Do WE acknowledge JESUS as the ‘CHRIST’ of our LIVES?
October
19 Bible Reading: Mark Chapters 7-9
Do WE acknowledge JESUS as the ‘CHRIST’ of our LIVES?
Now Jesus and His disciples went out to
the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying
to them, "Who do men say that I am?" So they answered, "John the
Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets." He said
to them, "But who do you say that I
am?" Peter answered and said to Him, "You are the Christ." (Mark 8:27-29)
This
was the first time in Mark’s narrative that the name ‘Christ’ appears after the title (1:1), and Peter’s recognition
that Jesus is ‘the Christ’ is pivotal
in the Gospel of Mark. ‘Christ’ (in Greek
‘Christos’) means ‘The Anointed One’. The Hebrew
equivalent of Christ is ‘Messiah’, which
was originally a title for Jesus (see
14:61, 62). Matthew adds to this title “the
Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16).
As
a background of this incident recorded above, Jesus and His disciples sought
solitude in the far north in some towns called Caesarea Philippi. These towns
were named in honor of Caesar Augustus and lay north of Galilee at the foot of
Mount Hermon. It was an isolated place where Jesus could talk undisturbed with
His disciples. As they were approaching the towns, Jesus suddenly asked His
disciples two vital questions that
would take His ministry to the next level:
- “Who do men say that I am?” (8:27).
- “Who do you say that I am?” (8:29).
It
was Jehovah God who had revealed Himself to Moses beside the burning bush with
the name "I AM WHO I AM"
(Exodus 3:14) or, 'I AM’. Jesus Christ was the personification of the same
Jehovah God draped in human flesh at the present time. Through these two
questions, Jesus wanted to probe deeper into what other people, and in
particular, His own disciples thought about Him. It is possible that Jesus
wanted to remove any false ideas of His identity (6:15, 16). Also, Jesus wanted
His disciples to grasp firmly His true identity before He revealed to them the
necessity of His coming death and resurrection (8:31).
The
disciples were quick to answer that other people believed that He was more or
less a powerful religious leader such as John the Baptist, Elijah, or one of
the Old Testament prophets. Even King Herod’s counselors saw Him that way
(6:14–16). But Peter had settled in His own mind about who Jesus was, and so he
immediately stepped forward to answer the second question: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (8:29; Matt.
16:16). In doing so, Peter promptly
declared Him to be the Christ, that is, the Messiah, or the Anointed One!
Life
would never be the same for Peter as he could never be satisfied with a
self-centered existence any more. If
Christ was the Messiah, then Peter must now live for Him in total abandonment!
The key point of the incident,
however, is that Peter acknowledged publicly that Jesus was the Christ, the Son
of God. He was much more than just
the Messiah of the Jews; He was the Savior of the whole world.
If
Jesus were to ask us the same question that He had asked His disciples two
thousand years ago, what would be our answer?
Are we willing to acknowledge that Jesus is the ‘Christ’ of our lives? Are
we willing to confess that Jesus Christ is God in human flesh, who had come
into our world to redeem us from sin and death? Let this be the top priority in our agenda today!
"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God." (1 John 4:1-3)
