that Cassie Bernall’s story would serve as a powerful witness of the life-changing power of Christ.

NAMB has a television subsidiary, the Broadcast Communications Group in Fort Worth, Texas, but the group was not involved in the negotiations or production.

“We still feel like it was a good opportunity,” King said recently. “It was getting outside the box but not outside our ministry assignment. … We wish everything that we tried worked out.”

Posted: 3/7/05

Don't export disputes European Baptist leader warns

By Greg Warner

Associated Baptist Press

ATLANTA (ABP)—A prominent European Baptist leader cautioned U.S. Baptists not to export their disputes or manipulate Baptists worldwide into their way of thinking.

“We should be very careful how we are pulling the ropes in our mission work, in our evangelism and missions work everywhere,” said Theo Angelov, outgoing general secretary of the European Baptist Federation and a respected Bulgarian pastor.

“Do we pull the ropes in another direction toward ourselves, our thinking, our vision, our strategy?” Angelov asked members of the Mainstream Baptist Network in Atlanta . “Do not pull the ropes toward yourself. There is only one direction we should pull the ropes … and that's to pull the sinners before Christ.”

Angelov, also a leader in the Baptist World Alliance, apparently referred in part to the dispute between the Southern Baptist Convention and BWA. The SBC withdrew its membership and funding from the Baptist World Alliance last year, accusing BWA of harboring liberalism and complaining that BWA granted membership to the moderate Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, made up mostly of former Southern Baptists.

Some international Baptist leaders have complained privately that Southern Baptists are pressuring them to take sides in the dispute or adopt the SBC's conservative theological statement. The SBC plans to form an alternative to the Baptist World Alliance, a loose confederation of 210 Baptist unions worldwide.

“There is no more (serious) weakness to the world around us than our lack of unity .. our fighting,” said Angelov. “It will be a catastrophe for our world if we pull the ropes in the direction” of disunity.

“How do you dare to call the Baptists in Europe liberal?” asked Angelov, referring to charges made by SBC officials. “Have you ever been in prison for your faith?”

Angelov, who was imprisoned by Bulgaria's former communist government, said many Baptists died in prison without denying their faith. “There are many heroes you never will know their name.”

“The communist leaders were very surprised to discover that the church did not die,” he added. Although pastors were imprisoned and church buildings destroyed, the Christian church in Eastern Europe survived communism and is now thriving, said Angelov, noting 3,000 Baptist churches have been started since 1990 in the countries of the former Soviet Union.

There are “many more examples” of liberalism in the United States than those alleged in Europe by the SBC, said Angelov, whose message during the convocation banquet of the Mainstream Baptist Network prompted a standing ovation.

Morris Chapman, president of the SBC Executive Committee, declined to criticize Angelov's comments.

“Theo Angelov is an extraordinary Christian,” Chapman said in an e-mail response. “Like the Apostle Paul, Brother Theo has been imprisoned for his faith in Jesus Christ in his own country. I came to know him through my involvement in the BWA and have great admiration for him. I hope someday to have opportunity to talk with him personally about the SBC's withdrawal of its membership from the BWA.”

Posted: 3/7/05

'Other' Baptists in U.S. need a unifying identity, Currie says

By Greg Warner

Associated Baptist Press

ATLANTA (ABP)—Southern Baptists account for roughly half of all U.S. Baptists—about 16 million people—and thus get most of the attention. The other half also represents a significant presence in America, but they lack a unifying identity, according to several of their leaders.

While Southern Baptists have cultivated their conservative, counter-cultural leadership role in America, there is still no consensus about what the “other” Baptists—including those who have left the Southern Baptist Convention—will be or do.

“We need to dream about something that will re-energize all of us,” said David Currie of Texas Baptists Committed, one of five Baptist leaders who participated on a panel in Atlanta to discuss “A New Day for Baptists.” The panel was part of the Feb. 25-26 annual convocation of the Mainstream Baptist Network, a loose national organization that has opposed the growing influence of Southern Baptists, particularly at the state-convention level.

Whether called mainstream Baptists, moderate Baptists, or “free and faithful” Baptists, many of those non-fundamentalist Baptists in America feel inferior to the large and vocal Southern Baptist Convention. But they need not live in the shadow of the SBC, several speakers said.

“You are not the minority in North America,” said Alan Stanford, general secretary of the North American Baptist Fellowship, one of six regional groups related to the Baptist World Alliance.

Moderate Baptists and other non-SBC groups related to the Baptist World Alliance account for 17.9 million Baptists in the U.S. and Canada, Stanford said. “You are the majority in North America.”

