Who is Jesus to You?

Questions. We ask them and they are asked to us. Questions of inquiry. Questions of curiosity. Questions that don't always give answers. And we all know someone who really admired asking questions.

Jesus.

He was kind of the original question maker. He would ask tough questions. He would ask rhetorical questions. He would use questions in parables. And he would even answer questions with questions. But there is one particular question that Jesus asks that could seem strange.

Matthew 16:13-20

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 Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be ^e loosed in heaven.” Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah."

Jesus asks his disciples a very important question. This question can appear vain coming from Jesus. But maybe it isn't. Jesus wasn't seeking affirmation. It wasn't that Jesus did not know who He was. He asked this question to introduce an important follow-up question.

Who do you think I am?

"But what about you? Who do you say I am?"

David Guzik comments: "It was fine for the disciples to know what others thought about Jesus. But Jesus had to ask them, as individuals, what they believed about Him."

Many of the questions Jesus posed to his disciples is meant for the reader as well. This is a question placed before us. We are challenged to ask ourselves who we believe Jesus to be. We answer this question everyday by the way we live our lives. What we believe about Jesus affects how we live day to day. It affects our decisions.

Peter, the most eager to respond, says the following:

"You are the Christ. The son of the living God." 

Peter doesn't always get it right, as we are full aware. But he got it this time. Jesus was greater than John the Baptist or the prophets before him. He was more than a reformer. Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah. This means that He is the Anointed One. He is alive. He is truly existing far beyond anyone we have ever known. He is the source of life for all things.

The life-giving fountain belongs to you, and your light gives light to each of us. (Psalm 36:9 CEV)

We can assume that this is an answer that Peter and the disciples came to over time. In the beginning, they were drawn to Jesus as a remarkable teacher. They committed themselves to Him as His disciples. Yet, over time, Peter – and the other disciples – understood that Jesus was in fact not only the Messiah, but also the Son of the living God.

Peter is commended for his accurate response. Jesus also acknowledges that it was not Peter alone who came to this conclusion. Rather, it was God working through him. In order to preach that Jesus was the Messiah, they had to first learn what that meant.

What about you? Who do you say I am?

He spent 2.5 years walking with these friends. It was now six months or so before he endured the cross. They should know him. Jesus is looking to see how they have been changed. Do they know him? Are they followers or disciples?

There is a distinction between the two. You can have 1000+ followers on Instagram. But how many of these so called followers know who you are behind the closed doors? How many of these followers have your back when you fall off your platform? How many of these followers will sit with you in the garden while you pray?

Jesus was about to suffer many things. He would know the pain of betrayal and disappointment. He would endure the cross and its shame for the world. This wasn't for reform of a nation. This was to reform the hearts of broken people. This was to bring life to the dead and light to the darkness.

The Spirit of the Lord is on me,

because he has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners

and recovery of sight for the blind,

to set the oppressed free,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19)

But, what about you? Who do you say I am?

This Holy week, who is Jesus to us? Who do we say Jesus is? Do we know it means to trust in Christ, the Son of the Living God?

Jesus is more than a prophet, a reformer, and a teacher. He is the Messiah. He is the son of the Living God. This should mean something to us. This should matter far beyond this Easter season.