Who, me?

The Gifts of God for the People of God

“When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’  They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.’ 

‘But what about you?’ he asked.  ‘Who do you say that I am?’

Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’

Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.”
                                  Matthew 16: 13-18

         I always get the feeling when I read this segment of the Gospel of Matthew, that Jesus was a bit confused about who he was.  The commentaries say that he wasn’t, and that he just wanted to make clear to his disciples what his purpose was.  Perhaps they are right.  When Peter says, “You are the Messiah, the son of the living God,” he is stating with clarity, what Jesus’ purpose was—to redeem God’s people.  Then Jesus, in turn, tells Peter his purpose—to be the rock on which the Messiah will build his church.  Jesus had a role to play and Peter had a role to play, and both roles were assigned by God to accomplish God’s purposes in the world.

         So what about us?  Do we have a role to play?  According to one commentary on this subject, “No human achievements are simply human achievements.  They are gifts given by God for the purpose of providing for God’s people.”  Wouldn’t it be nice if Jesus were to come down here and tell us what our purpose is?  That question hangs in the heart of every human being at one time or another, “What is my purpose?” “Why am I here?”  Sometimes it seems that we carry this question blindly throughout our lives; it crops up again and again.  Like Jesus, we ask, “Who am I now?”

         One clue as to who we are ‘intended to be’ comes as we discover our unique gifts.  What am I able to do really well?  What comes naturally to me?  It could be something as simple as the ability to organize things, or to listen carefully, or to sing on key, or to relate to children easily.  Everyone has a gift for something.  Perhaps that gift is also one’s purpose.  Maybe it’s as uncomplicated as that.  Maybe, when we use the gifts we’ve been given, we are accomplishing God’s purposes in the world.

                                  Huh, who knew,

                                  Jane