Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

December 18, 2016


WHO DO YOU SAY HE IS?

Read: Matthew 16:13–20 | Bible in a Year: Obadiah; Revelation 9
Who do you say I am? Matthew 16:15
___________________________________________________________
In a 1929 Saturday Evening Post interview, Albert Einstein said, “As a child I received instruction both in the Bible and in the Talmud. I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene. . . . No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life.”

The New Testament Scriptures give us other examples of Jesus’s countrymen who sensed there was something special about Him. When Jesus asked His followers, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” they replied that some said He was John the Baptist, others said He was Elijah, and others thought He was Jeremiah or one of the prophets (Matt. 16:14). To be named with the great prophets of Israel was certainly a compliment, but Jesus wasn’t seeking compliments. He was searching their understanding and looking for faith. So He asked a second question: “But what about you? . . . Who do you say I am?” (16:15).

Lord, I long to know You better. Teach me more about Your character so that I may follow You with my whole heart
Peter’s declaration fully expressed the truth of Jesus’s identity: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (v. 16).

Jesus longs for us to know Him and His rescuing love. This is why each of us must eventually answer the question, “Who do you say Jesus is?”

Lord, I long to know You better. Teach me more about Your beautiful character so that I might grow more in love with You and follow You with my whole heart.


**To learn more about who Jesus is, read The Amazing Names of the Messiah at discoveryseries.org/q0207

The identity of Jesus is the central question of eternity

*************Today’s Bible Reading __ Matthew 16:13-20*************
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi,
he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of
Man is?”

14 They replied, “Som esay John the Baptist; others say
Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

15 “But what about you?” he asked, “Who do you say I am?”

16 simon Peter answered, “You are the Messsiah, the Son of
the living God.”

17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this
was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in
heaven. 18 And I will tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I
will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome
it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever
you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatevr you
loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered his
disciples not to tell anyone tht he was the Messiah.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
An easily overlooked detail in this story—its location in Caesarea Philippi—is extremely important. Philip II (from which “Philippi” comes), in honor of Caesar (“Caesarea”), built a place for rest and recreation at this location for Rome’s occupying forces to have relief from Jewish-Roman tensions. Caesarea Philippi provided all the comforts of home—including temples for the worship of the many Roman gods. This history helps reveal the significance of this location for the events of today’s reading. Jesus’s question about who He was had to be answered against the backdrop of both Israel’s hopes and dreams and the alternative god options offered by the world around them.