Luke 9:18 – 22 Who Do You Say That I Am?

Luke 9:18 – 22 Who Do You Say That I Am?

Once when Jesus was praying in solitude, and the disciples were with him, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say that I am?" They said in reply, "John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, 'One of the ancient prophets has arisen.'" Then he said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter said in reply, "The Messiah of God." He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone. He said, "The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised."

Peter, the imperfect follower of Jesus, simple fisherman, stubborn, impulsive, showed amazing insight in reply to Jesus question – who do you say that I am? Peter names Jesus as the “Messiah of God”. Where did that come from? Apparently weeks of exposure to Jesus’ words and deeds and Jesus’ patience in allowing this ragtag bunch to hang around him has begun to bear fruit. Peter has grown before our very eyes. Of course we know Peter will still have his hiccups, his trials. But the point of Peter’s example gives us hope for ourselves. Could paying attention to Jesus words and deeds rub off on us as well? That plus Jesus’ patience and love is all it took for quite an ordinary person to become extraordinary in bringing about the kingdom. This should give all of us hope and encouragement. Jesus does not expect perfection. He wants us to be with him. He has all the love and patience in the world. He knows we are capable of extraordinary things. He knows it – if only we hang around him for a little longer.

Random thought, or maybe related thought. I started to read this book last week –“Sin Bravely, A Joyful Alternative to a Purpose Driven Life” by Mark Ellingren. It is a critique of the Rick Warren/Purpose Driven Life school of religion. I seems to be saying that instead of being chosen, and needing to act accordingly, we should accept the fact that we are sinners and that even so, with God’s love and patience, we can do good for ourselves and others in this world. This sort of ties in with Peter’s extraordinary confession of Jesus as Messiah. Peter is a sinner, he knows it, but he also is secure in Jesus patience and love, so he keeps picking himself up and dusting himself off and trying again. Jesus nurtures him and – just imagine, founds his entire church/religion on him. Maybe this guy Ellingren is onto something. Interesting that I came across this book exactly at the same time I came across that passage on Peter. Thank you Holy Spirit.