Who Do You Say I Am?

ByJim Stephens

Scripture: Luke 9:18-20

18 One day Jesus left the crowds to pray alone. Only his disciples were with him, and he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” 19 “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the other ancient prophets risen from the dead.” 20 Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Peter replied, “You are the Messiah sent from God!” (Luke 9:18-20 NLT)

Who Do People Say I Am? There are a lot of answers to the question “Who do people say Jesus is?” There are a variety of answers to that question that contain some truth. And there are some answers to the question that are wrong.

Here’s what Jesus says about himself: 6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. 9…Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! 10 The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. 11 Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me… (John 14:6, 9-11 NLT)

Here’s what Paul says about Jesus the Christ: 15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, 16 for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. 17 He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. 18 Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything. 19 For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ. (Colossians 1:15-19 NLT)

Who do you say Jesus is? The real answer to the question “Who do you say I am?” is not merely a doctrinal statement. It is through Jesus that we know God, and that we know God’s nature, God’s character, and God’s love. If our religion does not lead us to love like Jesus, to act like Jesus and to value the things Jesus values, we’ve got it wrong! I believe that the Gospel is the lens through which we are to understand scripture and that Jesus is the lens through which we must see and form our image of God. If our God is not like Jesus, we’re not seeing God correctly.

Prayer:

Father, Thank you for loving the world enough to show us yourself in your son Jesus, the Christ. Thank you for the humility, the sacrifice, the serving, and the compassion you have showed us. May we see and reflect the glory of your love! Amen!