Jump Start # 1188

Matthew 16:13 “Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He began asking His disciples, saying, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

 We continue our series on the questions of Jesus. The Lord’s questions were focused and not trivial. Being God, He could have asked the disciples anything, such as, “Do you know how far the moon is from the earth?” Or, “Do you know how many feet are in a mile?” The questions God asks in the book of Job deal with nature and things that Job never considered nor had any clue about. The questions of Jesus deal with character, faith, and understanding God’s will. Sometimes in Bible classes, we ask the wrong questions. We ask and chase rabbits that are curious to us but do not build faith and the answers are based upon speculation and assumptions.

The question found in our verse today was pinpointed to get the disciples to understand who Jesus really was. When He asked, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” He already knew the answer. He knew before He asked. This wasn’t a poll nor a popularity contest. The answer that the disciples gave was very revealing. “And they said, ‘ Some say John the Baptist; and other, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.’”

First, the answer that they gave was wrong. Jesus wasn’t any of those people. It matters who Jesus is. There are some things that we just cannot be wrong about. We must get this right. Jesus said unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins. A person could think all of their life that Jesus was Jeremiah. He could write books about that. He could lecture that point. He could argue with his family and friends about that. But in the end, he would be wrong. Jesus was not Jeremiah.

Second, the names that they revealed were all safe answers. They didn’t reveal all that they had heard. Some claimed that Jesus was a demon. Others said that He was a Samaritan. Some, even in His family, thought that He had lost His mind. Those answers were not given. The names were all men of God. The names were all prophets. The names were all good men. Sometimes we tell people what they want to hear. Kids are great at that. They have a way of staying out of trouble because they know how to say what their parents want to hear. But telling people what they want to hear is not the same thing as what they NEED to hear. Sometimes the answer hurts. Sometimes the painful truth is better than false flattery that is used to make someone feel good.

Third, all the names that they gave were of men who were no longer around. Jeremiah was dead. The prophets were dead. Elijah was taken up to Heaven by God. John the Baptist was dead. If this is what people really thought, then were they also thinking that these people had been brought back? Sometimes people say things without thinking things out. Jeremiah had been dead for hundreds of years. If Jesus was Jeremiah, who and how did he come back? Why would Jeremiah come back? These things do not make sense.

Fourth, all of these names were of men. Good men. Godly men. Yet, men. Jesus was God. There is a huge difference. Jeremiah, as good as he was, had his sins. Elijah had sins. John the Baptist had sins. Romans 3 says that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” That “all” includes those men. A resurrected Jeremiah doesn’t change our destiny nor our plight with sin. We need a Savior. Jeremiah needed a Savior. Elijah needed a Savior. Only the pure sacrifice from Heaven could save us.

So this little experiment from Jesus’ question reveals to us that what people think can be way off base. So when somebody tells you what he thinks about same-sex marriage or abortion or salvation or worship or how to grow a church– he may be saying “Jeremiah,” when the answer is not Jeremiah. Things are not right or wrong because of what people believe. Doctrine is not determined by a democracy (the will of the people). Rather, God operates as a Theocracy (God-rules). Right and wrong has been determined. Sin is declared by God, not the church or you and I. What we are to do in worship, how we are to live, what determines righteousness has already been set by God.

Years ago in a neighborhood we were living in someone came by our house, going door to door, asking the neighbors what they would like in a church. He was going to start up a new church and he was interested in what people wanted. He came to our house. I was gone. Too bad. My wife answered better than I could have. She told him that we’d like a church that followed the Bible. He wrote that down but that wasn’t the answer he was looking for. He was into pleasing people. He was building a cafeteria style church—where you get what you want. Paul called that tickling the ears in 2 Timothy 4.

Who do people say that I am, is not the same thing as who I am. The people can be misguided and flat out wrong. Giving people what they want is a terrible idea. Pleasing God is what we need to do.

What I think and what Jesus thinks may not be the same. Guess which one of us is wrong and must change? Me. I may be in the Jeremiah group. Doesn’t matter. Jesus isn’t Jeremiah. Never was and never will be. My answers come from the Bible. Knowing the book shapes my thinking. It helps me to see what God sees. It helps me seek what God is interested in.

What a great question Jesus asked. A few verses later, He made the question personal to Peter. “But who do you think that I am?” Now, it doesn’t matter what others think. What do YOU think. What are YOU going to commit yourself to? What is YOUR answer? This is where questions do the most good. This is where Jesus was driving at. He wanted the apostles to see that they were not thinking like others. Their answer was different from others. Most would disagree with Peter’s answer. Truth will do that. Truth will often leave you standing alone, but standing upon the convictions of God’s word.

Who do YOU say? Don’t hide behind polls. Don’t disguise your answer with what others are saying. Jesus wanted Peter to say. Can we do the same? Can you stand upon what you believe even if it is counter to popular opinion? Can you commit to your beliefs even if you stand alone?

What a great teacher Jesus is. He knew what He was doing with that question. He knew where it would lead.

Roger