Don’t you hate it when Jesus asks a question?
You know he isn’t asking what he’s asking. It is always something so much deeper.
That is the story of stewardship. Immediately when we hear that word we get all defensive, thinking, “Here they go asking for money!” And many times we are! The hard truth is that it takes money to make church happen: to turn on the lights, to print the worship guide, and yes, to pay the minister!
But that isn’t what stewardship is about, not at it’s core. As my mentor, Hardy Clemons used to say, “Stewardship is not the church’s way of raising money, it is God’s way of raising children.”
Jesus’ question, “Who do people say that I am?” is not for him. It is him asking us what really matters.