Tasters from the King's Table

A Stranger

When The Lord Jesus takes his disciples to Caesarea Philippi he has come to the final stage of his ministry. Three years have probably already gone by and only a few months remain. He sees that it is the moment to confront his disciples with his real identity: who is the Son of Man?

In the dialogue that follows with them, it is very clear that the crowds do not know him. The responses are mixed and all mistaken. But: what of the disciples? When he raises the question to them, it seemed that they remained silent. There is no record of any response from them.

Perhaps a long and awkward silence had taken place. Stupor? Will the Father have to intervene to save the disciples from the greatest shame? Peter intervenes to say what he had in his heart; what no man can know by himself about Jesus. Peter's response is the response of God, not of man.

Jesus was a stranger to them, although they spent so long in his company. They were next to him physically, but not in their hearts - they did not know him. That's why that moment must have been a sad one for the Lord - yet another that he experienced because of the disciples.

But today: is it any different? There are many who frequent the altars with such frequency, without knowing him. Many are they who observe various forms of piety, without knowing the one who is behind them. They usually speak well of him, but they cannot speak about him as about somebody well-known, because he isn't.

They use conventional forms, but nothing living or real. They cannot say that they converted to Christ, but " to Christianity "; they cannot say that they know Jesus, but " the gospel ", they do not follow Christ, but rather " religion … " - and they give it a surname. They cannot say that they are in Christ, but they are present at " the meetings "; they do not know the Lord, but vaguely something about " God ". What does all this mean?

That today, just like yesterday, Christ is a stranger.

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