How Does What We See Inform Our Encounter With Jesus?
Good Morning Friends,
Where people say what they say can add great meaning to the words shared. The backdrop acts as stage set with a message of its own that can give power to words. Think of Martin Luther King in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Think of Ronald Reagan at the Berlin Wall. Think of Jesus on the Mount giving a sermon about a field of flowers and birds in the air. But perhaps what you have not thought of is the backdrop for Jesus in Caesarea Philippi. Here, in this place of all places, Jesus turned to His disciples and asked them who the multitudes thought He was. They responded that some thought He was John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets. But the setting in a place with gentiles inspired a deeper conversation. So, How Does What We See Inform Our Encounter With Jesus?
Scripture: Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’
Matthew 16:13 (NRSV)
He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’ Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
Matthew 16:15-20 (NRSV)
And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white.
Matthew 17:2 (NRSV)
A Song of Ascents. How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes. It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion. For there the Lord ordained his blessing, life for evermore.
Psalms 133:1-3 (NRSV)
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God? My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me continually, “Where is your God?” These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I went with the throng, and led them in procession to the house of God, with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival. Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God. My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. Deep calls to deep at the thunder of your cataracts; all your waves and your billows have gone over me. By day the LORD commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.
Psalm 42:1-8 (NRSV)
Message: I think the things around us inform us as to God’s nature. Take for example Caesarea Philippi, not to be confused with Caesarea along the Mediterranean coast. Here is a place marked by a kind of spiritual restlessness, littered with a variety of spiritualties with the seekers for the most part lacking direction in their spiritual search. It does seem to have tangible social objects and a nature of spiritual energy but also a pathological busyness, with a critical problem of balance. So, what can we learn from a place like this? It seems the seed of the church planted here in today’s scripture is equal parts mystery and mess. But then that is the nature of the church even today.
Thankfully Jesus brought some redemption to this place of Baal worship and Roman and Greek God niche worship. The great confession and the transfiguration both occurred in the vicinity of the city. Think about the synergy and unity of the imagery. Imagine what this meant for the Hebrew culture that had slaved to build the pyramids. Picture the Great Pyramid white in its glory with polished limestone reflecting the rays of the sun with the Sphynx in front of them near the Nile. Now picture Jesus, the Lion of Judah, in front Mount Hermon with the river Jordan springing forth. One was a religion that was built by those enslaved and the other one to be built by God with Christ as the cornerstone and shared as a gift of unity… grace. You see every person has a fire burning inside them, bright and shine as the sun and a river flowing inside them just waiting to overflow. Here at Caesarea Philippi, Jesus sets the stage for people to understand his message and not only redeems a bit of history but also reveals to us that what is on the outside can be reflected on the inside. Today Caesarea Philippi is called Banias. But it was originally called Panias after the Greek God of Shepherds, Pan. Yeah, the one with the pipes and the goat legs…the pagan giver of revelations. From his name we get the word panic. So here, at the source of the Jordan, at the foot of Mount Hermon, the highest point in Israel, and here 25 miles north of the Sea of Galilee we have Jesus saying words that would change the world. It was in this area that the first king of Israel (Jeroboam) led the northern kingdom of Israel into idolatry. The ancient Canaanites built a sanctuary to Baal at Panias, the Greeks and Romans both built sanctuaries there because of the cave of Pan and the pagan Gate of Hades. Inside the cave was a seemingly bottomless pit with an unlimited quantity of water which made the pagans marvel. It was here at Caesarea Philippi that Jesus chose to reveal who He was, and His plans to build His Church. The place of Jesus’ great revelation was mentioned only twice in the Bible, both referring to the same event where Jesus chose to reveal to His disciples that He was the Messiah. However Mount Hermon and the Jordan River are mentioned as well. Indeed, it is a bit of a mystery and a bit of a mess why Jesus chose this place to reveal who He was to His disciples. It is easy to imagine the disciples from here looking out on a lush oasis of life… the very fertile northern portion of the Jordan River Valley. David is the author of today’s psalms, writes about this place and interestingly he was one to appreciate the blessing of unity. Under David’s leadership the twelve tribes of Israel were united. They put aside tribal jealousy in a spirit of cooperation and became a united kingdom. Maybe the disciples saw more on that day of revelation in Caesarea Philippi than we can imagine.
Pray for the blessings of unity. Pray we realize that unity among Christians does not require uniformity but a shared identity in the Body of Christ. Pray we become a community rooted in relationships formed by social objects that give visible shape of what God is like. Pray we not resist the call to community. Pray we see that unity cannot be manufactured by human effort; it is a gift produced by the Spirit. Pray we imagine scripture in the setting in which it occurred. Pray we find direction from our unity in Christ.
Pray we find strength in the Lord. Pray we feel the freshness and fertility of nature as a symbol of blessing. Pray we realize that the greatest lessons about Christ’s person are often learned in places of fear and panic and high anxiety. Pray we realize that scripture can help us when we feel afraid. Pray we have the passion, perspective and praise that helps us experience God.
Blessings,
John Lawson
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