Then Jesus and his disciples went to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” They said, “John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and still others, one of the prophets.” He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” —Mark 8:27-29
The most important question we will ever have to answer is “Who do we say Jesus is?” Our life in the here and now and our eternal status hinge on the answer to that very question. Just as in Jesus’ time, some in our day respond to this question by saying he was a good man, or perhaps a prophet, but certainly not God. Countless others give it no thought at all. Some say he is the Christ, yet do not make Him their Lord. They give Jesus lip service, yet their hearts are far from Him. Considering all that Jesus said of Himself in Scripture, He is either who He said He was–fully God and fully man–or the truth was not in Him. A liar or the Lord–these are our choices. He left no room for anything in-between. God is not looking for us to just feel all warm and fuzzy inside. He is looking for true disciples who will show his love to a hurting world that so desperately needs Him.
The gospel of Matthew tells us:
But Jesus was silent. The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said it yourself. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” —Matthew 26:63-64
Mark adds:
But he was silent and did not answer. Again the high priest questioned him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” “I am,” said Jesus, “and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.” —Mark 14:61-62
Luke tells us:
So they all said, “Are you the Son of God, then?” He answered them, “You say that I am.” —Luke 22:70
Because Jesus is the Son of God, He has a rightful claim to our lives. In Luke, he said:
“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do what I tell you? “Everyone who comes to me and listens to my words and puts them into practice – I will show you what he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep, and laid the foundation on bedrock. When a flood came, the river burst against that house but could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the person who hears and does not put my words into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against that house, it collapsed immediately, and was utterly destroyed!” —Luke 6:46-49
Take It to Heart
“Who do you say I am?”