“But who do you say that I am?”

Scripture:

    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?” And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.

(Mark 8:27–30 NRSV)

Observation:

This scene becomes the turning point in Mark’s gospel, moving from the time of ministry around the Galilee, and now facing toward Jerusalem. If the disciples are to complete this journey with Jesus, they must come to grips with the reality and gravity of the situation. It’s not enough to repeat what others have said about Jesus, they will not survive if they do not have a firm belief in his identity.

Application:

Blindness was not just something that affected people physically, but also spiritually. Every day we see the hand of God at work in this world, or do we? If we don’t think that we have seen any evidence of God in this world, then maybe we are struggling with vision problems. 

I’ve been learning that as we age, we may develop a decline in vision. Little by little our sensory organs are not longer as alert as they were in the past. Floaters in the eye become more annoying and cataracts can develop. We can easily miss out on the finer details of life because we simply can’t see them. However, if we take good care of our eyes, with regular checkups, vitamins, glasses and even cataract surgery, we can have excellent vision into our senior years. 

We must be very careful that as we age spiritually we do not lose our vision. It’s easy to take our spiritual eyesight for granted, assuming that everything is just fine while skipping out on regular checkups. Without spiritual renewal and accountability our vision can become clouded. The voices of people can begin to drown out the sight of the true Messiah and his leading and direction. Over a period of time we can become rigid and firm, just like a cataract, unable to see Jesus for who he really is and what he is doing. 

Who do we say Jesus is today? Are our eyes clear enough to see him for who he really is and where he is leading?

The other day I was on a plane. That’s not unusual in my life. As I settled into my seat I had planned to take the travel time to write, but instead, the Lord put someone next to me who had just completed a very difficult day. For more than two hours we had a beautiful conversation about Jesus. At the end of our trip, both of us were blessed by the direction and vision we received from the Lord. I saw the Messiah that night, and that took precedence over a writing assignment. 

With clear eyes we are to confess Jesus as our Savior. He is our Messiah. He is the Son of God. He has come to make us his own. He is still active and working in our world, every single day! Our confession of Jesus comes from a clear spiritual vision that empowers us to follow him all the way to the cross. 

Prayer:

Lord, may my life reflect my verbal confession of you as Messiah. Amen.