Matthew 16: 13 - 18 NKJV
For His part, Jesus was never even interested in who others thought that He was. Throughout His ministry He had made it known just who He was. Jesus KNEW exactly who He was, what He strove for was that those around Him would see Him for who He truly was as well. This man Jesus, this Son of man, spent His entire ministry telling others of what must happen. Still, they questioned His authority. Even those who were His inner circle all too often were left to wonder just who He was. Despite having been witness to many of the miracles of Jesus, they still wondered. They wondered, in the midst of the storm, who this was that even the wind and waves would obey Him {Matthew 8:27}. Even after His death on the cross and despite hearing the witness of others who had witnessed His presence, one of His own refused to believe {John 20:25}. It is moments such as these that make the proclamation of Peter all that more important. For after the Jewish scribes and Pharisees had demanded a sign of who He was, Jesus inquired of His own disciples just who others were saying that He was. Their answers ranged from John the Baptist and Elijah to Jeremiah or one of the prophets of old {Matthew 16:14}. Then Jesus asked that million dollar question, "but who do you say that I am?" I doubt that Jesus was all too worried about what He might hear in response to His question, but He asked them nonetheless. For I believe that He already knew what Peter would tell Him in that moment. Without hesitation, the disciple Peter answered his teacher. "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Whoa! Just for a moment I believe that you could have heard a pin drop as Jesus took in His young disciples response. This was indeed a bold proclamation by Peter. As Jesus told him, "flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven."{Matthew 16:17} How true this is.
5For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake. 6For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
2 Corinthians 4: 5 - 7 NKJV
The other day I was reading a devotional as to why the Jewish authorities hated Jesus so much. Now, I am of the belief that God used these same Jewish authorities for His very purpose. What man meant for evil, God meant for good {Genesis 50:20}. One of the reasons that these Jews hated the man Jesus so much was not only because He made them look bad in front of Rome and the Jewish people, but because of His bold proclamation. Jesus made no secret of just who He was, and this flew in the face of the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus' bold proclamation that He was the Son of God threw the Jewish leaders into fits. This man, this SINNER...is the Son of God? They couldn't comprehend what Jesus was saying. They demanded signs and proof of just who He was. Time and again...He told them.
I've commented a few times of the reaction I have received when telling others of the truth I have in Jesus. The truth that I live each and every day as Jesus. This is our bold proclamation. I can only imagine the reaction of those same Jewish Pharisees had I proclaimed back in the day that I was Jesus. Perhaps I would have been nailed to that cross with Him. Well, the truth is that I have been. As the apostle Paul tells us, it was our "old man" who was crucified with Christ "that the body of sin might be done away with."{Romans 6:6} The very reason that we can boldly proclaim today that we live as Christ Jesus is that Jesus Himself has put to death the sin nature we were born into. This is the "treasure in earthen vessels" which Paul refered to in 2 Corinthians. We can proclaim Christ Jesus in us loudly, proudly and matter of factly.
20“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Galations 2:20 NKJV
~Scott~
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