Monday, September 9, 2013
356 - Jesus: 'Who Do You Say I Am?'
Spirituality Column #356
September 10, 2013
Current in Carmel-Westfield-Noblesville-Fishers-Zionsville
We live in a culture that doesn’t want to know what we really think.
But Jesus Christ is a Savior who does.
In each of the first three Gospels – Matthew, Mark and Luke (the “Synoptic” Gospels, meaning “similar”) – Jesus asks the disciples who other people, the crowds, think He is. Each time it is followed closely by the most important question in the entire Bible. Jesus asks the disciples directly:
September 10, 2013
Current in Carmel-Westfield-Noblesville-Fishers-Zionsville
Jesus: ‘Who Do You Say I Am?’
By Bob WaltersWe live in a culture that doesn’t want to know what we really think.
But Jesus Christ is a Savior who does.
In each of the first three Gospels – Matthew, Mark and Luke (the “Synoptic” Gospels, meaning “similar”) – Jesus asks the disciples who other people, the crowds, think He is. Each time it is followed closely by the most important question in the entire Bible. Jesus asks the disciples directly:
“Who do you say I am?”
Simon,
soon to be Peter, the Rock, gets it right: “You are the Christ, the Son of the
living God” (Matthew 16:15).
Interestingly, Jesus answers by declaring Peter to be blessed, not specifically
that he is correct. Implying Peter has
stated the truth, Jesus orders the disciples not to tell anyone else … at
least, not yet.
Jesus
knew that mere words – neither the disciples’ nor His own – would testify as
powerfully to His true identity as His coming trial, crucifixion, death,
burial, resurrection, and ascension. The
crowds were always amazed at His words, but His identity as the Son of God was
something they needed to learn by faith.
Only to the Samaritan woman at the well, who mentions “the coming
Messiah,” does Jesus plainly say, “I who speak to you am He” (John
4:25-26).
Still, Jesus’s
constant use of “I am” was a public, if cryptic, signal identifying Himself as
God. Remember the burning bush, when God
identifies Himself to Moses as “I Am Who I Am” (Exodus 3:14)? Dozens of times, Jesus says “I am” – “I am from above” (to the Jews in the
Temple, John 8:23), “I am the way,
and the truth, and the life” (to Thomas, John 14:6), “You are right in saying I am” (to the elders, Luke 22:70), etc.
“Who
do you say I am?” “I am”
is God.
So, back to our
modern-going-on-post-modern, me-centered, truth-is-relative culture and the
challenges believers today face witnessing to society at large regarding the
truth of Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior, Son of the living God, who we know
personally through the Holy Spirit. How
in the world, literally, does one explain that truth to others who deny the
existence of truth, period?
Jesus, you’ll
note, answering Peter’s reply wasn’t so concerned with what “the crowd” thought
because, you’ll also note, “the crowd” was wrong.
Peter got
Christ’s identity right. For God’s
glory, that is the first and best thing any of us can do. The next, like Jesus, is to be an example.
The world may
not care, but Jesus does.
Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) observes the disingenuousness of society insisting truth is relative
and God is merely an individual opinion while being morally outraged at any
suggestion to the contrary.
"Who do you say I am?"
Matthew 16:15 “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Mark 8:29 “You are the Christ.”
Luke 9:20 “… the Christ of God.”
"Who do you say I am?"
Matthew 16:15 “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Mark 8:29 “You are the Christ.”
Luke 9:20 “… the Christ of God.”
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