Who Do You Say That I Am

Who do people say that I am?

What is it that you are seeking after? Wealth, prosperity, fame, fortune, just enough to get by, retirement in which we do not have to work anymore, a house, family, or even some kind of higher enlightenment. To know all the mysteries of the universe. There is no shortage today of different people you can follow, great teachers, preachers skilled at oration, self proclaimed prophets, apostles and even those who claim to be the Messiah or Christ himself, or even Christ representative on earth. There is no end to people you can follow, especially on social media, today there are those who are now professional social media influencers.

Ask people about Jesus, they will say he is great teacher, a prophet, a wise man, simply a historical person, and that list could go on and on. Today in our reading Jesus ask his disciples who do the people say that I am?

Turn with me if you will to our reading in your Bibles(pg. 1073), Mark 8:27 “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?””

This is an interesting question, for Jesus I believe already knew the answers, he knew what people were saying and thinking. I believe though it was a lesson for his disciples to think about, to measure their faith, what they were seeing and hearing, to get them to think about the things of God, not the things of man, and too really see who he is.

Listen to all the answers Jesus gets Mark 8:28 “And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.””

Go out today and just ask some random person on the street who Jesus is? Chances are you will get some of the same, or similar answers as the disciples were giving Jesus. A prophet, John the baptist resurrected, in other words a good teacher, or a good person, and many other ideas. Again there is no shortage of answers, but they all seem to miss the point, they do not really identify who Jesus really is and it is simply the fact that 1 they have been blinded by the false god of this world, 2 they have been taught about Jesus historically, but never the truth of who he really is, or 3 they have listen to false teachers who have taught them something completely different about Jesus.

Then in verse 29 Mark 8:29 “And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.”” Who do you say that I am, this is where Jesus takes it, it doesn’t really matter what the world says about Jesus, what really matters is what do you say about him? You as believers, as Christians, what do you say about Jesus? This should take us back to our catechism days in which we are taught the second commandment “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.” Exodus 20:7. You are to not take Gods name in vain, to not make it meaning-less, not to empty it of its value, to get who Jesus is, is to get the correct understanding of Gods name.

This then is what Peter quickly answers, knowing that he has it all figured out, or at least thinking he does and says “You are the Christ.” Peter recognizes that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah that was to come, all the prophecies of the Old Testament were being fulfilled right there before their very eyes, and Peter was excited that he knew the answer, and I sure he wants to tell everyone, they can kick of the revolution, overthrow the Romans, restore Israel to its former glory days.

What does Jesus say though Mark 8:30 “And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.” Why does Jesus strictly, emphasis on the strictly, to tell no one about him? Well it wasn’t his time, if they were to go out and tell everyone that this is the Christ, the people would come and make him King, they would setup this kingdom, they would push for this revolution and deliverance they wanted. Seeking after the things of man, rather than things of God. Jesus was coming to deal with a much bigger problem that their situation of the time, he wasn’t coming to be the Messiah they expected, but the Messiah they needed.

This is the whole problem that all to often we put our minds on the things we see,the troubles we face, the tribulations we go through, and then we act like Jesus is our magic genie in a bottle and if we rub the lamp, we pray, then Jesus will answer our prayers and make everything okay. This is not who Jesus is, he did not come to be served, but to serve, he came to give his life as a ransom for many, he came as our reading from Romans “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” Romans 5:6

This is where Jesus goes next in verse 31 “And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.” Mark 8:31 Jesus plainly presents the gospel message, what he was to accomplish, the whole reason why he came. That he was going to suffer many things, he was going to be reject by the very people who should be heralding his coming. In fact they would even have him killed. Then he says something I bet they just did not hear, its the very thing the world does not want to hear about Jesus, that after three days he would rise again. The key to it all was laid right there in front of them, the resurrection, that even after he is killed he would rise again.

When we read our passage from Romans it says scarcely would a person die for a righteous man, yet while we were still sinners Christ died for us. Knowing the resurrection hope and promise empties death of its power, of its sting, of its finality, Jesus resurrecting from the dead, is the least thing anyone expects, yet it is the power of God as 1 Corinthians 15:55–58 ““O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

It is amazing to have this truth so plainly put in front of you, and yet we still miss it, we never seem to quite get it, we get so short sighted, wrapped up in our daily lives, that we fail to really live out the gospel. Peter, he got it right when he said Jesus was the Christ, yet he turns around now and utterly fails. Mark 8:32 “And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.” Peter did not think that Jesus should die, after all if he is the Christ, he is going to set everything right,right?

Well this again is where human understanding tends to get in the, the way we think it should be rather than how it really is. Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, but he wasn’t dealing the political problem of the time, he was dealing with the bigger issue, sin.

Thus he answers Mark 8:33 “But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”” This answer seems harsh, but it is honest, and tells us the very problem we set our thoughts on the things of man rather than the things of God. That is what sin does, it is what Satan does, he gets us to look ourselves, our works, our concerns, rather than to Jesus.

Mark 8:34 “And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Again this is what we hear all to often just be like Jesus, as if we can obtain to that, as if it something we can accomplish on our own power or strength. If we want to be like Jesus this is what it takes, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow him. Again we can make this into a platitude, into a work we do,and make it sound good, metaphorically speaking.

To pick up your cross and follow Jesus is more than just saying the words, sure I follow Jesus, like many follow our page on Facebook. Jesus is being somewhat literal in this, now take up your cross, physically being willing to die for the gospel message. We have it so easy here in America, I do not think we can even grasp the concept of dying for our faith. We may loose followers when we tell the truth, we may loose a job, or people may not like us anymore, but to die for this message, that is what Jesus is talking about.

That is what he says Mark 8:35 “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.” There again what does it mean to really follow Jesus, to really be like Jesus, it means giving up everything we know, even our very life, for the sake of the gospel, to be willing to lay down our life all for the message. That Jesus died, was buried and rose from the dead three days later, for you, for you to be forgiven of your sins, to made clean before God, to be made righteous by what he did, even though we did not deserve it. He died for sinners, just like you and me. This is for you, and for your children, and for those out there. Our neighbors, our friends our loved ones they need to hear this message just as well, that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. This is the good news, the gospel, so plain and pure, Christ died for you, for the forgiveness of all your sins.

Mark 8:36–37 “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul?” What can a man give for his own soul, you can gain the whole world, all the fame, wealth, luxuries, easy life, and yet what in the end if you lose your soul? What have you really gained?

Mark 8:38 “For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.””

Who do you say that Jesus is? This is the question that matters and yet we can have the perfect theological answers; he is God the son, the third person of the Trinity, the name above all names. Jesus the Christ. Even then though that unless you know that Jesus Christ died for your sins, that you are forgiven in Christ Jesus and by his named declared right before God, it will mean nothing. To even lay down your life, to do all of the things that Jesus call us to do, they mean nothing to knowing Christ, for this is received, passively, by grace, through faith, apart from yourselves, and only through actually knowing Christ as Lord and savior.

Believed, taught and confessed as stated in Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” The power unto salvation for everyone who believes. That is you and me, for Christ sake then your sins are forgiven, you are set free, free to even share this without fear to the ends of the earth. Amen.