Who do you say I am?

At Caesarea Philippi Jesus asked his disciples one of history’s defining questions: “Who do you say that I am?” In Mark’s Gospel this incident is also the turning point from which Mark begins his passion narrative, which culminates in the cross and resurrection. But today is “Palm Sunday,” when we recall Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, when the crowd hailed him as the one who would restore David’s kingdom. What happens, though, between Palm Sunday and Jesus’ trial when the crowd cries out, “crucify him, crucify him?” From Jesus’ triumphal entry to his crucifixion, Mark narrates a number of encounters in which people respond in various ways to Jesus. Is there something we can learn of ourselves and how we respond to Jesus from these stories? Jesus still asks us, “Who do you say that I am?” It is a question we must all answer, and which calls for a daily and ongoing response.