THE IDENTITY QUESTION

Reflections on the Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Isaiah 50:5-9a; James 2:14-18; Mark 8:27-35)

The question of identity takes centre stage in our political, social, and cultural narratives. Even a cursory look at the recent newspaper headlines would easily substantiate this fact.

• The collapse of a statue in Maharashtra seems to draw more public attention and anger than the collapse of 12 bridges in over 2 weeks in Bihar.

• Former Union minister, Anurag Thakur, taking an indirect vibe at Rahul Gandhi declared (in the parliament of all places), “whose caste is not known is talking about caste census”.

• Trump questions Kamala Harris’ racial identity.

• For some reason, the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics 2024 found it fitting to feature drag queens and a naked man painted blue in a live tableau reminiscent of the Last Supper for some and the feast of Dionysus for others.

• Despite setbacks in the 2024 General Elections, the UP government continues to parrot the Hindu-Muslim divisive narrative. It has become common in elections across countries for parties of varying ideologies (left, right, and centre) to harp on the tried and tested narrative of natives vs migrants to help solidify their vote banks.

In the context of increasing polemics around the question of identity, today’s Gospel challenges us to reflect on the identity of Jesus. How is the Gospel’s identity question different from our identity-centred narratives?

1. Moving beyond categories: 

Jesus’ question about his identity begins with the interrogation,  “Who do people say that I am?”. There is a reason why people saw Jesus as John the Baptist, Elijah, or one of the prophets. Both were men greatly esteemed and admired in Jesus’ time and surroundings. The prophecy in Malachi had announced to them that Elijah would come before the final day, “See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes” (4:5). Biblists claim that after the murder of John the Baptist and the abrupt end of his prophetic mission, rumours began to spread among people that John would return.

Thus, the contemporaries of Jesus were using prominent and esteemed prophetic figures whose return was awaited to reflect on the identity of Jesus. The authors of the New Testament also use symbols and metaphors of the Ancient alliance to refer to Jesus (Son of Man, Wisdom, Paschal lamb, Son of David, etc.,). However, the crowds failed to look beyond these analogies to discover the true identity of Jesus. They could fit him into a category and were happy to stop there. This is the risk of our contemporary identity questions that stop with merely categorising people into models, concepts, stereotypes, and prejudices, not caring enough to discover their individuality or appreciate their uniqueness.

2. Discovering that uniqueness is not exclusivity: 

The focus of the identity question now shifts from the superficial knowledge of the crowds to the disciples, his innermost circle of friends. He asks, “But who do you say that I am?” The disciples, who have responded to his call to follow him, witnessed his teachings and miracles and walked with him across cities and villages, are now challenged to move beyond pre-existing categories and respond to the identity question from their discipleship journey. Peter responds, “You are the Christ”. Observe the use of the definitive article here. Jesus is THE Christ. He is not one among the many prophets or spiritual gurus but the unique and universal anointed one of God.

For centuries, this ‘uniqueness’ claim has been seen as arrogant, embarrassing, and exclusive and therefore a hurdle in our dialogue with other religions and cultures. However, uniqueness is not to be confused with exclusivism. Christ is at the origin of all that is good, beautiful, and holy in all creation and he perfects them to build a new world order based on peace, joy, and love. While the identity question in our society seeks to divide people and build exclusive clubs, Jesus’ identity brings us together into inclusive and plural societies.

3. Humbling before the ever-surprising God: 

Just when Peter must have been feeling proud of his perfect response, he faces Jesus’ rebuke, “Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do”. What changed? Peter thought he knew Jesus so well that he was not prepared for any new surprises. Jesus begins to preach about the unsettling notion of a suffering Messiah and Peter is not ready to accept this identity. He takes Jesus aside and begins to rebuke him! Peter, the rock-elect of the Church, the future first Pope, and the leader of the disciples’ pack had to be humbled. Jesus had to teach him that “whoever wishes to come after him must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow him”.

As disciples, we must be ready to deal with God’s unique and radical ways of springing surprises about his identity and ways. Our response to the identity question is process-centred and ever-evolving. No fixed responses, rigid creeds, dogmas or doctrines could answer the identity question once and for all. It is for us to discover who Jesus is in the concrete reality of our lives. While our society’s identity question is often a masked tool of abuse and selfish ends, Jesus poses the question ‘Who do you say that I am’ to engage us in a path of humble discernment, dialogue, and transformation that helps us discover the meaning and purpose of our lives. Let us dare to move beyond categories to pursue the unique and inclusive identity of Jesus who continues to reveal himself in surprising ways.