He praised those Baptist groups who are looking to expand their international Baptist connections. “The future is to go global,” Stanford said.

“We are part of a bigger family than we realized we were,” echoed Charles Wade, executive director of the moderate Baptist General Convention of Texas, which recently was admitted into the NABF and is seeking its own membership in BWA since the withdrawal of Southern Baptists.

The Baptist General Association of Virginia is on an identical course. John Upton, BGAV executive director, told the Mainstream Baptist audience that moderate Baptists should act their size.

Upton recalled advice he received from renowned church consultant Lyle Schaller, who noted the relatively large size of the 420,000-member BGAV.

“‘You're 8 percent of your state’s population,” Schaller reportedly said. “'Why aren't you acting that way? My fear is you're going to shrink yourself to the size you think you are.’”

Stanford of the NABF said the Southern Baptist Convention’s 2004 withdrawal of membership and financial support from the Baptist World Alliance has sparked renewed commitment to BWA from many of the 210 other member unions. “Now you have other groups around the world coming to say, 'We need to have a part,'“ he said.

Although the NABF—the BWA’s regional body for 16 Baptist conventions in the U.S. and Canada—has been less active than other BWA regions, Stanford said, it could become the framework for a movement of non-SBC Baptists.

Daniel Vestal, coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, told the Mainstream gathering the NABF “provides a very, very hopeful sign for Baptists in North America” and “a great opportunity for collaboration.” The Fellowship recently adopted a commitment to help revitalize the NABF as a way to link moderate Baptists together.

Vestal also encouraged Baptists to look beyond their own ranks and realize “the body of Christ is much richer and much fuller than anyone realizes.” He praised the creation of Christian Churches Together— an interdenominational fellowship that includes evangelicals and Baptists, including CBF—which Vestal said represents “the first time Baptists have participated at a significant ecumenical table.”

Currie, executive director of Texas Baptists Committed and an organizer of the Mainstream Baptist Network, said moderate Baptists are ready for a new cause. After lamenting the lack of energy among moderate Baptists, he said, “I sense folks waiting to get excited about something.”

Currie said he would like the legacy of the Mainstream Baptist Network and its predecessor, Baptists Committed, to be part of some larger, long-term Baptist movement or organization.

“I want to look back on something I poured my life into,” he said. But he indicated such a new mechanism would come from somewhere and someone else. “There’s a piece of dirt calling my name,” Currie said, referring to his Texas ranch. “I'm not the guy who can make that happen.”

Currie also lamented the slow pace at which Baptist churches sympathetic with the moderate cause have redirected their funding to moderate organizations. “I just want the $12 million that goes (from Baptist General Convention of Texas churches each year) to the Southern Baptist Convention to go to ya'll,” he told the BGCT’s Wade. “So much of God’s money is being wasted that should be going to ya'll.”

Vestal, after praising the “very important role” of the groups represented on the panel, said the Baptist future will not be defined by the fate of such organizations. “I can't discern what the Baptist future is,” Vestal said, but it will be determined by local churches.

“To the degree that organizations understand that and help churches, I believe God will bless us and use us,” he said.

In recent years, CBF has redefined its mission and structure around serving local churches. Vestal predicted local churches will define themselves by their mission, not abstract Baptist principles. But the mission of churches includes the spiritual formation of members and addressing the needs of the world’s poor, he added.

The Mainstream annual meeting attracted 150 participants to Atlanta for speeches, panels and breakout sessions. A panel of local church leaders counseled participants on ways to lead congregations to reconsider their traditional ties to the Southern Baptist Convention.

During a banquet, six people were inducted into the Mainstream Baptist Network Hall of Fame, recognizing those who “championed and maintained Baptist heritage and principles in time of conflict.”

They are Kirby Godsey, president of Mercer University in Macon, Ga.; Joe and Frances Jones of Huntsville, Ala., editors of the Alabama Mainstream newsletter; Phil Lineberger, pastor of Williams Trace Baptist Church in Sugar Land, Texas; Winfred Moore, Baylor University professor, retired pastor from Amarillo, and former moderate candidate for SBC president; Timothy Norman, director of congregational relationships at Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond and an organizer of Virginia Baptists Committed; and Upton.

Posted: 3/4/05

Texas Baptist Forum

Right leadership

I read your editorial concerning the budget priorities of our leaders (Feb. 21). I have a question for you. Have you ever met a “compassionate” governmental bureaucracy?

Compassion motivates individuals who have direct contact with the people they are helping. Self-preservation motivates bureaucracies. Funds spent on local projects have visible results. Funds sent to Washington, D.C., or Austin have no visible consequences for the sender.

