Who Do You Say I Am?

March 5

Leviticus 25

Psalm 30:7-12

Proverbs 7:4-5

Mark 8

Who do you say I am?

“But what about you,” He asked.  “Who do you say I am?’ Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.” 

Mark 8:29 NIV

There are many people who say that Jesus was a good man, a teacher, or even a prophet.  They would say that they believe what He taught was good and that we should try to live our lives following the guidelines He set out.  They would agree that we should love others and be honest.  We should treat others the way we want to be treated and we should not be judgmental.  The problem is that we can’t pick and choose the things that we want to believe and ignore the rest of His teaching. 

Jesus went right to the heart of the matter.  He asked His disciples the question that we must ask ourselves.  Who do you say that He is?  Jesus left no doubt about His identity.  He made it very clear that He is the Son of God.  He is the Messiah.  He is Lord of all.  If He is who He says He is, then He deserves our complete and total commitment.  We should do everything He says to do.  If He is not who He says He is, then He is not a good man.  He is either a liar or He is crazy, and we should not follow His teachings or listen to anything He says.  There is no middle ground.  He is either Lord, or He is not.  It is a matter of authority.  If He is the Son of God, we must acknowledge that He is in control.  Not only is He in control of the world, but He is in control of our lives. He should be a part of every decision we make and every plan we pursue.  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV) Who do you say that He is?