| 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.” “What about you?” Jesus asked. “Who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” |
| —Matthew 16:13-16 |
Please allow me to begin this blog post with an illustration from long ago:
When I was about ten years old, I observed a conversation on the playground from a short distance away. A very pretty little girl in one of the other fifth grade classes had approached a boy in my class. He was the class prince, whom most of the girls seemed to really like. At least they fell all over themselves trying to get his attention. Indeed, he was a very handsome and athletic kid.
As this little girl approached the boy, she asked him, “Sally says that she really, really likes you!” To my surprise and amazement, the little prince answered, “Yeah, but what about you? What do you think about me?”
For many days, I considered what I might have said to that little girl, if she had asked me that question, as unlikely as that occurrence would have been. At ten years old I had heard my parents talk about the adjectives: “arrogant” and “pompous.” I wasn’t exactly sure what those words meant. But, I remember wondering if the boy’s response was at least a little bit arrogant. Or, in all sincerity, did he really want to know what the little girl thought? I wasn’t certain.
I do know it is very important that we clearly understand what we think and what we feel about the most important people in our lives. This was true in Jesus’ day, as well. Here’s a conversation between Jesus and Peter—with no arrogance whatsoever—that the Apostle Matthew recorded 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.”
“What about you?” Jesus asked. “Who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Interestingly enough, Jesus asks that same question today: “What about you? Who do you say that I am?” Every person on earth will have to answer that question, either now or on the Day of Judgment.
As we begin a new day, let’s consider, by our words and by our deeds, how we intend to answer that question. Who do we say that Jesus is?
Based on a blog originally posted on Friday, August 11, 2017
