“Who Do You Say I Am?”

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

Matthew 16:13-20

Who do you believe Jesus Christ is?

Is He the son of David? Yes. The identity of Messiah was critical then as it is now. It is correct, but incomplete. Is He the son of God? Yes.

The Scriptures had affirmed that Messiah would come and reign on the throne of His father David, but Jesus reminded them that though David would be Christ’s ancestor, He would also be more – David referred to Him as “Lord.”

Faced with a similar question, Peter rightly answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Still today, the question of Jesus’ identity rises above the rest in significance – and it is eternally important that we make no mistake in understanding who He is.

No mistake is more dangerous than mistaking the identity of Jesus.

Our Daily Bread – April 14, 2014