22nd
Who do you say I am?
Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Peter answered, “You are the Christ.”
Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.
- Mark 8:27-30
People have many different views and opinions about who Jesus is. They may say that he was a good teacher; they may say that he was a prophet, who came before the prophet Muhammad; they may say that his life was lived to be an example to us. But who do you say that Jesus is?
When religion is stripped away from Christianity, we are left with the person of Jesus. We can avoid being distracted by side-issues, as Christianity stands or falls on whether or not Jesus’ claims to be God are true or not, and hence, whether or not his death and resurrection was sufficient to pay the price for our sin.
Jesus accepts Peter’s testimony about him being the Christ, the one whom God had promised would come and rescue His people from their slavery to sin. For anyone who believes in Jesus, this is our testimony too. But since we live after Jesus’ resurrection, our command is no longer to keep it a secret, but instead to “Go and make disciples of all nations.”
