Daily Devotional For Tuesday, July 9, 2024

Wow! Terrific Tuesday is here and you are the winner of today’s devotional. We have been looking at questions asked by people in the Bible as well as by our Lord. For several days we have been in Mark 8, which seems to be a chapter pregnant with questions awaiting to birth answers about faith and life. In today’s part of Mark, we come to probably one of the most important questions ever asked by Jesus to His disciples. It is the same question every single person since the days of Jesus and every single person who will ever live has to answer for themselves. It sits in the the context of Mark 8:27-30:

“And Jesus went on with His disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way He asked His disciples, `Who do people say that I am?' (28) And they told Him, `John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.’ (29) And He asked them, `But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered Him, `You are the Christ.’ (30) And He strictly charged them to tell no one about Him” (ESV).

How people answer this one question really determines if they belong to the Lord. Look at the following verses below:

• John 3:36, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (ESV).
• John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, `I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me’” (ESV).
• Acts 4:12, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (ESV).

And those who give the wrong answer to Jesus’ question will face divine judgment. See these verses below:

• John 3:18, “Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God” (ESV).
• 1 Corinthians 16:22, “If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed” (ESV).

There are many people who view Jesus’ teachings as good moral principles to live by in life. To them, Jesus is not God, nor Savior and especially not Lord. He is nothing more than a good moral teacher on the same level as other historical figures they considered to be great moral teachers. Probably one of the best refutations of this idea is given by once devout atheist turned Christian apologist, C.S. Lewis writes:

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: “I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic--on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg--or else he would be the devil of Hell!

You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, God: or else a madman or something worse. . . You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to do that” (Source: C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, pp. 40-41).

The Bible makes it clear that Jesus was more than just some benevolent teacher or inspirational leader. Mark begins his gospel this way about Jesus in Mark 1:1, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (ESV). We see in John’s Gospel Jesus presented as the divine Messiah, God in human flesh in John 1:1-3, 14:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (2) He was in the beginning with God. (3) All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made . . . (14) And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son4 from the Father, full of grace and truth” (ESV).

The Gospels were written to prove, demonstrate and reiterate that Jesus was both the Messiah (see —  Matt. 1:18; 16:16; 23:10; 26:63–64; Mark 1:1; 14:61–62; Luke 2:11, 26; 4:41; 24:46; John 1:17, 41; 4:25–26; 11:27; 17:3) and the Son of God (see —  Matt. 8:29; 27:43, 54; Mark 3:11; 15:39; Luke 1:35; 3:21–22; 4:41; 9:35; 22:70; John 1:34, 49; 5:18; 10:30, 36; 11:4; 14:9–10; 19:7). This is why John concludes his gospel this way in John 20:31, “But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name” (ESV). John concludes 1 John this way in 1 John 5:20, “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life” (ESV). 

At this point in Mark 8, the 12 disciples have been with Jesus for more than two years. Their hope was that Jesus was the Messiah and the Son of God from the beginning. We see this when Andrew found Peter, after his first meeting Jesus, he said this to him in John 1:41, “He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ)” (ESV). Immediately Nathaniel said this in John 1:49, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” (ESV). 

There are more examples in Scripture of the disciples making this claim but over the last few months Jesus' discipleship of HIs 12 disciples has increased with intensity and depth. It is almost as if today is their final exam and it has only one question. Jesus had not only been preparing His disciples for this question, He had been preparing Himself as well through prayer. Luke tells us this in Luke 9:18, "Now it happened that as He was praying alone, the disciples were with Him. And He asked them, `Who do the crowds say that I am?’” (ESV). Having battled the religious leaders so many times, Jesus focused His question on the general population’s belief in who He was. 

Well, as we read, the people were divided over who Jesus was. But all of them thought He was some kind of prophet on the same level as Elijah, Jeremiah or John the Baptizer. The people believed that when the Messiah came, He would be political Messiah and would overthrow their Roman occupiers (see John 6:14-15). Since Jesus had not done that, as far as the disciples had heard, none of the people felt Jesus was the Messiah.

