BIBLE READING

18 Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?”

19 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.”

20 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “God’s Messiah.”

21 Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone.

22 And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”   Luke 9: 18-21

YOU ARE THE CHRIST

Who is Jesus? That is the question at the heart of this conversation between Jesus and his closest followers.

The “crowds” - who have followed Jesus, heard his teaching, seen his miracles, and seen him drive out demons - have several possible answers:

*John the Baptist, that wild preacher with his message “repent for the kingdom of heaven is near”,

*Elijah, the prophet who performed many miracles and stood against evil in his day,

*Or one of the other prophets of old.

(All of these characters in the Bible, pointed forward, and spoke or prophesied of the one who was to come).

But Peter has a different answer to that of the crowds. He believes Jesus is the very one to whom all these characters were pointing, the long-promised Saviour, the Messiah. In Matthew's gospel, Peter is quoted as saying, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God".

He may not yet fully understand it, but Peter really does believe it.

When Jesus heard Peter's confession of faith he explains what his identity as Messiah will mean. 

The disciples hadn't fully grasped the meaning of what Jesus was telling them, yet, this was exactly what was ahead for him: suffering, rejection, death and resurrection.

SOMETHING TO CONSIDER

Over the years many people have rejected Jesus. They have sought to rebrand him, without a cross, without an empty tomb, saying he was just a figure from history.

The Bible though does not give us that option. In these accounts that the disciples left for us they make very clear the life changing importance of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Everything hinges on this doesn't it?

I wonder how you would answer Jesus’ question today? Do you believe like Peter that Jesus was the Messiah?

It’s a question of life-changing significance isn’t it! One that every human being will have to answer to one day.