He could have done it anywhere. They had traveled from the Jordan Valley, all over Galilee, across the sea and back going from place to place. He could have done it anywhere, but it was in Caesarea Philippi where Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” The responses varied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, some Jeremiah, and others one of the prophets.” The next question posed to the disciples was much more direct, “Who do you all say that I am?” It was a simple enough question but loaded with implications. But why ask it here? Why not immediately following some miracle he had performed? After all, there had been plenty. Why not within the confines of a place like Capernaum where the synagogue stands as the center of community life?

The area of Caesarea Philippi was an interesting choice to be sure. There were multiple deities worshipped in that region. It was home to the sanctuary of the Greek god, Pan, the half-man, half-goat god of fright. There was the Grotto of Pan, a cave into which sacrifices had been thrown for centuries. There were (and still are) niches carved into the rocky hillside at the headwaters of the Jordan where images of various gods and goddesses would be placed as the community came to offer tribute. This area serves as the backdrop for the simple, yet eternally significant question, “Who do you all say that I am?”

This ancient account has a lot of relevance for us today. The question of the identity of Jesus is asked of us each and every day. Sometimes it is easy to answer that question. We gather around Jesus on Sunday and confess with the rest of those who wear his name, “You, Jesus, are the Christ. You are the Son of God. You are the King. You are our Savior and our Master.” It’s an easy question to answer in that setting.

The real test comes during the rest of the week. We spend much of our time in surroundings in which many gods are worshipped. No, we’re probably not going to walk down the street and encounter a line of people throwing sacrifices into a cave in hopes of placating the gods. But there are plenty of other things that are vying for our attention, our allegiance, and offering us some benefit.

The list of these various deities is far too long to list in the space that we have here, but there are some that immediately come to mind. The god of nationalism, of racial superiority, of economic disparity, of self-righteousness, moral superiority, sexual identity, all call out to us and court our allegiance. While there may be many others to add to that list, all point to the chief among these deities, the god of self. With all this noise, all the voices that call, we hear Jesus ask, “Who do you say that I am?” How do we answer in these moments?

The answer to this question is incredibly important. The way in which we answer has eternal consequences. Since we confess that he is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, our allegiance is solely to him. All other would-be gods must be put away and every aspect, every part of our lives must be brought under the lordship of Jesus. All our responses and reactions to the things that we face, all our decisions, all interactions are held up to his scrutiny. Everything is to be measured against the way Jesus responded to the world around him.

This will take time and attention. The disciples to whom Jesus posed this question were those who had been with him night and day for years. They had seen miracles, heard his teaching and witnessed all his interactions. Even with all this, they still got things wrong from time to time, but Jesus didn’t give up on them.

We won’t correctly answer the question of the identity of Jesus unless we are also willing to walk with him, listen to him, watch what he does, and continually learn from him. And just like those disciples who were with Jesus at Caesarea Philippi and beyond, there will be times when we get things wrong, react in the wrong way, say the wrong things, and mess up things. And just like those disciples, Jesus will not give up on us either as long as we continually run back to him for correction, help, direction, and forgiveness.

It is the good news of the gospel – God with us. It is the promise of Jesus that he will not abandon us but will be with us until the very end. There is no other entity that can keep that promise. There is no other god who can compare. There is no other god who is willing to sacrifice for us so that we can have life.

For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. (Colossians 1:19-20)