Daily Devotion for October 5, 2006

Who Do You Say I Am?

 

“He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:15-16

 

One of the most famous questions in literature is in Hamlet’s monologue “To be or not to be, that is the question, whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing, end them.”

 

There are many important questions that people have to ask during their lifetime: Should I get married? What school should I go to? Where should I live? What will I be? Then there are the philosophical questions in life, such as the one that Hamlet asked. All these questions occupy our minds at some point in life. Often we turn to friends and family for answers. Maybe we search for answers in books, maybe very good books. Sometimes we find the clues in films, poems, or simple conversations with people we don’t even know very well. We see that many teenagers look up to their singer or actor role models, and imitate their behavior in life, starting with what outfits or lipstick to wear and on to more important decisions, such as sex before marriage.

 

Jesus asked some important questions to people. One day He wanted to know what the general opinion was about His identity. People had different ideas about the identity of Jesus, just like today: a prophet, a teacher, a good person. We form an opinion on the person of Jesus from our parents, from religious books, a television documentary during Easter season, a movie maybe, friends, or famous role models. Finally there comes a point when Jesus gets really personal: Who do you say that I am? Not what my parents say, not what Mel Gibson thinks, not what the president, or the pope say.

 

If we seriously think about His question and honestly answer it, it becomes the most important question we ever have to answer. Why? Well, first there are some choices. Jesus was nobody important; Jesus was a good person, prophet, or teacher; or Jesus was who He said he was, the Son of God who died for the sins of the world and rose from the dead and through Him we can have eternal life. If your answer is one of the first two, then I don’t see a reason for you to turn your life upside down and follow the teachings of Christ. I mean, He would be one of the many good people who walked the earth. Maybe He would be a source of inspiration, but nothing more.

 

The last answer is the one that defines the foundation of a life. Once we recognize, just like Peter, that Jesus is the Son of God then this truth becomes the foundation for the rest of our life. His teachings become important not just on a philosophical level, but on a personal level. My sin becomes visible. I realize that God, the Lord of the universe, has decided to offer me a chance, the chance to have fellowship with Him. He wants to sit and have dinner with me, wants to know my failures, my joys, to talk with me and walk with me, and He wants to guide me on how to become the best that I can be, more like His Son. Are you still living with that question in mind? Jesus wants to know who we say He is. He wants you and me to make up our minds about Him. Who is He for you this very second?

 

Prayer
Jesus, you ask me who I think you are. It is more than a simple question. It is a question about my own identity, about my hopes and feelings about life, about my current situation, about a higher Being who actually cares about my day, about what goes on in my heart and mind. I pray that through your Spirit, I will be able to answer this question. Help me keep in mind that my identity is connected with Your identity. I am who I am and I will be who I will be only through You. Jesus, Son of God show Yourself to me! Amen

 

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