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| “Who do you say I am?…” |
| —Matthew 16:15b |
The most important question any human being can ever be asked is “Who is Jesus?”
Our present culture increasingly labels Jesus an irrelevant historical figure. Some would say He was a wise man with helpful teachings.
Others would say He was a charlatan who led millions of people into a fantasy world of religious foolishness.
Still others don’t even consciously think about such a question, let alone make time to formulate an answer.
The original question forms the most critical turning point in all of Scripture. It is the lynchpin around which the story of God’s merciful, gracious, loving relationship with humankind revolves.
Matthew captures this critical moment in Matthew 16:13-16:
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.”
Let us carefully consider on this new day how we will answer when people around ask us who Jesus is. Will we acknowledge with joy that He is the Son of God, our Savior, the Lord of our lives?
As the hymn writer, Jennie E. Hussey, has written:
King of my life, I crown Thee now,
Thine shall my glory be.
Lest I forget Thy thorn-crowned brow,
Lead me to Calvary.
Refrain:
Lest I forget Gethsemane,
Lest I forget Thine agony;
Lest I forget Thy love for me,
Lead me to Calvary.
