Who Do We Say We Are?

In today’s Gospel Lesson, Jesus begins His public ministry by calling His first disciples. And their decision to follow Him does not come “out of the blue,” so to speak. They respond in the context of fulfilled expectation, hope realized, dreams come true. Having spent the day with Jesus, Andrew seeks out his brother, Simon Peter, and tells him, “We have found the Messiah!” (Jn.1:41). Immediately after receiving the call from Jesus — “Follow Me!” – the Apostle Philip hastens to tell Nathanael, “We have found the One Moses spoke of in the law — and the prophets too — Jesus, Son of Mary and Joseph, from Nazareth” (Jn. 1:45). For those first disciples who had been reared in the Old Testament Tradition of expectancy it was a mind-blowing experience. God had made good on His promise! The promise was fulfilled at long last in the unique Personhood of Jesus of Nazareth.

The uniqueness of living things is one of life’s most awesome wonders.…