Who do people say you are?

Bible verse:
"The Son of Man must suffer many things..." (Luke 9: 18-22)

Inspiration:
In his book, “The Unchained Soul,” Calvin Trillin begins by writing, “In the never ending interchanges that compose our lives, we are constantly being asked for our names and two or three pieces of identification.”

The underlying question behind this probing is, “Are you who you say you are?”

In a sense, every encounter calls into question our own self-concept, forcing us to ask, if only fleetingly, “Who am I?” The answer may come down to the role we’re playing and the circumstances we find ourselves in at the moment. But such superficial descriptions don’t begin to explain who we are at the very core of our being. That’s why so few people saw Jesus for who He really was. They called Him a carpenter, preacher, rabbi, rebel, miracle worker and Satan. 

Frustrated, Jesus turned to His disciples and asked, “Who do people say I am?”

Some said John the Baptist; others said Elijah; still others said He was a prophet returned from the dead. Disappointed, Jesus asked again, "But who do you say I am?"

Only bluff, gruff Peter looked upon this upstart son of a lowly carpenter and answered without hesitation: “The Christ of God.”

It’s Peter’s answer that must dictate the way we live out our lives. But notice what Jesus said, when Peter declared Him to be the Christ. Jesus forbade Him to tell anyone. He said the Son of Man must first endure many sufferings and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and scribes. Peter must have been stunned.

This was not the image of the Messiah that most Jews had in mind. It was easy to imagine a transcendent Messiah, who would reign in all His glory. It was easy to picture the victorious Christ. It was much harder to relate to a Suffering Savior.

Yet, that is the identity Jesus wanted to impress upon His disciples. If we recognize the selfless, suffering Jesus as our Lord, our identities must somehow be subsumed into His. If we believe Jesus was our Lord and Savior, our actions, our lifestyles, our thoughts, aspirations and prayers must bear out our belief.

If you were to ask your friends the same question that Jesus put to His disciples, how many would immediately say that you are a Christian?

Verse of the Day is available as a free web service from BibleGateway.com Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.