Chaplain’s Corner – Who Do You Say That I Am?

Aug7

“When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ ‘But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’  Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ 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’” Matthew 16:13-17).

Continuing with the theme of exploring questions that Jesus asked, here’s another. It’s one of his more “famous” questions because of the impact of the answer. Notice that for all his teachings, “people” still didn’t believe that Jesus was divine. They thought he was a prophet, a wise man. However, God put it in Peter’s heart to understand the divinity of Jesus (Jesus said this was revealed to Peter by his Father in heaven). Peter’s answer became the foundation of the church; it is our Confession of Faith as believers.

As important as it is, let’s be honest. It’s really hard to get our arms around the idea of divinity, of true godliness. Who could fault Mary and Joseph for not really understanding, as we read last week? Who could fault the disciples for not getting it? I often wonder what my reaction would have been had I met Jesus when he was still walking on the earth. Even today, despite all the proof, God has to put it into our hearts if we are to have any real understanding.

I enjoy studying history. I have been reading lately about 15th and 16th century England which was, as it continues to be, ruled by kings and queens. Kings (and queens) in that time were thought to rule by divine right (I’m not sure what they think today). As sons and daughters–princes and princesses–proliferated, there could be challenges to exactly who possessed divine right at the time; however, most people did not question an anointed king’s divine right to rule. Perhaps it was easier to believe in the concept of royalty and divinity during those times when the people accepted the fact that they lived in subjection to a king, believing that the king was empowered with those rights by God. For us here in the United States, raised to be independent, raised under a government by the people and for the people, it is more difficult to understand the concept of living as a subject to a king who has power over us.

What is helpful, I believe, is to compare our King of Kings to those earthly kings. Most earthly kings were very human in their weaknesses. It was accepted when a king was a glutton, a drunkard, a womanizer, spendthrift, cruel, etc. However, our King is none of those things. He is perfect, and He is loving and full of grace. I can’t imagine subjecting myself to an earthly king; however, it is my joy to lift my hands in total praise to my heavenly King.

Just as Peter’s answer defined his faith, our answer to this question defines each one of us. It is core to who we are. To understand that Jesus is the Christ, son of God and one of three persons of the Trinity, we must believe his divine attributes. Even so, I pray often like the father who asked Jesus to rid his son of a demon, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:21-24 NIV)

Jesus understands the challenge of believing in his divinity. He asked the question of his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” as a way to instruct them, and we should remind ourselves often of Peter’s answer, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” in order to re-orient ourselves to Jesus as God. Who else would you want to stake your life on? Who else would you want to worship?

Jesus, thank you for your patience as we grapple with our inability to truly comprehend your greatness. Give us wisdom. Help us to continually call on the Holy Spirit to help us in our unbelief to gain greater knowledge, and even more, a sweet relationship with you so that we can experience firsthand your character and attributes. We thank you that you have called us “friend,” and we give you all glory, honor, and praise as our King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

In Christ,

Judy

Leave a comment