Who Do YOU Say That I Am?

"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 Christ, the Son of the living God.'  Jesus replied, 'Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.'"   -Matthew 16: 13-17

Jesus is nearing the time of his arrest and death.  As these much prophesied events get closer, Jesus is starting to reveal himself and his purpose for coming to earth.  Though there are numerous Old Testament scriptures predicting that the Messiah would suffer and die, the disciples did not know that Jesus was going to die.  They though that when they got to Jerusalem, Jesus was going to overthrow the Romans, reclaim the land, and set up his kingdom.  In earlier verses, the disciples are even arguing over who is the greatest of the 12 and who was going to get to sit next to Jesus' throne.

As Jesus is revealing his purpose for coming to earth, he asks his disciples "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"  Many people at that time, similar to today, did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah.  People rejected him as the Savior of the world even though the event of his birth alone fulfilled enough Old Testament prophecies to make it statistically impossible for it to be anyone else.  So Jesus wanted to hear from his disciples who they thought he was.  The disciples begin to mention names that other people had said Jesus was:  some thought he was John the Baptist who had come back from the dead, some thought he was one of the Old Testament prophets Elijah or Jeremiah.  But then Jesus clarifies himself to the disciples saying, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter, perhaps the most bold of the disciples, says, "You are the Christ, the Son of God."  Essentially, Peter was confessing that Jesus was who he said he was:  the Messiah, the Savior of the World, the Son of God incarnate.

At some point in ALL of our lives, we will have to answer Jesus' question, "Who do YOU say that I am?"  Most people will reject Jesus, arguing that either he was just a great moral teacher or he was not God in human form.  However, the Bible gives a tremendous promise and hope for those who will confess that Jesus is the Savior of the world:  the promise and hope of everlasting life.  Many people will say that Jesus is not the right way to heaven or my personal favorite, "all roads lead to God."  I heard a pastor say that "All roads do lead to God, but from there it splits into two paths."  If you really learn about the beliefs of other religions, you will quickly realize that they can't all be right.

It is important to remember that Christianity is not a religion.  It is a personal relationship with Jesus.  In Matthew 7:23, Jesus says that he will tell people on judgment day "Depart from me evil doer.  I never knew you."  Jesus is saying that your works or your style of worship does not matter.  He wants to KNOW you.  He wants you to learn about Him (read the Bible), talk to Him (prayer), and live like Him (love others).

So the question becomes, who do you say that Jesus is?  Is he a good moral teacher?  Is he a liar?  Did he never even live?  Or is he the Savior of the world?  Jesus is my Lord and my Savior.  And because of that, I have a hope that there is a life beyond this world.  My life was not some random accident or the result of evolving from monkeys.  My life was a gift given to me by the creator of the universe.  And His Son died for me on the cross so that when I stand before God to be judged, Jesus' perfect life will be seen instead of my imperfect one.  Do you have this hope?  Do you want this hope?  Then accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior.  It is the best decision you will ever make.