Luke 9-C "Who Do You Say I Am?"

S = Luke 9:18-20 “Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” And they answered, “John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.” Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”

O = Out of a time of prayer Jesus asked a market-research question. I don’t think that it was because he didn’t know the answer, but to make the disciples think about it and come to a point of decision. When observing what the crowds thought about Jesus, I have to ask what similarity Jesus had to John, Elijah, Jeremiah, and other prophets of old that they would say what they did. John the Baptist did no miracles, but he preached repentance and the coming of the Kingdom of God to all people. Elijah is an easy connection since Luke specifically crafts the narrative to bring out this aspect with Jesus doing Elijah-like miracles in the same locations that Elijah once did. Matthew adds Jeremiah to the list—which makes me wonder if perhaps the people saw Jesus’ great empathy for the situation of the people or the depth at which he was grieved by the sin of his people. Why the “other prophets of old”? Perhaps it was because of his authoritative teaching and his commitment to living out the Word of God. But this question about the crowds was just a warm-up question. The real question is who do the disciples say that Jesus is? Peter confesses that he is the Anointed One (Messiah, Christ, Chosen One) of God…the One spoken of by the prophets. Peter allowed the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth to him. Jesus was fully man, but not merely man. God declares the divine sonship of Jesus through Peter (Matt. 16:16).

A = Who do I say Jesus is by the way I live and speak and think? Is he just a benignly good moralist to get some advice from in a pinch? Is he a prophet pointing me back to God in repentance, or is he actually my Lord, making it possible for me to be in right relationship with God by his own suffering (v.22)? What will I see this week? What will others see in me: a spectator, a sinner scared straight, or a saint made clean and called to live in gratitude for what he has done for me?

P = O Lord, may I live in light of your love as the One and only One who could take my sins and set me free. You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God! You are my Lord! May that be apparent this week.  Amen.