Welcome
Jesus asks:
“Who do people say the say the Son of Man is?”
Jesus poses this question to his disciples after he has had an exchange with the religious leaders of the day who were challenging him to show some sign from heaven of his authenticity. Of course, he had shown many signs previously and this is not the first time they had called for a sign (Matthew 12 v 38).
The disciples respond by saying that people say he is a prophet like John the Baptist, Elijah or Jeremeiah. But Jesus wants to know who they think he is. Peter is the one who responds that He is the ‘Messiah, the Son of the Living God’.
If we were to ask people today, what would be their response? Virtually all modern scholars of antiquity agree that Jesus existed historically. These scholars differ regarding the beliefs and teachings of Jesus and the accuracy of the Gospel accounts. However, they nearly all agree on two events – his Baptism and his Crucifixion.
For Christians, Jesus Christ stands at the very heart of all Christian belief and practice. He is called “Immanuel” (meaning “God with us”) in Matthew 1v 23. Throughout the Bible he is affirmed as both fully God and fully man. For some this is a challenging thought but Jesus as God incarnate taking on human flesh is a central tenet of faith. As John 1 v14 states “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us”.
His pre-existent role in Creation is affirmed in Colossians 1v16: “For in Him all things were created… all things have been created through Him and for Him”. This affirms that Jesus was active in forming the universe, fitting with the concept of an intelligent Designer.
He is the visible image of the invisible God (Colossians 1v15), the one who speaks words of eternal life (John 6v68), and the sole mediator between God and men (1 Timothy 2v5). Ultimately, to know Jesus Christ is to know God Himself (John 14v9), and to trust in Him is to receive life everlasting (John 3v16).
Steve Beynon
