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Who is Jesus Christ? Over the years, philosophers and
thinkers have written books offering their own ideas about
the person of Jesus Christ. Praise God that not only was
this question asked, but the answer was also provided.
Geographical and Historical Context
The question was first asked by Herod. He had married his
sister-in-law, and John the Baptist had preached against
Herod. At the behest of his new wife, Herod had John the
Baptist beheaded. When our Lord Jesus had become popular,
Herod thought that our Lord Jesus was the John the Baptist
who had risen from the dead (Matt 14:1-2).
At the feeding of the multitude, the same question
concerning the identity of Jesus was asked (John 6:14; Matt
14:13-21). The people who witnessed the miracle were
convinced that Jesus was “that prophet that should come into
the world” (John 6:14; Deut 18:18).
The Question and the answers
Our Lord Jesus asked the disciples – “Whom do men say that I
the Son of man am?” (Matt 16:13). There were three specific
answers: (1) John the Baptist, (2) Elias or Elijah, (3)
Jeremiah, (4) None of the above but one of the prophets.
This means that when the people thought about the
person of Jesus of Nazareth, the thing that came to their
mind was that He was a person of significance. The people
associated Him with some of the great men of the past. Our
Lord Jesus Christ made an impact!
A. John the Baptist
There were people who thought that our Lord Jesus was John
the Baptist. The reason is that the preaching of John the
Baptist and our Lord Jesus were so similar.
B. Elijah
There were people who thought that our Lord Jesus was
Elijah. The reason is that the last two verses of the last
book of the Old Testament prophesy that before the Messiah
comes, God will send Elijah (Mal 4:5-6).
C. Jeremiah or One of the Prophets
There were others who thought that our Lord Jesus was
Jeremiah or one of the prophets of Israel. The reason is
that our Lord Jesus and Jeremiah were both fearless in
exposing the sins of the people.
The
confession and the revelation
The first question our Lord Jesus asked was: “Whom do men
say that I the Son of Man am?” He asked the same question a
second time but with a little change, “He saith unto them,
But whom say ye that I am?” (Matt 16:15).
Our Lord Jesus Christ – who is the omniscient God –
did not ask for His own sake. His purpose was that we would
know the answer. “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living
God” (Matt 16:16).
“Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” This title
means that Jesus was recognised as the Son of God (Psalm 2).
Peter was not the first one to make this confession. In John
4, after Jesus met with the Samaritan woman at the well, she
ran back and told her people, and she told her neighbours,
“Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did
[meaning all her sins]: is not this the Christ?” (John
4:29).
Our Lord’s question was followed by Peter’s confession, and
that was followed by our Lord’s revelation. “Blessed art
thou, Simon Barjona [Simon, son of Jonah]: for flesh and
blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is
in heaven” (Matt 16:17).
This knowledge is a blessing because it is a
confession that comes by way of the revelation of God the
Father. It is the work of the Holy Spirit that opens our
spiritual eyes, enlightens our spiritual mind and opens our
heart to receive this truth.
This confession is a blessing because it leads to
salvation. “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord
Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised
him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Rom 10:9)
+ Unbeliever: Do you know Christ?
+ Believer: To know Christ is to enter into the strait
gate and to walk the narrow way for therein is the way of
life. To be a Christian is to know Christ. To know Christ is
to follow Him. To follow Christ is to take up your cross
and walk on the same road that our Saviour walked. |