Then Jesus really put the pressure on His disciples by asking them “But who do you say that I am” in verse 29. If you could read Greek you would see that in all 3 Gospels where this is recorded (i.e., Matt. 16:15; Luke 9:20 and here), the “you” is what we call an “emphatic you.” For His ministry to continue, how they viewed who Jesus was would make the difference. Though they had been raised all their life to believe that one day God would send His Messiah, the question was: Was Jesus that Messiah mentioned in Old Testament prophecies? 

I kind of imagine that when Jesus threw that question out there, the disciples nervously and embarrassingly looked around at each other seeing who would answer. Sort of like when an adult catches a bunch of kids doing something and asks, “What are you kids doing?” Well, they look at each other wondering who is going to speak up first. As Peter often did, he spoke first with, “You are the Christ.” Matthew gives us Peter’s whole answer in Matthew 16:16, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (ESV). Good answer Peter. You get a “Scooby snack!” 

Peter gave the right answer but still lacked commitment and understanding to what he said. The reason I say that is that in Mark 8:31-33, Jesus tells His disciples that He must suffer, die and then be resurrected 3 days later. Peter took Jesus aside and rebuked Jesus for saying such nonsense and in a matter of minutes of being praised for the right answer, Jesus rebuked Peter with this in Mark 8:33, “Get behind me, satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man” (ESV). Are we any different? We say one thing and yet live another just like Peter and the other disciples did.

“Christ” is a royal title in the Greek. It is based off the Hebrew word [מָשִׁיחַ, masiyah]. Christ means “anointed one” and in time it came to mean “Messiah.” Peter without any reservation affirms both Jesus’ divinity and His Messiahship. I challenge you to go out and just ask ordinary  people this question: “Hey, I am just curious and I am taking a survey. It has only one question. Do you mind helping me with this survey.?” If they say, “Sure,” then ask them: “Who is Jesus to you and why?” You might be amazed at the answers you get from people on the street. Who do you say Jesus is? 

“Jesus asked the disciples who other people thought He was; then He asked them the same question. We must each answer this question for ourselves. T. S. Elliot criticized modern thinking when he said, “Jesus, now there was a man; we need more like him. 

Take Abraham Lincoln, for example. ”Was Jesus just a man with some good ideas, one of many spiritual leaders? Or was he the true God, the one mediator, our only source of life and peace with the Father? It is not enough to know what others say about Jesus: You must know, understand, and accept for yourself that he is the Messiah. You must move from curiosity to commitment, from admiration to adoration. If Jesus were to ask you this question, how would you answer? Is He your Lord and Messiah?” (Source: Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary, “Mark, “ p. 234).

Questions To Consider

1. Giving the right answer versus living the right life are not always synonymous. You and I would probably give the right answer to the question Jesus asked His disciples. Knowing the right answer is not enough. The Bible affirms the devil and his demons know the right answer. The question really is this: is there enough evidence to convict you of living a life that proves Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior of your life?
2. If we could ask Jesus Himself about you with this question: “Based on your observation of their lives and knowing their hearts, who would You say they say You really are?” How do you think Jesus would answer that question and why?
3. It is reported that Gandhi said, “I would have become a Christian had I not met so many of them.” Is it possible that your lost family and friends feel the same way about Christ because of you? Why or why not?
4. What changes in your life and relationship to Christ do you need to make for it to be apparent that Jesus Christ is the Lord, Messiah, and King of your life?

Scripture To Meditate On: John 14:23, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him” (ESV).

Prayer To Pray: “Dear Jesus, there are some many conflicting voices out there on everything from morality to entertainment and from religion to politics. Help me to listen to only Your voice from Your Word in the Bible. Help me to release my false or wrong views of You and to let go of all worldly ideas. These do influence me. Jesus, I can quote lines from movies and TV shows better than I can quote Your Word. Help me to know You by knowing Your Word. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”

I love you Southside!—Pastor Kelly