WHO DO YOU SAY I AM?
In our backyard, I have bird feeders that are visited regularly by several kinds of birds. We get many sparrows. In fact, without a bird guide, many of them appear alike. Song Sparrows, Chipping Sparrows, Golden-crowned Sparrows, and White-crowned Sparrows as well as female House Finches and the House Sparrows all appear pretty much the same. My wife and I have frequent discussions, well maybe arguments might be a better word for it, about what is outside our house.
We’ve also been known to "discuss" whether the Robin or Grosbeak or Varied Thrush was a visitor or not. You see while they are different, it is easy to just assume certain things. Expecting certain birds often confuses us when others do show up.
I have three brothers. While we are each distinct, if you were to happen upon all four of us at one time, you might be hard-pressed to distinguish us from one another. At a family reunion in June, it was rather confusing for the grandchildren to call "Grandpa Carlson" and suddenly be confronted with three others who were very similar to their grandfather.
"Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." (Matthew 16:13-14 ESV)
Fortunately grandfathers and sparrows and robins can be sorted out with proper understanding. In the case of the disciples and the assessment of others there was a fairly large disparity as to who they thought Jesus might be. At a family reunion, having a grandchild grab the wrong grandfather was not a really big deal, and the correct party was very quickly found. But not all things are so easily determined.
" He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" (16:15) In the case of Jesus Christ a truly profound decision is bound up in "who do you say that I am?" If Jesus is really John the Baptist, then he has been resurrected from the dead. If Jesus is really Elijah, then he was a long gone prophet who had lived at least a 1,000 years earlier. If he was one of the other "prophets" you could follow or ignore him.
" He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Jesus will not leave those options open. He now turns to them with a question that really calls for a decision about him. It is a valid question that each of us must answer as well. Jesus forces each of us to make a determination about him.
Matthew 16:16– Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
This choice is not optional, if Jesus is who he claimed to be. It cannot be ignored. It must be answered. Jesus did not leave it to others to answer but rather makes it personal to each one: "Who do you say that I am?"
We’ve also been known to "discuss" whether the Robin or Grosbeak or Varied Thrush was a visitor or not. You see while they are different, it is easy to just assume certain things. Expecting certain birds often confuses us when others do show up.
I have three brothers. While we are each distinct, if you were to happen upon all four of us at one time, you might be hard-pressed to distinguish us from one another. At a family reunion in June, it was rather confusing for the grandchildren to call "Grandpa Carlson" and suddenly be confronted with three others who were very similar to their grandfather.
"Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." (Matthew 16:13-14 ESV)
Fortunately grandfathers and sparrows and robins can be sorted out with proper understanding. In the case of the disciples and the assessment of others there was a fairly large disparity as to who they thought Jesus might be. At a family reunion, having a grandchild grab the wrong grandfather was not a really big deal, and the correct party was very quickly found. But not all things are so easily determined.
" He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" (16:15) In the case of Jesus Christ a truly profound decision is bound up in "who do you say that I am?" If Jesus is really John the Baptist, then he has been resurrected from the dead. If Jesus is really Elijah, then he was a long gone prophet who had lived at least a 1,000 years earlier. If he was one of the other "prophets" you could follow or ignore him.
" He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Jesus will not leave those options open. He now turns to them with a question that really calls for a decision about him. It is a valid question that each of us must answer as well. Jesus forces each of us to make a determination about him.
Matthew 16:16– Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
This choice is not optional, if Jesus is who he claimed to be. It cannot be ignored. It must be answered. Jesus did not leave it to others to answer but rather makes it personal to each one: "Who do you say that I am?"
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