27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”
28 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”
29 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”
30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.
31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.
-Mark 8:27-31
This brief passage contains perhaps the world’s most important question…
“Who do you say I am?”
Even though the disciples had spent much time with Jesus, they still weren’t completely sure who He was… a prophet, Elijah or John the Baptist reincarnated, maybe a ghost, maybe a magician…
It was Peter who proclaims that Jesus is the “Messiah.”
Wow, Peter’s simple response has profound implications. The term messiah has special meaning to Jewish people because it refers to an individual prophesied in the Old Testament who is to be the deliverer of the Jewish nation. With his words, Peter is basically saying he believes Jesus to be the promised savior sent to earth to rescue the people.
What about you? Who do you say Jesus is?
The reason this question is so important is because what we believe about Jesus can have eternal consequences... Is "he" (with a lowercase "h") a mere mortal like us... or is "He" (with an uppercase "H") someone worthy of our devotion, our praise, even our life?
Is Jesus just a historical figure to you?
Or is He the messiah?
If He is the messiah, have you allowed Him to rescue you?
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