It had been a long time since that heady day at Caesarea Philippi. He had been traveling with his disciples. Now they were in this pagan town that was famous for it’s temples and booths to Roman gods on every corner. And it had been there, there where the culture demanded a decision, that he had asked for feedback. He had been with these disciples for a long time now. They had seen a lot, and he figured they should know him as well or better than anyone.

He had avoided this subject in the past. The timing for these things has to be just right, and it hadn’t been time. But now it was. So he had asked them, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" And they had answered quickly and easily (it’s easy to answer about other people): "John the Baptist." "Elijah." "Jeremiah." "One of the Prophets."

He remembered pausing, and then asking, "But who do you say that I am?" Silence. (It’s easy to answer about other people.) Finally, it was Simon bar Jonah.

"You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God," Simon said. He remembered being delighted that it was Simon. Such a loveable guy. And such a goof. Got it wrong almost all the time, but you couldn’t help loving him, like a Labrador Retriever who knocks over your vase because he’s so glad to see you. He had said with relief and joy, "Blessed are you, Simon bar Jonah. God has revealed this to you. And I’m going to call you "Rocky," and on this rock I will build my church to withstand even the realm of death. You who claim my name must interpret the way for the people and lead them to the kingdom, so that what you do mirrors heaven. Now, the time was right for us to talk about this, but it is not right for everyone to know, so y’all keep this quiet."

When he remembered that wonderful day at Caesarea Philippi, he could still recall the sense of excitement and hope and anticipation that they had all felt in that moment. He had asked for feedback, and, for that moment, at least, it had been wonderful.

But, that was a long time ago, such a long time ago. He wanted feedback now; he wanted to know how this church which had been built on him as the foundation thought of him now, after all these years, after so much had happened.

"I’ll just ask them," he thought. So he’s been going to churches, lots of churches, incognito, of course. He selects people at random and just asks them, out of the blue, "Who do you say that Jesus is?" He’s been keeping a journal of what the people say. But he’s very, very perceptive, and he also writes down what they mean. Here are some excerpts from his journal:

A nice lady said, "Well, Jesus is just my whole reason for living." What she meant was that I ma what she uses to demonstrate to her family and friends that she is totally unselfish and superior to them.

A clean-cut young man said, "That’s easy. Jesus Christ is the foundation of our American values." What he meant was that he’s not a liberal, and that liberals aren’t real Christians or Americans.

Another young man, this one in a golf shirt, said, "Jesus is the great example to us of how God wants us to transform our sinful society." What he meant was that he’s not a conservative, and that conservatives aren’t real Christians or patriots.

One woman said, "I profess Jesus as my Lord, and he answers my prayers." What she meant was that she wants me to be her magician.

A preacher said, "Jesus is the corporate embodiment in the community of faith of the Spirit of the Second Person of the Holy Trinity active in the temporal economy." What he meant was that he knows lots of fancy words, but doesn’t have a clue.

One man said, "Jesus is the fonder of the Church." What he meant was that I had given him an excuse to enjoy the pageantry in his church.

A woman said, "Jesus is a great healer, but sometimes we aren’t healed in the way we want; we are healed in God’s way." What she meant was that she had learned to draw her sense of identity from her chronic illnesses.

A man said, "Jesus was a great prophet." What he meant was, "He seems to have been a good and wise man, and that’s about as far as it goes."

A woman said, "Jesus will judge us all on the Last Day." What she meant was that my name had been used to frighten her since she was a child.

One woman said, "Jesus is the one who gave his life for us." What she meant was that the Church is a place where she can try to bolster her low self-esteem by constantly taking responsibility for things other people should be responsible for.

A man said, "Jesus is God incarnate in the world." What he meant was, "My wife makes me come to church."

One man said, "I don’t know who Jesus is." What he meant was, "I desperately want to know." (I liked him.)

Another man said, "I don’t know who Jesus is." What he meant was, "I don’t care."

One woman said, "Jesus is my personal Lord and Savior." What she meant was, "It is important to me to be seen as a good, church-going person."

A man said that too: "Jesus is my personal Lord and Savior." What he meant was that his faith is based on a fear of going to hell.

Another man said, "Jesus is the godly example for all Christians." What he meant was that he likes having clear lines of demarcation between those who are within the bounds of God’s love and those who are outside the bounds of God’s love. He needs this so that he can reassure himself that he is on the inside.

Another preacher said, "Jesus wants you to prosper in both spiritual and financial matters." What he meant was that he wants your money.

At this point, there was a break in the journal. "I am disheartened," Jesus wrote. "I have been to so many churches. Can I not find one place where people say who I am and mean it? Well, tomorrow I will go to one more church."

That entry was made yesterday.

Who will you say he is? What will you mean by it?