"Who Do You Say That I Am?"

CARAVAGGIO - "The Crucifixion of Saint Peter" - 1600 - Cerasi Chapel, Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome

From today's Gospel reading in the Lectionary:

Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that I am?’ And they answered him, ‘John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.’ He asked them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered him, ‘You are the Messiah.'

Mark 8:27-29

As I read the passage from Mark today, I felt a quickening at the words, "Who do people say that I am?" because I know what comes next: the question, "Who do you say that I am?" And that is the question of questions. Volumes have been written on those few simple words, but, in the end, the question is put to each of us singly.

"Who do you say that I am?" And what does it mean to answer with Peter, "You are the Messiah"? The implications are enormous, beyond what I can know. And if I answer with Peter, what then?

Image from The Web Gallery of Art