Who Do You Say I Am?

What if Jesus was to walk up to you today at work, at school, or perhaps sipping on a fresh brew of Organic Coffee at Starbucks, and he asked you, "Who do you say I am?"

This is the question He asked His Disciples as they walked towards the villages around Caesarea Philippi in Mark 8. A few suggestions were given as answers, but then Peter said, "You are the Christ, the Messiah."

Is that the answer I would give? Is that how you would answer? Is Jesus really the Christ in our lives? He goes on to say in Chapter 8.34-37, "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat, I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how."

The Good Life
If we want to live a life of blessing and wisdom, the life God calls us to, we must answer this foundational question of who Jesus is. Psalm 111.10 says, "The good life begins in the fear of God— Do that and you'll know the blessing of God. His Hallelujah lasts forever." Knowing that Jesus is The Christ is having the fear of God and respecting the fact that we are to follow Him, which includes our private worship as well as our public witness.

Our Witness
One way we will know the answer to this question is how we act around others...essentially, our witness and our example of being a Christ Follower will show us if our answer to this question is authentic and full of integrity. For example, Mark 8.38 is a very convicting passage, one that should be meditated upon when understanding our answer to "Who do you say I am?" Take a look:

"If any of you are embarrassed over me and the way I'm leading you when you get around your fickle and unfocused friends, know that you'll be an even greater embarrassment to the Son of Man when he arrives in all the splendor of God, his Father, with an army of the holy angels."

Foundational Core
Just like in athletics, academics, or your occupation, we must know the foundations, the very core of what we believe, if we want to unleash God's purpose for our lives. As we enter Holy Week and prepare for Easter, we must re-evaluate our answer to the question Who is Jesus? so that we can walk as Jesus walked (1 John 2.6).

But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve...But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."
Joshua 24.15