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Proverbs 1:20-33
Psalm 19
or Wisdom 7:26–8:1
James 3:1-12
Mark 8:27-38

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.

These words of today’s psalm are a traditional prayer for the preacher to say before they get started preaching – they were the words my childhood priest said in the pulpit every single Sunday. It’s an acknowledgement that words have power, especially words spoken from a pulpit or a podium, and as the epistle of James reminds us today, it is a fearsome thing to get up and speak words in front of other people. For all of us make many mistakes.

 

Which is, I’m sure, what our presidential candidates were thinking in their debate this week, right? They spent weeks preparing their words. Words chosen for their punch and sound bite quality; words chosen for their ability to needle the other person; some words not chosen at all but just blurted out, destined to become memes. It’s an interesting thing, this debate tradition. We keep this ritual not because it necessarily shows us which candidate will make a better president – but somehow we still value words and arguments as we go about choosing our leaders. 

 

And today’s readings are all about words – words of wisdom or foolishness, words that hurt and words that teach, words that express our deepest hopes and dreams and words that show how little we understand. And ultimately, the words that Jesus asks his followers to speak, words that answer the question that lies at the heart of our faith: who do you say that Jesus is? 

 

Turn to your neighbors and discuss. Kidding!

 

To give the context for this gospel passage: Jesus has argued with the scribes and Pharisees, and then he encountered the Syrophoenician woman, who seems to open his eyes to his greater purpose – not just to the anointed messiah of Israel, but to be savior and healer for everyone. He then heals one who is deaf and mute, restoring him to language and words (Interesting), and then, as he travels further along with his disciples, drops the question: Who do you say that I am?

 

It’s not a comfortable conversation, what ensues. Peter pipes up immediately with what seems to be the correct answer, you are the Messiah! But Jesus immediately tells him to shut up, sternly ordering him the way he elsewhere orders demons to keep still. Then he goes on to paint the picture of what will happen next, his suffering and betrayal and death, and Peter gets upset: What are you saying, Jesus?? Whereupon Jesus snaps at him and all the disciples, Get behind me Satan! I can’t imagine the dinner table conversation they managed to have after all this was over.

 

Why is Jesus asking this? Maybe Jesus just wants to know what people think of him, asking in order to gauge how his message is coming across, a sort of marketing focus group with his disciples. He’s tried over and over to get people to keep silent about him, telling people not to say anything – ridiculous, given that he’s just healed them and completely changed their life. That tactic isn’t working, so ok, let’s at least get on top of the message here. Or perhaps