And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.
If there is a question on which all history, present time, and eternity hinge, this is the question. This is the most important question in the universe. I believe this question and how each of us answers it will decide our eternal destiny. Even today, Jesus asks each of us the same question, “But who do you say I am?”
Let’s take a look at what some prominent people have said about Jesus:
Mr. (Fred) Rogers – “I can’t imagine more surprising places for God to appear than a manger or a cross. Yet through his life and resurrection, Jesus demonstrates the power of showing and sharing God’s love.”
Chuck Norris – “It is important to make peace with Christ while the opportunity exists. Life is so fragile that you never know when it will be over.”
President George W. Bush – “As God’s only Son, Jesus came to Earth and gave His life so that we may live.”
Tennyson – “Lord from Heaven-born of a village girl, carpenter’s son, wonderful, Prince of Peace, the mighty God.”
Einstein – “I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene.”
Swami Satchidananda – “Whoever ponders truth will get the same answer. Buddha got it. Patanjali got it. Jesus got it. Mohammed got it. The answer is the same, but the method of working it out may vary this way or that.”
Colin Hay – “I tried talking to Jesus, but he just put me on hold…”
Here is a small example of what the Bible says regarding Jesus and what He said about himself:
Jesus – “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness but will have the Light of life.”
Jesus – “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”
Jesus – “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he dies, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
Jesus – “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”
Peter – “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Roman centurion who witnessed Jesus’ death. – “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
God the Father – “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”
Every human realizes that this all-important question about Jesus cannot be ignored. This realization occurs either in a repentant heart or when someone dies without Christ as Savior. Some have tried to disregard it, negate it, trivialize it, and suppress it. The fact is: Jesus is asking this question now. His question is contemporary, current, relevant, and eternally necessary.
C.S. Lewis wrote:
“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God.”
It’s the question that won’t go away. Perhaps the world reviles it because, by its merit, it demands an answer.
Religion isn’t the answer, relationship is the answer. Jesus stands at our heart’s door and knocks.
Friend, If you are a Christian, this question has been settled in your heart, and therefore, we will spend eternity in the presence of our savior the Lord Jesus. I love Jesus, He is my Lord, and I will worship Him for ages to come, along with believers past, present, and future.
If you aren’t a Christian and you have been searching for answers, I’m asking you to consider Jesus, take him at his word, and believe on him. Confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe God the Father raised him from the dead, and you will belong to him. From now on when you think of the question, “Who doyou say I am?”
You can answer Jesus with all humility, faith, and adoration: You are my Savior! You will be His adopted son or daughter.The world has provided distorted answers for centuries about who Jesus is. It’s time we take Him at His word.
All for Him,
Howard
