Today I’m going to offer you a physical challenge. It will take you outside your comfort zone, I’m certain. I want you to find someone that you know is a Christian and I want you to ask them to tell you about their Jesus. Don’t interrupt or interject – just listen. Look at their eyes, hear the love in their voice – become enveloped in their story.
Jesus asked this of his disciples: “Jesus went to the area of Caesarea Philippi. He said to his followers, “Who do people say I am?”
14 They answered, “Some people say you are John the Baptizer. Others say you are Elijah. And some say you are Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 Then Jesus said to his followers, “And who do you say I am?” Matthew 16:13-15 CEV
Who do you say that I am?
If that were the subject of your High School English class essay, how many words, how many pages would it take to answer the question? Sitting here this morning my heart runs to so many places; each time reminding me of God’s love and faithfulness revealed through Jesus.
Peter’s answer to Jesus was this: “Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:16 ERV
Peter’s answer was God given. These men who had lived with Jesus day in and day out had experienced life, God directed life, up close and personal. And yet earlier in this chapter they were caught once again thinking in mere human terms and not in God’s terms. Their spiritual walk was inconsistent but they did move forward seeking to know more.
Jesus reminded them that they should be founded on the rock – in Matthew we have the story of the man who built his house on a rock and when the storms of life came, he was not shaken; when we know that our foundation is Christ, the storms of life won’t shake us.
Recently, I have had several friends all share their love for the Lord with me. Going through struggling times, those things that are beyond our control, can cause us to stagger and even fall. But answering the question, “Who is Jesus to me? Who do I say that He is? – undergirds us with strength and gives us peace.
“Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with his mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me [ceased from fretting].” Psalm 131:2 AMPC
Lean into Jesus. Rest and trust in Him.
So let me ask you again – Who do you say that I am? Ask the question today and get to know Jesus through the eyes of a friend.