Day 76: Final Jeopardy

Jesus went out with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the road he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” They answered him, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, one of the prophets.” “But you,” he asked them, “who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” Mark 8:27–30, emphasis mine

One night a few weeks ago Missy quietly watched me pack the carry-on suitcase lying open on the bed for a few minutes. Then she looked at me pointedly and asked, “How long are you going to be gone, Mom?” I replied, “After I take you to school in the morning, I’m flying to Dallas for a women’s event. But it’s only for one night and I’ll be back home the next day in time to pick you up from school.” She considered my reply for a few seconds then looked up with a gleam in her eyes and an impish expression on her face and declared proudly, “You’re going to talk about Jesus and God and ME!” My little girl has been around me long enough to know exactly what I talk about whenever I have the undeserved privilege of a microphone . . . she has supreme confidence in knowing who I am and how I’m wired!

Supreme confidence.

That’s what we see in Peter’s confession. There’s no hesitation. No hemming and hawing. He doesn’t beat around the bush. There’s no ifs, ands, or buts about it. You are the Messiah, Jesus. Period. End of story.

Jesus had been called several names up to this point in the Gospel according to Mark. At the very beginning Mark called Him “the Son of God” (1:1). Demons referred to Him as “the Holy One of God” (1:24), “the Son of God” (3:11), and “Son of the Most High God” (5:7). And while all those monikers are accurate, they somehow miss the mark (no pun intended). They have the same precise yet impersonal ring as when Missy accidentally called me “Lisa” the other day instead of “Mom.” Those names adequately describe “Who” Jesus is in relation to God the Father, but they don’t begin to describe “Who” He is in relation to sinners like us. Peter’s answer is the only one that answers Jesus’ question perfectly:

You are THE CHRIST. The Anointed One sent by God to rescue and redeem us into a right relationship with Him.

There is no more important question for humanity than “Who is Jesus?”

• How would you answer that question if an unbeliever posed it to you?
• What kind of triggers or situations tempt you to forget who Jesus truly is?
• What does life look like for you when you are undeniably certain that Jesus is the Christ? In contrast, what does it look while when you doubt this?