I have been called and greeted in many ways. Total strangers who try to get my attention may yell towards me, "Hey, you with the glasses!" or "Yo, the man wearing the green shirt!". When I first started high school, some of the boys in my PE class used to call me "Joe Cool" because I was really quiet and didn't show much emotion. Occasionally, those with a more racist bent might scream bunches of Asian sounding gibberish, something like "ching-chong-ding-dong-chow-mein-konichiwa-hahahahaha" while they sped by me in their trucks. They usually didn't seem too friendly, and I really didn't understand a word that was said. Perhaps they spoke in a different dialect.
Most people addressed me with greater courtesy after I became a physician, particularly when I am on a medical campus attired in my usual work garb of shirt, tie and dress pants. Strangers now call me "Doctor" even if I do not display identification or wear a white coat, and hospital personnel refer to me as "Dr. Duh". Most even manage to pronounce my last name correctly (for the record, it sounds like "doo" and not "dah"...seems appropriate for a pediatric gastroenterologist). I even started to introduce myself to patients and their family members as Dr. Duh, or Dr. Duh the Poop Doctor (the latter if I know that the patient is suffering from constipation). Baristas at Starbucks call me "Sir", and salespeople who want my money sometimes call me "Boss". Must be the gray hair.
I recently started to teach Sunday school at my church for the first time in many years, and was charged with teaching all the eighth graders. Since many of the youngsters did not know me well, they asked how I expected to be addressed. I had to think about it for a while...it wouldn't be appropriate for them to call me "Dude", "Hey", "Doctor" or "Chris Duh's dad". Eventually, most of them called me "Uncle Glenn", which suited me just fine.
How we address others, whether directly or indirectly, says a lot about our impressions or knowledge of them, as well as our relationships with them. When Jesus walked on earth, the Pharisees and teachers of the law often addressed him in person as "Teacher" (e.g., Matthew 8:19, Matthew 12:38) or "Rabbi" (John 3:2), but amongst themselves often referred to him disrespectfully as "this fellow" (e.g., Matthew 9:3, Luke 5:21). Those who were in distress and seeking healing called Jesus "Lord" (e.g., Matthew 8:2, Matthew 15:21), and Jesus' disciples and close friends also called him "Lord" (e.g., John 21:15).
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:13-16)
Who is Jesus to us? Is he a teacher, a good man, a fictional figure, or is he "the Messiah, the Son of the living God", the Lord and Savior of our lives?
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