Who am I?

 

Who am I?

Haiku of the question.

Near Caesarea

he turns to his disciples,

asks them, Who am I?

Some say Elijah;

others, John the Baptiser,

one of the prophets.

But what do you say?

he asks them, looking for an

answer more profound.

Peter finds the words.

You must be the Messiah!

(Whatever that means.)

The one that God sends

will suffer, be rejected

by those in power.

When he speaks of death

the disciples are disturbed.

Weren’t expecting that!

Peter finds the words.

Don’t talk of such things, Jesus;

the Christ cannot die.

Those who would follow

the paths to life, they must learn

to lay life aside.

They must be ready

to deny themselves, to take

their cross upon them.

For the gospel’s sake

you must do the things I do;

you must die to self.

© Ken Rookes 2021