If you want to encourage people to help others, provide a system where the giver knows the recipient. If you want to waste resources on well-meaning social programs which produce no long-term solutions, put a government entity in charge of the project.

• Jump to online-only letters

Letters are welcomed. Send them to marvknox@baptiststandard.com; 250 words maximum.

"Life lived to help others is the only one that matters, and … it is my duty, in return for the lavish life God has devolved upon me, to help others he has placed in my path. This is my highest and best use as a human. Faith is not believing that God can. It is knowing that God will." Ben Stein Actor and writer, in his last installment of the online column, "Monday Night at Morton's" "I am convinced that listening, not talking, is the way forward for progressive Christianity. Church leaders need to stop their orations, public bickering, clever preaching and press releases, and instead listen to their people and to the world around them." Tom Erhich Author and columnist (RNS) "Has God ever given you a miracle? Or do you wonder why not? Perhaps you're overlooking the greatest of his miracles –his love and grace. Romans 5:8 says, 'But God demonstrates his own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.'" David Jeremiah Pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon, Calif. (BP)

Jesus said, “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and unto God what is God's.” Let the government rebuild roads. Let the local church rebuild lives. We have enough funds for both.

What we need is the right leadership from our elected officials and our church leaders.

Mark R. Hall

Flint

Christian duty

Thank you for a terrific editorial backed up by the Bible (Feb. 21). The preamble to the U.S. Constitution states the purpose of the government is, among others, “to promote the general welfare.”

Christians not only have a duty to support the needy through their churches, they have an obligation to support the needy through their governments.

That includes tithing and paying taxes and backing religious leaders and voting for government officials who promote the general welfare rather than private interests.

Robert Flynn

San Antonio

Shocking development

I was shocked and disappointed to read that Robert Sloan will be stepping down as president of Baylor University at the end of spring semester.

Two years ago, I had been thrilled with the Baylor 2012 vision. I felt that with Dr. Sloan's great passion for Baylor's future and his dedication to the Lord, he could bring the vision to successful fruition.

Now it is sad indeed that some people without that vision and faith would oppose such a strong and able leader to the point of his feeling it was best to step down. This move may decrease the tension, but in so doing will also reduce the momentum and enthusiasm for the accomplishment of the vision–“to blend strong faith with the highest academic standards.”

My hope is, with Dr. Sloan as chancellor, he will still be able to influence Baylor toward excellence, but it will not be the same as if he were the president.

Proverbs 29:18 reads: “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” I wonder how much damage will have been done to the vision and how much Baylor will be hurt by Dr. Sloan's opponents.

Joann Horton Goatcher

Clinton, Ark.

Texas assembly

Texas Baptists will have a wonderful opportunity to experience the joy, fellowship and mission passion of Cooperative Baptists at the 2005 Cooperative Baptist Fellowship general assembly, June 30-July 1 at the new Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center in Grapevine.

Featured speakers are Baptist General Convention of Texas President Albert Reyes, CBF Coordinator Daniel Vestal and missions activist Carolyn Staley. The Bible study leader will be Jim Denison, pastor of Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas. The worship leader will be Paul Magyar, minister of music and worship at Tallowood Baptist Church in Houston.

One of the highlights of the General Assembly is the opportunity to listen to and interact with some of the most outstanding Baptist scholars, pastors and lay leaders in over 70 breakout sessions.

If you would like to experience the CBF for yourself, I invite you to join us at the general assembly this summer. You'll be inspired by the worship, the speakers and a missionary commissioning service, and you'll be amazed at the variety of breakout sessions. As an added benefit, we have secured special accommodation rates at the beautiful Gaylord Texan Resort. You can find out more about the general assembly and make your reservations online at www.thefellowship.info.

Philip Wise

Lubbock

; 250 words maximum; no more than one letter per writer per quarter.

Posted: 2/24/05

BaptistWay Bible Series for March 6

The Lord requires worship, not just ritual

Leviticus 1:1-3; 2:1-3; 3:1; 4:1-3, 13, 22-23, 27-28; 5:1-6

By Wayne Smith

First Baptist Church, Lamesa

When Moses led the descendents of Abraham out of bondage in Egypt, they were not prepared for the demanding life facing them in the Sinai desert.

Moses himself had fled to the desert and had lived there 40 years before God spoke to him from a burning bush. God had called him to lead the Israelites back to Canaan, their homeland, promised to Abraham centuries before. The exodus from bondage in Egypt was entry into fulfillment of God's plan for his covenant nation.

God already had favored the Israelites while subjecting the Egyptians to 10 devastating plagues. The final plague–passage of the Death Angel–killed the firstborn in each household not protected by blood sprinkled on the doorposts.

