To Encourage You

Matthew 16:13-17 “Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter replied, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.’”

Who is Jesus?  Who do you think He is?  How would you describe Him?  It seems most people have some ideas or opinions about these questions.  Often, I’ve heard people suggest that Jesus would have said this or that about some situation or issue today, not based on Scripture but on their own opinion – and who knows what that was based on? 

Some think of Him as meek and mild.  He loves everyone – no matter what – and He would never say anything negative about anyone.  The fact that he called the Pharisees white-washed tombs and children of the devil hasn’t occurred to them, apparently.  To others he’s a prophet, a man of God, but nothing more. To some He is a God, but not the one and only God.   Some see Him as a good man, but certainly not the Son of God.  And many believe some of the things the Bible says about Him but certainly not everything it says.

Jesus wanted to know what His disciples thought.  Who did they say He was?   It was a personal question, to be answered by them as individuals; not just “What do people say?” but “What do you say?”  In the end, all of us must personally answer this question – and our answer will determine our eternal destiny.  The Bible warns us that some who think they know Who Jesus is and who even call him “Lord, Lord” will hear Him reply to them on judgment day, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness” (Matthew 7:21-23). 

So, who do you say that he is?  If you don’t know or if you aren’t absolutely sure, please know that you can be sure, but that knowledge will only come to you as you search the Word of God and God reveals Himself to you by His Holy Spirit. 

One of the greatest proclamations of Who Jesus really is, is found in Colossians 1:15-20. There it says “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” 

So, is the Jesus described in Colossians 1 the Jesus you know?  If not, then you don’t know Him at all.  As Jesus informed His disciples in the Scripture from Matthew 16 above, only the Father in Heaven can reveal the truth to us about His son, not “flesh and blood,” i.e., the opinions of men, including if that opinion is our own.