Matthew 16:13-20 ESV Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven.” Then He strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that He was the Christ.
There is a great deal to talk about in this passage so we will stay here for the next few blog posts. I could have broken these verses into three sections but they flow together and build upon each other so I decided to keep this passage intact and focus on different parts of it in the next three posts.
Who do people say Jesus is? It is still a relevant question. If you went to some public place and conducted your own poll you would get answers like; a prophet, a myth, an ancient teacher, a fraud, and a lunatic. You would also get some who would agree with Peter, that Jesus is the Son of God. But even the latter group would be divided into camps such as; Savior, Lord, or one of God’s sons.
Why are there such varied views on who Jesus is? The reason is that the truth can only be believed when God Himself reveals it to a person. Think about it, an infinite God who loves His creation so much that He becomes a man, suffers, and dies for them just so He can have a relationship with them. It is utterly absurd, except that it is totally true!
If we get our understanding on who Jesus is from any other source than the Holy Spirit, our view will be flawed. If we use logic, or even history to define Jesus, we will not have the correct picture. Even religion by itself cannot give us a true representation. “Christian” views of Jesus without the guidance of the Holy Spirit usually teach of wishy-washy Jesus that just wants everyone to feel good about themselves or a tyrant who rules despotically.
However, when we look to the Bible to teach us who Jesus, the Christ, was, and we allow the Holy Spirit to reveal Him to us, then we can have a complete, balanced understanding. We can know the Jesus who is a loving Savior but also the Lord of creation. The Jesus who intercedes for us at the right hand of God but will one day return and rule the world with an iron scepter.
If you truly know who Jesus is, then you are blessed because you have received that revelation from God the Father who is in heaven.
Lord God, I thank You for revealing Jesus to me. Grant me the strength, power, and humility to live in such a way that the world around me sees Jesus in and through me.