Experience
Monday of the First Week of Lent
Daily Reading: Matthew 16:13 –19
Focus Passage:
"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"
Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."
Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.” (Matt. 16:15 – 17)
When Jesus asked Peter, “Who do you say I am?” he had no interest in Peter’s opinion. Peter’s opinion was no more or less relevant than the next person’s opinion.
The question was not about Peter’s belief system or about how much information he had accumulated concerning Jesus.
Jesus asked Peter about his experience. “Who have you experienced me to be? What is the nature of our relationship?”
It’s a good question, inviting us away from theory and prescribed answers. The question encourages us to consider our experience in the grit of life. After all, it is possible to answer theoretical questions in most any way; life questions, however, must be answered with the heart from the frame of experience.
I recognize the human tendency to seek experiences of God, often to the detriment of seeking God. Thomas Merton believed that most religious people are captivated by religious experience and the experience of God . . . rather than being captivated by God. I get his point. But I’m not here for a Lenten debate today.
I still find this an appropriate Lenten question to ponder: Who have you experienced Jesus to be? If you can get that question out of your head and move it into your heart, what will you say? What does your experience tell you about Jesus? How has your life informed who Jesus is for you?
Peter answered that he experienced Jesus to be the “Anointed One” (the Messiah) for whom generations of faithful Israelites looked to bring deliverance and liberation. Peter experienced that Jesus was God-touched (or “anointed”) with a spirit of deliverance and freedom. He made the intimate connection of Jesus to God (“Son of the Living God”).
Jesus’ subsequent words to Peter were not the “reward” for a correct answer, as we’re likely to assume. He affirmed Peter because of Peter’s honesty. Peter didn’t try to pull one over on Jesus. He answered authentically, out of his personal experience of Jesus. Jesus blessed him and spoke into him a word that confirmed Peter’s identity.
This passage is not a template for how to get Jesus to bless you. It is, however, one example of the kind of authentic living that Jesus loves, the kind of self-honesty that opens the door to a deeper connection to the Anointed One.
For Reflection:
• Who have you experienced Jesus to be?
• What does your heart say to you about Jesus?
• What does your experience tell you about Jesus?
• How has your life informed who Jesus is for you?
Daily Reading: Matthew 16:13 –19
Focus Passage:
"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"
Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."
Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.” (Matt. 16:15 – 17)
When Jesus asked Peter, “Who do you say I am?” he had no interest in Peter’s opinion. Peter’s opinion was no more or less relevant than the next person’s opinion.
The question was not about Peter’s belief system or about how much information he had accumulated concerning Jesus.
Jesus asked Peter about his experience. “Who have you experienced me to be? What is the nature of our relationship?”
It’s a good question, inviting us away from theory and prescribed answers. The question encourages us to consider our experience in the grit of life. After all, it is possible to answer theoretical questions in most any way; life questions, however, must be answered with the heart from the frame of experience.
I recognize the human tendency to seek experiences of God, often to the detriment of seeking God. Thomas Merton believed that most religious people are captivated by religious experience and the experience of God . . . rather than being captivated by God. I get his point. But I’m not here for a Lenten debate today.
I still find this an appropriate Lenten question to ponder: Who have you experienced Jesus to be? If you can get that question out of your head and move it into your heart, what will you say? What does your experience tell you about Jesus? How has your life informed who Jesus is for you?
Peter answered that he experienced Jesus to be the “Anointed One” (the Messiah) for whom generations of faithful Israelites looked to bring deliverance and liberation. Peter experienced that Jesus was God-touched (or “anointed”) with a spirit of deliverance and freedom. He made the intimate connection of Jesus to God (“Son of the Living God”).
Jesus’ subsequent words to Peter were not the “reward” for a correct answer, as we’re likely to assume. He affirmed Peter because of Peter’s honesty. Peter didn’t try to pull one over on Jesus. He answered authentically, out of his personal experience of Jesus. Jesus blessed him and spoke into him a word that confirmed Peter’s identity.
This passage is not a template for how to get Jesus to bless you. It is, however, one example of the kind of authentic living that Jesus loves, the kind of self-honesty that opens the door to a deeper connection to the Anointed One.
For Reflection:
• Who have you experienced Jesus to be?
• What does your heart say to you about Jesus?
• What does your experience tell you about Jesus?
• How has your life informed who Jesus is for you?
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