Since last winter we have been listening to countless political commercials and debates. The primary election is over but brace yourself, folks, we still have ten more weeks to go until Election Day! Selling of the candidates is what political campaigning is all about from the county council to the White House. Come November 4th, every voter will presumably have a good notion of who the candidates really are and what they stand for.
Professional image makers and marketing experts have long been used to package political candidates in glamorous ways to make them more appealing to voters’ emotions. To win an election, office seekers have to be concerned about their public image as well as campaign issues.
Voters use any number of criteria in deciding whom to vote for in any election. For some, appearances and performance are as important, if not more so, than a candidate’s experience and platform. Recall how close the election was between JFK and Richard Nixon. Some historians speculate had Nixon looked more appealing during the nationally televised debates, he would have won the presidency in 1960. History certainly would have been different had that happened.
In the gospel, Jesus asks a question which suggests that he too may have been worried about his public image. He asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” Their feedback sounded like an opinion poll. “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” Unlike contemporary political candidates, however, Jesus didn’t care what others thought of him. He wanted to know how well his disciples knew him. “But who do you say I am?”
Peter had what could be called an “aha!” moment. “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!” No human label could completely describe this unusual rabbi from Nazareth. Teacher, carpenter, healer, prophet, and leader; they all fail to fully convey the true meaning of who Jesus is.
Through divine revelation, Peter declared the unthinkable. “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!” That is no statement to be taken lightly. Were you to say that to me, I would brush the comment off and invite you to get real. Jesus, on the other hand, commends Peter for his insight. His was the first such public act of faith in history. “Blessed are you, Simon, no mere man has revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.” Jesus goes on to give him a new name, Peter, which comes from the Aramaic word for rock. “You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my church.” That line underscores our Catholic identity.
What Jesus said to Peter became the building block upon which the leadership of our Church, the papacy, has been anchored, an important tradition that sets us apart from any other Christian denomination. If we are to truly understand him, much less our Catholic heritage and faith, then we too have to personally answer his question, “Who do you say that I am?” A good starting point would be prayer, worship, and reading scripture.
Whether we are in Caesarea Philippi or on south Whidbey Island, we cannot ignore the question. If we confess that Jesus is truly the Son of God, then we must live accordingly. To agree with Peter and at the same time ignore what he and his successors have called on Catholics to do is nothing less than hypocrisy, which is the practice of professing beliefs that one does not own. If we elect to belong to this Church, the church which Jesus founded, then we must respect and heed the leadership of the Holy Father.
We cannot escape the challenge raised by this question. Either we declare his divine nature and accept that which Jesus has given us as the blueprint for following him, passed on to us by Pope Benedict and his predecessors or we don’t, opting instead to ignore his wisdom and theirs, do our own thing, and recognize that we aren’t being fully Catholic if we did so. As the saying goes, actions speak louder than words. By our actions or lack of actions we are in fact answering his question.
Imagine Jesus standing here asking you the same question he posed to his disciples. “Who do you say that I am?” Am I just a nice guy who shared many parables and insights 2000 years ago or do you see me as your redeemer? Was I just another ancient mystic that once walked the hills of Judea or a lunatic that allowed myself to be crucified? Or am I the prince of peace who brings hope, meaning and salvation to your life? What answer would you give to his question? How well do you know Jesus?
Like Peter, do you see Jesus as the Son of the Living God? Many people don’t. Instead, they equate him with other prophets in history like Isaiah, Gandhi or Socrates. None of them ever said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Nor did they say, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.” With Jesus, you cannot be middle-of-the road. Either he is who he claims to be or he isn’t, and if he is, he expects us to follow him on his terms not ours.
What Jesus and political candidates have in common is leadership. Leadership is a sacred trust, not to be taken lightly, either by those who lead or by those who are led. Ten weeks from now, every registered voter will be given the chance to vote. Until then, every candidate will be trying to tell us who they are. Hopefully every voter will seek to know them and thus be well informed before casting their ballots, but many won’t. Failing to vote wisely in any election may or may not affect us personally, but failing to know who Jesus truly is will affect one’s destiny not just for the next four years but for all eternity.