Matthew 16:13-17 – Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
There are many reasons that people come to church. People may come to church to fulfill a social need in finding a sense of community or belonging. People may come to church for tangible and secular gains such as networking. People may come to church due to habit or familiarity with the church from their upbringing.
However, as believers, the most important question in our Christian journey is: who is Jesus Christ to us?
We need to have our own, personal answers to this question. Everyone’s answer will be different. For example, in the Bible, Jesus heals a blind man. If you asked, “Who is Jesus Christ to you?” to the blind man, he may reply that Jesus Christ is his light. Another example in the Bible would be to ask Lazarus, who was dead and brought to life by Jesus. If you asked, “Who is Jesus Christ to you?”, Lazarus may say that Jesus is his life or resurrection.
As we live our lives out as Christians, it may be easy to be bogged down by how others perceive us by questioning “what do people say about me?” or “what do people think about me?”. In Matthew 16:13-17, Jesus asks his disciples what others say He is. People believe Jesus to be like John the Baptist or one of the prophets like Elijah and Jeremiah. However, Jesus does not care and does not bother to correct them. Instead, he asks Peter, who responds that he is “the Christ, the Son of the living God”, which was revealed to Peter through God.
Instead of being caught up by how others see us, we should ask instead: “What would Jesus say that I am?”.
Reflection Questions:
- Who is Jesus to you?
- What does Jesus say that you are?
All Nations Fellowship 