Jump Start # 63

Mt. 16:16 “Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

  This grand confession of Peter is the foundation of the New Testament. Two verses later, when Jesus said, “Upon this rock, I will build my church…” the rock is that Jesus is the Christ the son of the living God. Paul would tell the Ephesians that Christ is the chief corner stone upon which they were built (2:20). In Revelation, Jesus is the alpha and omega, the first and the last.

  Before Peter acknowledged who Jesus was, our Lord had asked the apostles, “Who do people say that the Son of man is?” Jesus wasn’t asking this for the sake of information, He already knew what they were saying. This was something He wanted the apostles to see and grasp.  Peter’s reply is varied and kind. He names three specific people (John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah) and one large group (the prophets). Peter could have said some other things. Some claimed Jesus had a demon. His family thought He was crazy. He was called a glutton and the racial expression, “a Samaritan.” But Peter didn’t say those things. Maybe he thought he was protecting Jesus. Maybe he didn’t want Jesus to know what some really thought.

  There are some common links to the names Peter did tell Jesus. They were all men of God. They were all prophets. They all did incredible work. John, Elijah and Jeremiah were somewhat loners. But most striking of all, they were all gone. Elijah was taken to God in a fiery chariot, but John, Jeremiah and the rest of the prophets were all dead. No one accepted Jesus as He was. They all thought He was someone else.

  Then we have Peter’s wonderful confession that identifies the truth. YOU ARE…which is present tense. It is now. You are the Christ, which means the anointed one, the Messiah. You are the Son of the Living God, which speaks of position, and deity. How did Peter know? Who told him? When everyone else is guessing he was a dead prophet, how did Peter hit it right on? Jesus tells us. The next verse reads, “flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in Heaven.” Jesus didn’t have a halo above His head. He did not look “divine.” In a crowd you could not pick out which one was the Messiah. Flesh and blood did not reveal who He was. That is in contrast to the numerous paintings of Jesus. He always stands out. He always looks different. Flesh and blood reveals in the paintings, but not in the gospels. Peter knew because God had revealed it. He showed who Jesus was through the works that He did. It was Peter who later said, “Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst” (Acts 2:22). The miracles pointed to his deity. His actions demonstrated who He was.

  Which brings us to an interesting thought: How do people know we are Christians? Do we “dress the part?” Is “flesh and blood” revealing it, or rather, is it demonstrated by our actions? Faith works on a person. It causes a person to move and do and show and become. James said, “faith without works is dead.” We know who Jesus is because He proved it.

  Does the world know who you are? Does Jesus know who you are? Peter said about Jesus, “You are…” Now it’s our turn. What are we? There is a song we sing, “Live for Jesus…” That fits. That’s it. Live for Jesus.

 Roger