Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ.” — Mark 8:27-29
How you answer the questions that Jesus asks in this passage will influence how you live your life. Jesus started off by asking who others thought He was. Sadly I believe too many Christians stop at the first question. Jesus followed with a more important question: “How about you? Who do you say that I am?”
As a young child you may have been told that the stove was hot. More than likely you found out the hard way that your parents were not lying to you. Now if I was to turn on a stove and ask you if you wanted to touch it you would have absolutely no desire to. In fact if I tried to force you to touch the stove, you would frantically struggle to get away. Do you have that kind of belief as to who Jesus is? Do you believe that He really is the Christ? Do you believe that He lived a perfect life as a ransom for yours? Do you believe that He suffered and died for your iniquities? Do you believe He rose again from the dead on the third day? You may answer yes to these questions and many more related to who Jesus is and what He did for you but that only brings up the next question: “In what manner should someone who believes these things live?” It’s a sobering question but it’s still one that needs to be answered.
So how about you? Who do you say that Jesus is? Does your life reflect that?
Originally posted January 6, 2010.