Who Is Jesus?

Matthew 16: 13-16

 

 

          As today’s story begins, Jesus is near the end of his three year ministry here on earth. He has already performed many miracles and provoked much opposition. For years, various persons had appeared claiming to be the promised Messiah. Some developed a following, but all eventually fell away.  But there was something different about this man Jesus. Many recognized this and began to follow him. Many others, particularly the religious leaders of the day, were skeptical, watching and waiting for him to stumble like all the others before him. He threatened their way of life and he spoke of the poor as though they were somehow important.

        Earlier in the chapter, Jesus had been confronted by Israel’s religious leaders. Once again, he had left them mumbling. Although they protested his ways, they recognized that Jesus was someone to be reckoned with. Later, Jesus withdrew from the crowd that followed him and he and the disciples crossed the Sea of Galilee. It was the last and perhaps most important withdrawal from Galilee before his final trip south to Jerusalem. Jesus is talking to the disciples, concerned that they still do not understand who he really is.

         Jesus and the disciples arrive in the region of Ceasarea-Philippi. This area is full of strong influences from several cultures, where both paganism and polytheism flourished side by side. Jesus and the Twelve stood in the shadows of the temples of the gods of all the great cultures of the earth, from the great Syrian gods to the ancient Greek gods to the white marble temple worshipping Caesar. They stood at the spot thought to be the mouth of the river Jordan.  It was a location rich in both pagan and Jewish religious history. It was hardly coincidental that Jesus chose such a spot to have this conversation. So in the cradle of the world’s religions, Jesus turned to his disciples with a question: “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”  John the Baptist, said one. Elijah, said another. Jeremiah, said yet another. “But what about you? asked Jesus. Who do you say I am?”

      Do you know? The disciples didn’t. At least, they weren’t sure. Do you know who Jesus is? Is he a great man? Is he a Prophet of God? Is he the Son of God? Can he be one thing to you and another thing to me and yet another thing to someone else? Does it matter if he was Jewish? Who is this Jesus?

        The Gospels tell us a lot about Jesus. Of course by most accounts, they were written over thirty years after he died and they tell a story that is part historic and part evangelistic. Jesus made some claims in the Gospels. He claimed, among other things, to be the only way to God. He claimed to lead a sinless life.  He claimed to have been around with God since before creation, to be able to forgive sins, to be a heavenly king, even to have the authority to grant everlasting life to us. His claims drove the religious leaders crazy, so crazy that they plotted for his death…and they got it. Why did he make them so crazy? Because they understood correctly that the only person who could legitimately make such claims would have to be God himself.

        Who was Jesus? Is he who he claimed to be? Or is he a great guy who did a lot of really cool things back in the day, but then got in wrong with the powers that be and they stopped him? Much more importantly than who Jesus was, is who Jesus is!          

        When Jesus asked the disciples who people said He was, the answers were complimentary, but mixed.. They implied that Jesus was a prophet and this was high praise. Israel had not had a prophet in over four hundred years. But even these lofty descriptions fell far short of the mark, for they were phrased in human categories, and though Jesus was certainly human, he was much more!

      Peter got it. He called Jesus the son of the living God. Peter, the man who just a few stories back was walking on water in faith…still reached out in faith. It made Jesus very happy. Even in the stilted language of the Bible that we read so many centuries removed, we can feel the happiness in Jesus’ voice. “Blessed are you, Simon!”  Jesus was happy because he knew that God has acted in Peter’s life. God had caused Peter to see the truth.

        Who is Jesus? Peter knew. Jesus went on to rename Simon. He was now Peter, which means “rock.” Jesus said that on this rock he will build his church. Most scholars interpret this to mean Peter’s faith as opposed to Peter himself. It is the faith of those like Peter, a faith like a rock, upon which Jesus sought to build his church.

      Modern religious survey organizations tell us that while many Americans believe in God, their belief in Jesus is not so well formed. While many believe that Jesus is the Son of God, they do not focus upon Jesus as the way to salvation. Their worldview has added God, rather than having started with God. God is a good idea, but so are Mohammed, and Buddha, we say. Isn’t being good and moral and helpful enough, we ask? Shouldn’t we be diverse and accepting of other belief systems? Shouldn’t we be more tolerant? News flash: God is not an “add-on.”  He is not an “app” for us to tap in to our lives at our convenience. He is, he was, he will be.

      And Jesus said to his disciples: “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me.” [John 14: 6]  To believe otherwise is to deny the plain words of the gospel. We are certainly at liberty to do so, but we should bear in mind that when we turn our backs on Jesus, he turns his back on us. Being good, living a good life, doesn’t get you to heaven. The promise of heaven comes from accepting the gift of God’s grace and by believing in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus as the Son of God.

        Who is Jesus? Is he your role model? That’s nice. He makes a great role model. Is he a great teacher? Of course he is. Was he a miracle worker and a healer? That’s not really in dispute, but as great as that was and is, others have done great healings. Miracles happen every day thanks to technology and modern medicine.      

      Who is Jesus to you? Your life depends on the answer you give. In fact, not just your life on earth, but your eternal life rides on your answer, and many get it wrong. Jesus warned us of this. He warned that we must

            “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate 

             and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and

             many enter through it. But small is the gate, and

             narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find

             it.”     [Matt. 7: 13-14]

 

          In the Greek, the word is Christ. In Hebrew, it is Messiah. Both mean Anointed One.  Peter didn’t just know about Jesus---he knew Jesus. Our knowledge of Jesus must never be secondhand or abstract. We can know everything there is to know about Him, and still be lost. Our knowledge must be personal, and our experience with him must be relational.  We have to know him the way Peter knew him…by the revelation that comes to us from the Holy Spirit of God.

       I know Jesus.  I don’t know him as well as I should, as well as I will, but I know him. He is the Son of the living God. He is my Savior. Who is Jesus to you?