Knowing Christ, Knowing Us

“And he asked them,
‘But who do you say that I am?’

Peter said to him in reply,
‘You are the Christ.’”

Mark 8:29

Have you ever had that experience after talking with someone or having gotten to know someone for sometime, you learn something about yourself or saw something in yourself you could not or did not see before? That is the beauty of relationships. They are avenues that allow us to know others but also to know ourselves more deeply. We think we know ourselves until we encounter someone who challenges our way of thinking or mode of living. At those decisive moments we come to see ourselves in a more objective light, we come to see the truth about ourselves.

When Jesus asked what others said about Him, the disciples reported people thought He was Elijah or a prophet. Then Jesus asked them who they say that He is. Peter is the voice that we hear — “You are the Christ.” Peter speaks up first and he speaks on behalf of the others. Although this “primacy” of Peter is not explicitly described in Mark’s account, we see it clearly in Matthew’s. Peter spent three years with the Lord, day in and day out. He walked with Him, ate with Him, worshipped with Him, learned from Him, listened to Him, and spoke with Him. So, Peter had come to a deeper understanding and a more intimate knowledge of who Jesus was — not only was Jesus Peter’s Teacher, He was also His friend and brother. But Peter still did not fully understand Jesus.

After Peter confesses that Jesus is the Christ, Jesus speaks of His impending passion. Peter did not like it and he made it known. Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. Rebuke Him? What was Peter thinking? Peter was probably grieved at the fact that Jesus would undergo such humiliation and rejection. But as Jesus reminded him, he was thinking as humans think and not as God thinks. Peter has yet to understand that life knowing Jesus transcends the mundane. Peter did not yet understand that what was most important is the will of God and that preservation of one’s personal life was not. Yes, of course it is necessary to want to live and keep ourselves alive, but it must be put in the proper context and order. Hence, Jesus then told them the conditions of discipleship — you must deny yourself, carry your cross, and follow Him. Through this encounter, Peter came to understand so much not only about Jesus but also himself. He thought he understood Jesus, but he had only scratched the surface. He thought he knew himself, but came to see himself through the lens of humility and saw that he still had a lot he did not know about the life of a follower of Christ and his own commitment to that life. In coming to know Christ, Peter came to know himself.

Do we know Jesus? Or are we content with simply knowing about Him and following Him at a distance, only when it is convenient or beneficial? Do we really know ourselves or have we simply been living as the person we want others to see? If we come to know who Jesus is, we will slowly come to know who we are ourselves because it is in His image and likeness that we were created. Who else would know us better than the One who created us? Let us spend some time with Him today asking Him, “Who are You, Lord? Who am I?” and “Who are you calling me to be?”

Watch this week’s reflection below.