A Correct Understanding of Who Jesus Is (Luke 9:18-20)

We are in day 4 of Seek Week. This is an important time of focused intentional prayer and fasting to God. Our pastors have given some great devotionals this week. I have enjoyed hearing from our pastors and reading your comments. In fact, I would like to invite you now to post in the comments below. Tell us how Seek Week is going for you. What have you enjoyed so far about Seek Week? What are you learning? How are you growing in Christ?

For me, this week has been a time of sweet prayer. I have been keeping a journal through the week, and writing down what God has been impressing on my heart. We serve a God who wants to hear from you. He wants to speak to you. He wants His children to grow in Him. If you haven’t kept up with Seek Week, you still can pray and fast with us for the rest of this week.

We are in week 2 of our reading plan. In Luke 9, we read about a set of questions that Jesus asks His disciples.

Luke 9:18–20 CSB

18 While he was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” 19 They answered, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, that one of the ancient prophets has come back.” 20 “But you,” he asked them, “who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “God’s Messiah.”

As Luke mentions before, he tells us about a Jesus who spends time in private prayer. Here, Jesus is off to Himself in prayer, and His disciples are near by. It doesn’t tell us what Jesus was praying about, but it is interesting what is on His mind immediately after prayer. He is concerned about His disciples. What is in their heart concerning Him? How do His followers understand Him? It is important to Jesus that His followers have a correct understanding of who He is.

He poses two questions to His disciples that are so important for us to think about. Who do the crowds say I am? Who do you say that I am? The two questions show two different ways that people understand Jesus.

The crowds understand Jesus rationally. They try to rationalize Jesus, and make Him like something they are familiar with, something they are used to. People do this with God. We have a constant temptation to make God to be something that we are familiar with, someone who is like us. He asks the disciples, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”

The disciples respond with all of the answers that people have been giving to try and rationalize Jesus. He is John the Baptist, or Elijah, or one of the prophets. You might hear an answer similar today. If you asked the crowds today, who is Jesus, you might get back, a good teacher, or a good person, or an ancient prophet, or something like that.

What is important here is the distinction. Jesus has a specific personal request of His followers. Because, if His followers don’t understand who He is, then how can anyone else? Jesus asks His disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter responds by saying, “You are God’s Messiah. You are the fulfillment of God’s promise to Israel. You are the Savior.”

Jesus asks His people the same question. Who do you say that I am? Do you truly believe that Jesus is who He says He is?

It reminds me of a story I read in the book of Numbers this morning. We read this story in Numbers 13. The Israelites are right at the edge of the promised land, the land of Canaan. They send out 12 spies, one of the leaders from each tribe. The spies go into the land, and they see this beautiful land filled with everything they need. They also see big challenges in the way. There were giants in the land. The spies return, and the people want to know if they can conquer the land. Ten of the spies say, no way! It’s a good land, but those people in there are too big. We will be crushed! Only Caleb and Joshua say, “We can take the land. God is on our side!”

Those ten spies were like the crowds. Who do the crowds say I am? Those ten spies said that the challenges were too hard. It was too tough. They made God like one of them. They saw their challenges, and felt out matched. But Caleb and Joshua were men that knew who God was. They remembered how God got them through challenges before. They knew that their God was stronger than any challenges they would face.

If you want to live a victorious life, who need to remember what God has done in your life, and you need to know who Jesus is. The question for us is, who do you say that I am? Followers of Jesus need to know who they believe in. He is almighty. He is all powerful. He is the King of kings, and the Lord of lords. He is greater than any challenges you will face. Your understanding of who Jesus is will affect every area of your life.