Read: Leviticus 19:1-20:21 & Mark 8:11-38 & Psalm 42:1-11 & Proverbs 10:17
Throughout Jesus’s ministry everyone was trying to figure out who he was. The regular people were amazed by him. The blind, lame and sick were healed by him. The religious leaders felt threatened by him.
The irony is the religious leaders should have recognized who Jesus was, but they were so focused on keeping the law and judging those who didn’t, that their perspective of God’s character became twisted. They witnessed many of the miracles Jesus performed and still couldn’t see that He was the Messiah.
Even Jesus’s disciples, who were with him continuously, struggled with understanding who He was. In Mark, Jesus confronts them with this question:
“‘But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’
Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ.’” (Mark 8:29)
The problem with Peter’s response is a few verses later, he shows that he really doesn’t get it (Mark 8:32). In that case, Jesus’s response to Peter is swift: “Jesus turned around and looked at his disciples, then reprimanded Peter. ‘Get away from me, Satan!’ he said. ‘You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.’” (Mark 8:33 NLT)
So, the question is this: Who is Jesus to you? Is He some mythical character from an ancient book of fairy tales? Or maybe you’ve allowed the world’s view of Jesus to define who He is for you. Maybe, like Peter, you are looking at Jesus from a strictly human point of view.
Everyone must make a decision about who Jesus is. It’s not optional, and there’s no riding the fence. Choose today to make Him your Lord and Savior, and know that there will be a celebration in heaven when you do.