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 do you think Jesus is? What’s your opinion of Him? Most people have some thoughts on this subject, but they are certainly varied. In Jesus’ day, there were many different opinions regarding His identity, as we see in the passage above. Some of the Jewish leaders at that time said he was empowered by Beelzebub, another name for the devil (Matthew 12:15). And just as at the time Jesus walked on earth, people have many different views of Him today. Some people view Him as a prophet, even a very wise and great prophet, but that’s about it. Most people think He was a good man, although a few reject Him as evil. Most Jews today, and certainly the Orthodox, reject Him as the Messiah. They just don’t believe it and are antagonistic to that notion. Some, like the Jehovah’s Witnesses, believe Jesus was a god, emphasis on “a,” for they reject the notion that he is the one and only God, equal with the Father. The Mormon’s have a high view of Jesus, but to them, He is a brother of Lucifer. And although many in our day may think He was a great man, they really give little thought to Him from day to day; they have no allegiance to Him; He is perhaps a curiosity, and nothing more.

Of course, all these views are the views of men, and as such, they are all very, very wrong. The true Jesus, the one that God reveals to men just like he did to His apostles and to all those who have really known Him since the first century, is God. He is the Creator, and He is their Creator. He is their Master and Lord. What He says, goes, for who are they to do anything other than serve the One Who gives them the breath to breathe?

The true follower of Christ knows Him to be awesome, holy, pure, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, immutable, and above all authority on earth or in heaven. He is worthy to be obeyed. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is faithful and loving, and full of grace and truth. And He is the Judge, Who, in the end, will declare the guilt or innocence of both the living and the dead. And if He is not all these things and more to you, then you don’t know Him, no matter what you know about Him.

May God open your heart to His identity, for it is only in knowing Him that any of us will possess eternal life (John 17:3). And if you really want to know Him, ask the Father, for it is the Father who longs to reveal Him to you.