-Strength for Today- "Who Is Jesus to You?" - Matthew 16:13-17
Jesus spent three years preparing His disciples for their mission. At the height of His earthly ministry, somewhere in a secluded area of Caesarea Philippi he says rather quietly to His handful of chosen men, “Whom do men say that I the Son of man am” –Matthew 16:13?
Now after three years of seeing miraculous works performed by Him, He poses a question about Himself. And according to verse 14, there were lot of, “some sayings” going on. It’s amazing that the surety of their testimony rested on, the expressions of others. In other words, from their perspective, Jesus was “just a good ma like they say you are”.
Then Jesus personalizes the question in verse 15 for His men, “But whom do ye say that I am? At this moment, He’s asking each man individually who they think He is? The Bible doesn’t tell us how much time lapsed between verses 15 and 16, but it’s evident that the Holy Spirit got hold of Peter, and he couldn’t stand the silence any longer, even though the question was addressed to the group. Here, he speaks for the group. Now that’s like Peter! Here He expressed the true identify of Jesus when he said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” –v. 16.
We’ve all at times chuckled at Simon Peter, but here’s a moment that we must take our hats off and salute him. Here’s a moment where he took his “foot” out of his mouth, and got it right. What Peter revealed wasn’t a bunch of “they sayings,” but a specific answer about Jesus Christ bring, “the Son of the living God.”
Now imagine for a moment that Jesus turns His gaze from Peter and the disciples, to you. He has a question for you also: “Who am I to you?” And you reply must be:
· The Son of the living God,
· My Savior, and
· My God.
Who else could He be? There’s no one else qualified to grant forgiveness. Only He can “erase your bitterness” and “remove your scars”. At best your friends and counselors can only put their arms around you,
· Weep with you, and
· Point you to Jesus,
But only He can give you that “peace that passeth all understanding.”
That’s what He’ll do in this life. But when you’ve taken your last breath and you step into eternity, having answered Jesus’s question with faith, there’s not a soul:
· Who has ever lived,
· Who will be by your side but Jesus.
He alone is qualified to escort you from the “grave” to “glory”,
He alone is God!
Author: Plez Lovelady, Jr., PhD