Who Do You Say That I AM? | Visual Lectionary Resources for August 23, 2026

Food for Thought

I would like to highlight two things for you this week.

First, the location of the Gospel lesson matters. Jesus takes his disciples to Caesarea Philippi which sits at the base of Mt. Hermon. This place was an epicenter of Greek and Roman claims to divine power.

Greek roots

Jesus’ use of the phrase “gates of Hades” is not arbitrary. There is a cave at the base of Mt. Hermon that contains flowing spring water that falls into a seemingly bottomless abyss. It was dedicated by the Greeks to the god Pan at least 200 years before Jesus lived. They called it the “gate of Hades” because it was a logical location for a portal to the underworld. Many shrines and pagan rituals built up around the mouth of this cave.

Roman roots

Herod the Great, the man appointed king of Israel by the Roman Empire, received this region from Caesar Augustus. The emperor claimed himself to be “the son of a god.” Herod and his son Philip the Tetrarch erected a temple to honor Caesar near the “gate of Hades” and called the place Caesarea Philippi.

Greeks are sacrificing goats to the god Pan in the cave. Romans and subjected Palestinians are worshipping the emperor as the son of god and paying tribute to him through blood and taxes.

Enter Jesus.

A Jewish man stands in this Gentile place and asks his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter replies, “You are the Christ (Messiah), Son of the living God.” Jesus receives this acknowledgment and declares that Peter is the rock upon which he will build his church and the “gates of Hades” will not prevail against it.

Let me highlight the second thing. Our New Testament reading brings us to Romans 12:1-8. Paul has been arguing the case that both Jews and Gentiles are part of the body of Christ.

Equally sinners.

Equally set free from Sin and Death through Jesus and made to walk in a new life by the power of the Spirit.

Now, in chapter 12, Paul says, “do not be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds.” Then he uses the metaphor of the human body to claim that everyone is a part of the body of Christ.

Let these words wash across the Gospel scene. We can hear Jesus, as he stands amongst the Greek and Roman power dynamics, saying, “don’t be conformed to these world systems. They rule you by fear and oppression. Be transformed—changed from the inside out—by the renewing of your mind. Know that you are part of my body, the church, that Peter will help to build. We are a kingdom that runs on a different operating system. In this body, every part matters!”

This was a fun week for me, because I had been illustrating Romans 12:2 for a course I’m creating for Faith+Lead Academy. I hope you enjoy this visual exposition of the text. May you be transformed this week, and not conformed to the patterns of this world. see it here.

Food for Thought

We come to the second week of our four-week series on the Ten Commandments, or the Ten Words of Law and Promise.

Last week we saw that the first word was the LORD’s declaration, “I am the LORD your God who brought you up out of Egypt.”

In light of that declaration, God says, here are three things that should be true of you, my covenant people:

1. You shall have no other gods but me. Remember, the ancient world was polytheistic. That means people recognized and worshipped many gods. The relationship that people had with the gods was stressful. People worshipped the gods out of fear. They sought to either appease the anger of the gods or to cajole the gods to be fertile and provide their needs. The LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was not like those gods. The I AM, creator of all things, was with the people and for the people, and could not be represented by a carved image.
2. You shall not make wrongful use of the name the LORD. The Hebrew word is nasa, which means to carry, or to bear up. This isn’t a prohibition against using cuss words. This is a declaration that the people bear the name of YHWH in their community and the way they behave represents the LORD to the nations. If they act poorly, they wrongfully use the LORD’s name.
3. Remember the sabbath day. This is a gift from God. The people had been slaves for generations. They had not rested. The LORD declares that rest is a vital part of life. Every seventh day everything should stop working and enjoy life. View my commentary on Sabbath here.

These three words have often been called “The first tablet.” These are the words that tell us how to love God with our heart, mind, soul, and strength. When we know that God has delivered us from slavery and loves us so much that we are worthy of a sabbath rest, then how could we do anything other than live a life of gratitude that overflows in generosity to our neighbor.

May it be so for us this week.

Read all the commentaries and get downloads HERE.