Welcome to the STC Sheffield podcast. My name is Helen and I’m looking forward to spending the next 5 days reflecting on Bible passages from Mark Chapters 8-10 with you.

REFLECTION:

Today we start with Mark 8:22 through to Chapter 9:1. In this passage sits v29 where Jesus asks Peter the following questions:

“But what about you?” Jesus asked, “Who do you say I am?”

It’s a big question. It’s an important question. And depending on the answer, it’s a life changing question.  And it’s this idea of asking questions and knowing the answers that we are going to look at in today’s podcast.

English children are among the most tested in the world, and in December 2018 the former Head of the Civil Service said that in the UK we have an “addiction to exams.”

I was at a training course recently where the presenter used the following quote from a 15 year old girl: “I guess I could call myself smart. I mean I can usually get good grades. Sometimes I worry though, that I’m not equipped to achieve what I want, that I’m just a tape recorder repeating back what I’ve heard. I’m worried that once I’m out of school and people don’t keep handing me information with the questions….I’ll be lost.”

There are many people who believe that the education system in this country no longer allows children and young people to ask questions, find out things for themselves, or develop the skills needed to become independent learners. Instead we have raised a generation who are used to being spoon fed the answers and taught to the test.

Let’s have a look at Peter’s revision period, leading up to his big question in verse 29, to see how it compares.

In many ways it is much easier for us to answer the question “Who do you say I am?” than it was for Peter, because we can read the Gospels and see how the story of Jesus unfolds, and because we live in a time after his death and resurrection.  However, poor Peter did not have this advantage. He can’t even be spoon fed the answers by those around him……in Chapter 4 v41, the disciples in the boat questioned who Jesus was, and in Chapter 6 we see that both the Jews in the synagogue and Herod in his palace, are also asking the same question – “Who is this man?”

Finding the answer to this question is seemingly made even more difficult by the fact that in the space of 8 chapters, Jesus has told people 8 times not to say who he is, or what he has done. There is no way Jesus could be accused of teaching to the test! In fact, if you re-read Chapters 1-8, you will see that the only declarations of Jesus being the Son of God are made by demons……which must have been very confusing for the disciples. And finally, earlier in Chapter 8, Jesus twice asked his disciples “Do you still not understand?” Just a few days before a big exam, no student wants to hear their teacher say those words!

And this is why Chapter 8 v29 is such a key verse – because it shows that Peter does understand, that he does know who stands before him, that he does know who this man Jesus really is.

He’s got the answer. He wasn’t spoon fed it, no-one prepped him. He worked it out by himself.

There are two things about Peter giving this answer that it would be good to reflect on:

Firstly, Peter’s answer was radical, politically incorrect and dangerous. As we have seen, Herod is already asking questions, and has recently beheaded John the Baptist for talking about a potential new kingdom and king.  1st century Palestine is not a safe place to be making statements about the Messiah – the anointed deliverer and Saviour. And so Peter puts himself on the line, at risk, for speaking out this truth. Are we prepared to do the same?

On the one hand we teach to the test, but on the other our post modern society and culture tells us that there is no truth, no correct answer, everyone can just believe or act according to what they think is right...