Who do You Say that I Am?

One of my favorite stories in the New Testament is when Jesus asked his friends, “Who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. “The first thing Jesus said to him was, flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but the Father who is in heaven.” In other words, you have realized this truth through spiritual discernment, not through your limited human understanding.

Jesus went on to say, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” This statement gives us the foundation for the law of mind action… “Thoughts held in mind produce after their kind.” Whatever thoughts we hold on to will be held in our consciousness, the realm of mind referred to as “the heavens.” And of course, the thoughts we let go of will not be held in consciousness and therefore will not be manifest in our kingdom.

The key to understanding the power of our minds to create our reality was given us in this scripture. The important thing for us to remember is that heaven and earth do not exist as separate states. The spiritual vision experienced by Simon Peter in witnessing the Christ in his brother Jesus was the same vision which perceives the Christ in ourselves.

In Unity we often teach about the Christ in us, but we also have to be clear of the process of mind which brings about this spiritual revelation. First, we look at what the human mind is telling us. You are this, or you are that; but in our authentic, spiritual experience we are so much more than all of those things. At the core of our being is the light, the Christ-self, the essence of God. We perhaps are showing up in human form, but that form cannot limit our experience, and the ways Christ is manifest also cannot be limited to any one form or person.

This is why the story of Simon Peter’s revelation ends with Jesus telling his friends, “they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.” The master knew this type of experience had to come from within. The revelation of the Christ within is the single most important teaching of this man from Nazareth.

With experience of the Christ within comes the transformation of each individual to a recognition of oneness and identification with Spirit It opens us up to our spiritual awareness, beyond the sum total of our concepts and our conceptual observations, beyond our attachments to time and form. Once I see the Christ in any one person, I will see it in myself and all others. Yes, I may forget who I really am at times; but I will count on you to remind me when I forget. Just remember to give an honest answer to that voice within you that asks the question, “Who do you say that I am?” And remember as well, the answer you give your brother or sister, you are giving to yourself.

I love you; I Bless you and I Behold the Christ as You!

Rev. Tony