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At Mount Sinai, God reminded Moses of the divine protection he had provided Israel and promised him: “If you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 20:5-6). God gave Moses the Ten Commandments and instructions for building the tabernacle where God would dwell among his chosen people. God would offer redemption for the world through Israel just as he had redeemed the Israelites from slavery.

Leviticus is an instruction manual for the sacrificial system, a practice necessary to transform the nation of slaves into a holy nation, prepared to follow God's direction. Establishing and maintaining a system of ritualistic sacrificial offerings was the foundation for a permanent relationship.

The sacrificial practices of the Israelites were not to be confused with the pagan practices of the nations surrounding them. These foreign nations sought to appease an angry god or bribe a reluctant deity. God's instructions in Leviticus illustrate the holy, protective nature of his relationship with the Israelites. The attitude of sacrifice must never be overshadowed by ritualistic form.

This lesson presents five types of sacrificial offerings. While differing in form, the five acts of worship establish the necessity of an obedient faith-guided relationship with God. The following brief descriptions are gained by reading the entire chapter in which the focal text appears.

The burnt offering (Leviticus 1:1-3)

The burnt offering was to be made by individuals who acknowledged sin by laying a hand on the animal, which was then completely consumed on the altar. The animal was without blemish and was presented in person at the tabernacle. There was to be no intermediary. The burnt offering was made as atonement for sin.

The grain offering (2:1-3)

The grain offering was presented as flour mixed with oil. A portion was combined with incense and burned by the priest. The remainder was designated as holy and belonged to Aaron and the priests.

Fellowship offerings (3:1)

The fellowship offering was an animal without defect presented “before the Lord” and slaughtered by the worshipper himself. The blood was sprinkled on the altar while the fat and kidneys were burned as offering to God. The remaining portions were eaten by the priests and the individuals making the offerings.

Sin offerings (4:1-3, 13, 22-23, 27-28)

Unintentional sin required a burnt offering to gain atonement. The community and the priests shared the responsibility of making an offering regardless of who had sinned. An animal was killed and blood was shed to gain atonement.

Guilt offerings (5:1-6)

The guilt implied here is the sin of not speaking up when one has knowledge of wrong being committed; contact with the ceremonially unclean; human uncleanness; or taking an oath. Confession of sin and making a sin offering are prescribed for making atonement.

The purpose of the offerings

These sacrificial offerings emphasize personal responsibility and the effect individual acts have upon the community. The ritualistic sacrificial system established the need for admission of sin–both personal and corporate–and the necessity of atonement or reconciliation with God.

Even though God dwelled among them, the Israelites often sinned, “missed the mark” of his will for them of becoming a “holy nation and a nation of priests.” Ritualistic sacrificial worship was God's way of disciplining the Israelites to become sensitive to his will and to be constantly and systematically reconciled to him by the acknowledgement and confession of sin. Observing the formalistic rituals must not be confused with grasping the substance of obedience to God.

Blind obedience to observing the “letter of the law” without an attitude of servitude and gratitude to a sovereign God will not make one “holy.” Observing the form without grasping the nature of repentance through the sacrificial system does not allow one to become “holy” and prepared to be effective and useful to God.

Sacrificial ritual was an act of faith by the nation of Israel. The Messiah sent to redeem the world would one day become the final sacrifice. In the meantime, faithful observance of the sacrificial requirements would lead them into becoming the holy nation God intended.

For Christians, a counterfeit relationship with God based on rituals such as prayer with no attitude of repentance and surrender to God's will is as insincere as an improper sacrifice by an ancient Israelite. Acknowledgement and confession of sin, along with surrender of self, are necessary. Paul told the Romans, “Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship” (Romans 12:1).

Discussion question

How can acts of worship in the modern church be protected from becoming mere ritual?

Posted: 2/24/05

LifeWay Family Bible Series for March 6

Life should match words when identifying Jesus

Mark 8:27-33; Acts 3:11-26

By Mitch Randall

First Baptist Church, Bedford

Ever wonder what others at work or in your neighborhood are saying about you? While most of us like to think we're above that, we naturally want to know what our peers think from time to time. There seems to be something innate within that conjures up an inquisitive side. Most of us seek confirmation that what we're doing in life is worthy of the task. The mission we've given ourselves is being appreciated or noticed, at least, by those we're trying to help.

On a night long ago, Jesus asked a question which brings a hush within Mark's Gospel even today as the reader of this magnificent story waits for an answer.

