A Word in Season: The Christ of God (Luke 9::20)

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There is probably no more important question that you could answer regarding your own assessment of a person than, who do you say that Jesus of Nazareth is?

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That's the question that the Lord posed in Luke chapter 9. Reading from verse 18, he had been alone praying and his disciples came to him and he asked them saying, who do the crowds say that I am?

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What's the word on the street? We know from other gospel accounts that that wasn't just a common question for the common people but it penetrated all the way up to the court of Herod.

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The Lord Christ and his ministry was widely spoken of. People knew that Jesus of Nazareth was working mighty deeds and speaking mighty words.

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And so the question naturally arose, who is he? And the Lord Christ asks, what do people generally say?

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And you have to say that on some levels the answers are quite positive. They answered him and said,

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John the Baptist, but some say Elijah and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again.

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There's certainly something complimentary there. There's a recognition of spiritual and even supernatural reality.

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Perhaps even the prospect they're holding out that Jesus is one of God's ancient servants raised again from the dead.

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But you'll notice there's no unity. These are contradictory answers. They're quite varied and they're fundamentally wrong.

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And therefore they are ultimately damning. There's no saving virtue in drawing a wrong conclusion about the person of Jesus Christ.

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These answers all fall short of the truth concerning him. However high they may seem in themselves, however positive they may appear, however complimentary they might be at certain points, they fail to recognize the reality of who they are dealing with in the person of Jesus of Nazareth.

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The Lord Christ has labored and yet there has been in the vast majority no recognition of his true identity.

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And so he speaks now to his disciples. But who do you say that I am?

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And it's clear here that he expects something of a contrast between the common discussion and the disciples' conclusion.

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What about you, he says? What conclusion have you reached? What assessment have you made?

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And Peter answers and says, You are the Christ of God. Here in verse 20.

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Who do you say that I am? The Christ of God. You are the Messiah. You are the anointed servant of the

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Most High. You are the one that he has sent into this world in order to save his people from their sins.

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You are the great prophet. You are the true priest. You are the high king.

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And there is no one else that we look for and no one else from whom we expect the blessings that you will bring to us from God.

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You are God's man sent forth to redeem his people for himself.

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Now, as the rest of Luke's gospel will reveal, Peter and the others still need to understand more about the work of the

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Lord Jesus, but they understand the person. There is a unanimous assessment.

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These disciples all can speak with one voice. It's emphatic. The Christ.

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There is no other. There's no other saviour. There's no other salvation. There's a uniqueness here.

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There's a recognition of the supremacy of the person of Jesus of Nazareth. He's not just high.

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He's not just a prophet. He is the prophet of God. He is the

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Christ. He is the one who will rule over his people. Yes, the crowds may not agree.

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The crowds may go on making their assertions and scratching their heads, but the assessment of every true disciple is that Jesus of Nazareth is the

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Christ of God. So what is your assessment? Who do you say that Jesus of Nazareth is?

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You see, it brings it to bear upon your soul. This isn't a question about everybody else.

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It becomes a question ultimately about you. Who do you say that he is?

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Your answer may be fairly complimentary. It may be quite positive. It may be spiritual and even supernatural.

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But unless you recognize that in this man, God has come near, in Jesus of Nazareth, a savior has arrived, in Jesus of Nazareth, there is redemption for your sins, then you cannot be saved.

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You need to know who he is and you need to trust what he has done. And when you do that, you have salvation.