For Marcus Borg, theologian and Episcopal priest, “The central claim of Christianity is that Jesus is the final revelation of God. Jesus is revealed and imbues nearly all of what can be seen of God in human form.” Jesus is the revelation, the epiphany of what God is like—–of God’s character and passion. Seeing God in a person distinguishes Christianity from other religions. For example, Jews find God in the Torah. Moses reveals God, but not the revelation. Muslims find God in the Qur’an. Muhammad is the revealer, but not the revelation. But for Christians, God is a person who walked among us, the one who touches the way we touch, the one who speaks the way we speak, and the one who knows the way we know. Jesus asks, Who do you say I am? Humanity is collectively evolving towards that perfected being; we are not there yet, but the invitation and potential to arrive is the gift. The distinction is critical to our Christian understanding of who Jesus is.
Yet, despite Jesus’ importance for Christianity, his name is problematic for many. The issue is confusion over Christian language about ‘Who do you say I am?’ He is both human and divine. But what does that mean? Was he able to perform miracles that no other human could? If so, was he really one of us? He died in place of our sins. If so, does that mean that God died? What being died and was resurrected? These are magnificent questions. For me, I know Christ is not Jesus’ last name. Christ is the energetic love particle expressed in Jesus the man, the divine wisdom particle that lives in all of creation waiting to be experienced.
Who do you say I am? It is in part answered in Creation.
The mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Creation itself rejoices. It’s as though the whole universe has been waiting for humanity to awaken to its deepest calling. We are the conscious, the self-reflective part of creation. When we recognize God’s presence within all things, we help reconnect the whole world to its Creator. We become, quite literally, inspired—filled with Christ and Spirit. Perhaps this is what Jesus came to show us all along. When we see Christ in the bread and the wine, we begin to see Christ beyond the bread and the wine. We see Christ in one another. We see Christ in our neighbors. We see Christ in strangers. We see Christ in creation and all over the planet in a multitude of forms. And then we discover that we are becoming what we receive: the Body of Christ alive in the world.
“I Am” is how Jesus saves—not by being saved or redeemed, but by remembering He is God’s gift and truth within each of us and in all of Creation. He implants himself in us like a seed; we are born again in God’s own life so that we may bear fruit in wholeness that has been lost in the world. Keep asking, Who do you say I am? And you will find yourself.