As a child, the end of December and the beginning of January were the best, absolutely best time of the year. First, there was Christmas, then my brother's birthday, then mine, then New Year's Eve, and of course, the arrival of the New Year. They were wonderful, pleasant times, times of celebration, happiness, and abundant food. Over time, this period gradually transformed into a time much less focused on festivities and more on reflection. It is a time to take stock, to reflect, to meditate, a time to be grateful and to reevaluate priorities, a time to thoroughly review the essentials. And precisely, "what is the essential?"
Luke, in his gospel, tells us this excellent story, that of a conversation that took place between Jesus and his disciples. It begins in a rather innocuous way with a question that Jesus asks his disciples. We can very well imagine Jesus turning to his disciples and simply asking them the question "Who do the crowds say that I am?" Reactions from each other, informing Jesus of what others think of Him. But here, I imagine, with a more solemn air, with a look that seemed to penetrate to the depths of their souls, he puts them on the spot "And you, who do you say that I am?" Some perhaps, inwardly "Ah, oh, we think that..." But quickly Peter understands and hastens to respond "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God"
It is that every man, every woman, every child is required to answer this same question of Jesus "Who do you say that I am?" In my opinion this is there essential question of human existence. And this is why every year, amidst the feasts and festivities to celebrate His Incarnation, as a minister of the gospel, I like to draw attention anew to the nature of the One we worship, to the fundamental things we must know and believe about Him in order to follow Him as we should. These are things that would inevitably trigger a paradigm shift in our lives. This is absolutely vital for believers in Christ today, perhaps as never before.
'Meditating on Jesus' may not be a Christian's favorite pastime, but it is essential. As we welcome the new year, as we write down our list of resolutions to keep, behaviors to change, and directions to follow, we would do well to include—or rather, put at the very top of—that list a reevaluation of our perspective on Jesus. Followers of Christ can no longer simply 'believe in' or even 'love' Jesus; we must be certain we know Jesus. Our lives depend on it; it is urgent. Indeed, it is a matter of survival.
In this climate of growing hostility in Europe and America toward the disciples of Christ, there is a great temptation to blindly embrace various causes in order to counteract those perceived as enemies of the faith. But the real danger lies within: the growing disbelief of believers, their increasingly confused vision of Jesus, the lack of certainty about the fundamentals of the faith which leads to increasingly blurred lines of demarcation, a certain desire to relativize the biblical revelation of the Son of God to make room for other visions of divinity, and a refusal to face the logical consequence of God becoming flesh and rejected by men.
For we lament the unbelief of the world; and if we were to believe the Scriptures, the problem would not lie in the unbelief of the world but rather in that of the Church; the salt which is in grave danger of losing its savor. The difficulty is not so much that the world is in 'darkness' but that that which is supposed to illuminate it is itself gradually slipping into darkness. This is the darkness of compromise, a subtle worm that insidiously gnaws at the average Christian as we want at all costs, God knows for what reason, to be accepted by the world; and that people find us reasonable even when they find our faith most unreasonable. The inevitable result is unease, lukewarmness of faith and then abandonment.
We need to see Jesus. Theological frameworks are helpful but they are not the answer. We need a clear, vivid picture in our minds of the Son of God. This is the work of the Holy Spirit breathing life into us through His word. We are energized by it. We are not relating to a philosophy but to a Person. It is when we contemplate Him that we see Him, fall in love with Him, believe in Him, commit ourselves to following Him in all His ways, and are able to live against the grain if necessary.
So the question is, "Who do you say he is?" Let us begin this year with firm assurance in faith, an unwavering commitment to the Son of God, and an unwavering determination to make His name glorious in our generation. The whole world may not follow us, but come what may, we are obligated to ensure that the world does not lead us to follow it.
Shalom!
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