Who Do You Say That I Am?

Recently, in our young adult class, we studied world religions.  We used Jesus’s question in Matthew 16 as one of the guiding themes in our discussions.  It is interesting…and telling…that all of the major world religions have to deal with Jesus.  Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, atheism, even Hinduism all have explanations for Jesus.  He is considered a prophet, a teacher, a wise man, or an influential rabbi in most other religions, but the important thing, really, is that He is considered…at all.

As a Christian, I don’t have to explain who Muhammed was, nor am I concerned with Buddha or the hundreds of Hindu gods. Evolution and science aren’t things that I have to ponder over. And I certainly don’t have to figure out what to do with the teachings of the Jewish prophets since they all point to Jesus.  

Who do you say that I am is a question that is answered, in one way or another, by every person on the planet. Because His existence is undeniable and His teachings so influential, every system of faith has to figure what to do with Jesus. 

In his book, That You May Believe: Studies in the Gospel of John, Homer Hailey analyzes the claims of Jesus in connection with His deity.  Jesus claimed not only that He came from God and knew God but that He possessed the attributes and power of God because ultimately, He and the father “are One” (John 10:30). Hailey’s conclusion is that “The claims of Jesus in His relation to God are such that either He was and is the Son of God, or He was an imposter. He was not simply a good man” (41).

For non-Christians, the problem with Jesus is that He was attested by God. That is the issue today, and it was the issue that Peter points to in Acts 2:22.  Peter tells the crowd that although Christ was accused and punished by man, He was approved of God:

“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know—”

Peter points out that Jesus had been in the midst of them performing miracles, wonders, and signs.  He had not been working in secret; they had all seen and witnessed the power of God that Christ had wielded among them.  They just chose not to acknowledge it.  In fact, at several points, the Jewish leaders attributed His power, which couldn’t be denied, to Satan.  They, too, had to figure out what to do with this Man who was so clearly operating outside of the laws of nature.

Other religions don’t kill Jesus, per se, but they do butcher His message by denying His deity.  It’s exactly what was happening in Matthew 16; there were obviously rumors circulating about Jesus and who He was.  

The morning has been spent in conflict with the Pharisees discussing these very signs that Peter preaches about in Acts.  The Pharisees and Sadducees, allied for the sake of bringing Jesus down, come to ask Him for a sign from heaven, or in the heavens.  They pretend that if He shows a sign that isn’t confined to the earth…you know, because healing the blind and lame and casting out spirits wasn’t quite enough…then they will believe.

Jesus tells them that they can look at the sky and read the weather, and yet they can’t see that He is the Christ even though everything He does points directly to His deity.  They will be given no further signs except the greatest sign of His death and resurrection. Interestingly, these events are also accompanied by exactly what the Pharisees had asked for - multiple signs from and in the heavens. But they still refused to see the truth.

It’s so easy for us to look at the gospels and see the logic.  Jesus couldn’t have simply been a prophet, nor could He have just been a wise man.  He absolutely has to be the Lord.  And we are given more eyewitness accounts of that fact than we are of the assassination of Julius Caesar, and yet, our modern culture accepts one and dismisses the other.

Even on the cross, those around Him say that IF He is the Messiah, He should come and save Himself.  They still don’t believe even after all that they’ve seen.  Ironically, a heathen, the centurion, realizes that Jesus is the Son of God when those who should have been watching for Him missed it.

When Jesus asks the disciples who other men say He is, the answer is that most believe He is a prophet - Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and John the Baptist are mentioned.  Sound familiar?  If He’s a prophet, then there’s room for error.  

As great as these men were, both in life and in the minds of the Jews, they all fall short of the glory of Christ. All of those rumors fail to acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah, which He has directly claimed to be. 

Had His closest disciples fallen into this way of thinking as well?  The question Jesus asks is more emphatic in the original Greek.  It reads, “And you? Who do you say that I am?”

Who do YOU say that I am?  Enough about everyone else, what’s YOUR answer?  You who have shared My days, witnessed My miracles, been imbued with My power…Surely, you know better than anyone who I am!

The inquiry to His disciples is as momentous as it should be for us. In fact, He will place the foundations of His kingdom on their response.

Peter answers in the only way that makes sense - “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Peter answers on behalf of the group in their conviction that Jesus was not merely a prophet but the Son of God.  They wouldn’t understand the full impact of that confession for some time, but it will be reiterated by them several times before His death.  Peter’s confession sets this group of followers apart from their countrymen and those who whisper in the streets about who Jesus is.  

Peter and the other disciples don’t second-guess what is clear to them.  They don’t bow to popular opinion.  The disciples don’t say, “Well, the educated men are confused, so maybe we should wait for them to decide.” He is equally emphatic in his answer to Jesus’s question - “You are the Christ.”

My guess is that most of us would give the same answer.  If you’re reading this, then I’m assuming you believe.  We’ve answered the question, but do we live out our answer?  Are we emphatic in the face of cultural messages that Jesus was a “good man” who had a way with words, but He wasn’t the Christ?  Do we answer back and defend the divinity of the Savior?  Are we able to discuss with those of other faiths, and even some Christians, by the way, the hope that we have only through the resurrection of Jesus?

If we look back to the Day of Pentecost, after Peter points out that Jesus was attested by God, he preaches the gospel to the crowd, quoting Joel and David and says to those listening that they should have been able to read the signs, but instead, they took the Messiah with their wicked hands, and they killed Him.

And the message was so moving, so obviously true, that those who had open hearts, heard and asked, “What shall we do?”

Well? What should we do? If we say that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God, then what do we do? Knowing that Jesus is the Christ is only half of the battle.  If we believe that He is who He says He is, and we have taken on His name as Christians, then we need to be focused on who we say we are!  What shall I do?  What will my life look like if I follow Him?

In John 8:31, Jesus tells us what we will do if we are His: “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.”  That’s it.  Simple, right?  We dwell in His word.  All of our days, all of our interactions, all of our energies are devoted to Him, either directly through worship and service or indirectly in our lives in the world.  And then our lives will declare our answer to His question “Who do you say that I am?”

Your life will be your answer.   You will either enthrone Him in your heart and pin all your hopes on Him, or you will declare to the world that He is less than Lord by dismissing and minimizing His place in your life.  Don’t be fooled into thinking that the world won’t know who Christ is to you! Of course, the real danger is considering judgment when those who confessed with their lips but not with their hearts are told “I never knew you” (Matt 7:21-23). 

We will answer - one way or another.  Who is He to you, and what will that mean in your life?

He asks me, and He asks you.