Jesus posed this question to his disciples on their way to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. Most of Jesus’ first disciples were those who followed Jesus, trusting Him and having complete faith in Him when He called out to them “Come, follow me”. These early disciples weren’t great scholars or teachers, rather were simple and ordinary people. But they all had something in common: They all did the will of the Heavenly Father (Matt 12: 49-50)
In the gospel, we can see Jesus speaking in parables to the crowd so that they could easily understand the mysteries of God. But these early disciples were so plain and not so intellectual that even the most straightforward parable was out of their comprehension. Although they had witnessed most of the miracles Jesus had performed, and was with Jesus the majority of their time, still they couldn’t understand these.
Mark 8: 17 - 21 says,
Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”
“Twelve,” they replied.
“And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”
They answered, “Seven.”
He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”
But in less than 10 verses later, we can see Jesus asking them “Who do people say I am?” For which the disciples answered in Mark 8: 28-29 “ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”
But Jesus rephrases the question and emphasizes on “Who do you say I am?”
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”
Although these disciples were simple and plain and had no exceptional qualities in them when called, they had a clear vision of whom they are following. They had solid clarity about Jesus. Their worldly wisdom and knowledge was very sparse, but they had a divine revelation about their Master. This wisdom was so profound that it was provided by God Himself.
The Pharisees and teachers of the law although being highly educated and intellectual couldn’t grasp this revelation about Jesus Christ, instead they were scheming ways to test and condemn him.
1 Corinthians 1:27 rightly mentions “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”
This is further elucidated in Matt 13:11 "He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them."
This divine revelation was hidden from the wise and instead given freely and accepted by the ordinary individuals irrespective of their status in society, imperfections and iniquities. God did not come into this world to redeem the righteous and sinless people, but instead to ransom the sinners and the lost.
Jesus Christ, the Creator of everything knows our thoughts before a word is put on our mouth. At many instances we can validate this by the phrases “Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them” (Matt 12:25), “Jesus knew what they were thinking” (Matt 9:4), “Aware of their discussion” (Mark 8:17).
What struck me the most was why Jesus asked his disciples the question “Who do you say I am?” even though He knew all their thoughts and emotions. I believe Jesus wanted them to pronounce with their own tongue that He’s the Christ, the Son of the living God so that this revelation will abide in them forever even after He leaves them. Only because they held on to this great revelation, was they able to strive through all their trials and tribulations in life. They knew it was worth standing for and fighting for this truth which was disclosed to them. This knowledge gave them strength in their persecutions and suffering and enabled the early disciples even to be martyrs for Jesus Christ.
The transformation of these disciples from fluctuating and doubting to bold and powerful illustrates the power of the gospel. It moulded them from being unable to understand the simple to penning these mysteries which still continues to draw millions to the love of God.
For the sick, Jesus was a healer; for those in need, He was a miracle worker; for the blind, He was their sight; for the dead; He was the resurrection and life; for the hungry, He was their provider; for some, He was yet another prophet as in the old; and for others, He was the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. They all tried to limit Him through the boundaries that they had placed within themselves and they never repented. But the obedient and the meek didn’t try to limit his power and His authority. Instead for those He revealed Himself as the light of the World, The Way, The Truth and The Life. As it is written in Matt 4:16
“the people living in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.”
John 14:6 says “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
The same question which Jesus asked his disciples centuries ago still resonates today with unparalleled power. Who do you say Jesus is? Is He merely a healer, miracle worker, or a prophet, to you? Or are you able to comprehend this: He is the Son of God, who came to this world with the sole mission and purpose to die for our sins and to redeem our lives, and on the third day He rose from the grave conquering death.
If you have always limited yourself from obtaining this vision of God, He’s inviting you today to come into a relationship with Him in spite of all the mistakes you have committed in the past. He’s always ready to forgive your wrongdoings and give you a fresh start! You needn’t work hard to achieve this, instead it is freely given to all mankind if you would accept that you're a sinner in need of a Savior, confess with your mouth that Jesus is your Savior and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, and you will be saved.
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. (Romans 10:9)
Reflect on this today: Have you found the real identity of Jesus? Matt 16: 26 rightly says “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” I hope and desire that you wouldn’t ignore His invitation and miss this chance to transform your life through this gift Jesus has made available for You through a great price that He has already paid.
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