Who Do You Say He Is?
Jesus asked his disciples who the people thought he was. Then, he asked the more important question: “But who do you say that I am?” Everyone has an opinion as to who the Messiah was to be. Some wanted him to be a national hero like Elijah. They wanted him to challenge the rulers of the day the same way Elijah had done. They wanted a rebel. Others saw a man who spoke for the Lord. Peter; however, saw the Messiah simply. He didn’t try to put him in a box. He frankly declared him to be Savior.
Who do you say Jesus is? Is he your king, friend, guide, or role model? Perhaps, like Peter, he is all those and so much more to you. Still, as Christians, we need to know for sure. Too many people claim his name but not his character. Our world has diluted the very nature of our Christ. Society constantly attempts to twist who Jesus is as an attempt to force Christians to get in line. They demand that we not make waves because, afterall, Jesus preached love. They conveniently forget that Jesus was not one to play by society’s rules. They skip over the passages that quote him condemning the leaders and politicians of his day. They paint him as an all-inclusive deity and then condemn us when we fail to accept and promote the sins they hold dear. They like to remind us that Jesus ate with sinners, but they fail to mention those sinners did not remain such. They acknowledge his failure to condemn the woman caught in adultery but leave off his command: “Go now and leave your life of sin” (John 8:11).
Many people will tell us who Jesus is, but not all the voices even know him. In fact, most of the voices we hear do not know him at all. It is up to us to seek his character. It is our responsibility to make the time to get to know our Messiah. Idle gossip spoken of someone you know intimately can easily be dismissed. Fragile faith based on someone else’s opinions are often shattered by lies born of a lack of knowledge. Who do you say Jesus is? If you don’t know, perhaps it is time to find out.
(Written by Keegan Harkins.)
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