An inquisitive mind (Mark 8:27-28)

Jesus and his disciples were making the long journey from Bethsaida towards Caesarea Philippi. In the literary layout of Mark's Gospel, this journey toward Caesarea Philippi was a precursor to the turn toward Jerusalem and the fate that awaited our Lord. On the way, Jesus and the disciples engaged in a discourse of sorts. Rabbi Jesus calls his traveling school into session as he poses this question, “Who do people say that I am?”

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Before examining the disciple's answers, consider for a moment what Jesus truly is asking. Jesus was a carpenter from Galilee, yet he healed the sick from their afflictions. He came from humble origins, yet he spoke as eloquently as the leaders of the Temple. He was by no means a military hero, but the leaders of the day seemed frightened of him and his message.

There was a great mystery regarding his identity. Seriously, who has the audacity to say and do such things; especially someone who comes from such a background? The idea of people calling him a lunatic might have crept into our Lord's mind.

With everything Jesus was doing and saying, townspeople must have been talking about him. His question searches for an answer to what people were thinking. The disciples answer, “John the Baptist; and others Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” At least they were not calling him a lunatic.

In fact, the things the disciples said were high praise for this carpenter from Galilee. John the Baptist was a fiery preacher who led many to repent of their sins and be baptized. Elijah was a hero of the faith whom many considered a precursor to the coming of the long-awaited Messiah. And finally, the idea of Jesus being compared to the prophets was incredible. Prophets were revered for their bold preaching and unfaltering commitment to God. High praise, indeed.

Getting personal (Mark 8:29a)

Yet, Jesus knew the town folk were not the only ones talking about him. He had heard the conversations late at night. He had walked into conversations by the firesides after praying when the disciples stopped talking suddenly, signaling they were talking about him. So, the Rabbi digs a little deeper and asks, “But, who do you say that I am?”

While the well-schooled of the faith have been trained to read this as a fluid question and answer, there seems to be something missing when read in that light. Instead, there is something about that question which brings an almost instant hush to the story.

Take a moment to re-read the story with a brief pause between Jesus' question and Peter's answer. Do you understand the full drama of that question? Answering a question about what others are saying was quite simple, but when Jesus asked what the disciples thought, well, that was just getting downright personal.

They honestly felt he was no lunatic, or why would they have left everything and followed him? They knew he was much more than a fiery preacher, for they had seen his miracles of compassion. They knew he was quite similar to the great Elijah, but there was something obviously different about him that made him stand out even against the comparison of the great prophet. They knew he was a great prophet of old, but his message was much more radical and personal than any they had ever heard. They knew something was different about him. They knew, but to vocalize it publicly might brand them as lunatics.

Out on a limb (Mark 8:29b-30)

As is his tendency, Peter decides to climb out on this theological limb. He answers, “You are the Messiah.” The hush is broken. And with it, a private conviction surfaces to become public proclamation. As far as Peter was concerned, standing before him was none other than the long awaited Prophet of God and Savior of Israel.

The Messiah was the prophet many Israelites had hoped would come one day. His message would be one of justice for the now and hope for the future.

With Peter's bold declaration, all eyes fell onto Jesus. Jesus instructed his students not to let anyone know his identity, for the appointed time had not yet arrived.

Mistaken identity (Mark 8:31-33)

Jesus went on to explain the Son of Man would undergo great suffering, be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the scribes, be killed and after three days rise again. Peter, the same man who had just proclaimed Jesus was the Messiah, pulled the Messiah aside and rebuked him.

Peter, like many before and after, thought the Messiah of God was a worldly conqueror only interested in political sovereignty and the state of a country. With what must have been almost tears in his eyes, Jesus says to Peter: “Get behind me Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

Remembering back (Acts 3:11-26)

Peter must have thought back often to that night, when in one instance, he made the greatest of all claims and suffered one of his greatest disappointments. Yet while that night might have haunted him later on in life, there were moments when the great apostle used that evening to tell others about the true identity of Jesus. In the book of Acts, he proclaims, “I know that you acted in ignorance.” Peter knew because he had done the same.

However, Peter's ignorance over time turned into a mighty faith. The bold claim he made on the way to Caesarea Philippi would end up being correct; Jesus was and is the Messiah. Peter would preach that message more times than anyone could count. For Peter, Jesus was Son of Man who descended from above to bring the forgiveness of sins and salvation for the world. As Peter stood in the book of Acts to proclaim to the world the true identity of Jesus, he proclaimed without hesitation Jesus is Lord.

Discussion questions

Have there been times when you were asked difficult questions about your faith? How did you respond?

What preconceived images do you have about God's Messiah?

Is there a difference between the way you identify Jesus and the way you relate to him?

Have you used moments in your life, both good and bad, to help proclaim the gospel to others?