“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.”
Matthew 16:15-16 (NIV)
Jesus
approached his disciples and asked a very important question. He wanted to know
who the people thought the Son of Man is. Their responses ranged from John the
Baptist, to Elijah and Jeremiah. The people also seemed to think of Jesus as
one of the prophets.
The
Master changes the focus of his question to whom they> thought He was. Peter gave a very insightful answer. In
reply to Jesus, he spoke words that became the foundation of His future church.
I once heard a friend share what someone had
said to her. “Would you like to see a picture of a very great man?” This other
person meant Jesus. My friend was taken aback by this question. She knew Jesus
to be the Son of God. I didn’t know how to respond because I was related to
this other person.
As we
grow in Christ, we have to answer the question of who Jesus is. I have heard of
seekers who pray a prayer asking God to do something, if He is real. This might be where they are in their walk and the
only way they know to pray and I find no fault with them.
As we
learn of God and His ways, we learn that He is sovereign, meaning He can do
anything He chooses to remedy any issue we bring to His throne.
In our
21st Century world, how do people recognize Jesus? Or do they? In my reading, I get the message that Jesus
will return to earth very soon. My only hope is that all people will be ready
to acknowledge Him for who He is –The Son of the living God.
Amen! May our eyes be open to see Jesus, not only when He comes again to receive His church into heaven, but also in our everyday lives...sometimes we see Him in the face of the beggar on the street, or the nurse in the hospital, or a child who comes to give us a much needed hug. If we open our eyes, we can see Jesus every day...
ReplyDeletePam: We have to train ourselves to see Jesus. I see him in the first responders. I see him in the nursing home staff people. You are right, we have open our eyes in order to see Him.
DeleteHi Cecelia! It would be interesting to hear interviews with people on the street, how they would answer the question "Who do you say I am?" I think even some who know he is the Son of God might be intimidated enough not to answer that way.
ReplyDeleteBeing a follower of the Lord is not easy, and sometimes in the middle of trials, I do wonder where he is. You are right not to judge others. Who knows what they are going through? We can only hope that they will come to a stronger knowledge of him, as Peter did.
Monday blessings,
Ceil
Ceil: Thank you for your thoughtful comment. I used to feel that a person was rejecting me. I shared this comment one night at a church meeting. The response was, the people who expressed the 'rejection' were not doing it to me but were rejecting Christ.
Delete