WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT JESUS?
The road to the Cross begins! To this point, Luke has shown us a compassionate Christ whose supernatural work brought healing and hope to many. The disciples witnessed these works of God with their own eyes. They learned the ways of Jesus and were given the power and authority to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the leper, and cast out demons. But the first step toward the Cross begins with getting a clear picture of Jesus. Gaining that clarity begins with two vital questions; let’s read:
Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.” (Luke 9:18-19).
One key to effective Bible study is to look at how questions are framed. Notice how Jesus moves from a general to a specific question. First, Jesus asks what the crowds think, then what do you (the disciples) think? In Luke-Acts, the word crowd is a ubiquitous character that follows Jesus and the disciples everywhere.
The crowd, for Luke, is a collection of casual consumers who walked with Jesus for various reasons. Some wanted more fish and bread, others desired to catch Christ in a lie, and some listened to His teaching; but they were not The Twelve. Members of the crowd are not yet counted among the committed.
The crowd did, however, have opinions about Jesus. He is Elijah, or John the Baptist, reincarnated. Their view of Jesus reveals much about the character of this collective. Both John and Elijah were reformers who spoke truth to power. Weary with corrupt Roman oppression, the crowd exposes their desire for a revolutionary freeing them from the current system.
Jesus never responds to the crowd’s opinions: people can think what they want. He does seem highly interested in whether the disciples share the same views. Did those who followed Him the closest see Him as merely a prophet? Or have His works and teaching led them to a different conclusion than the crowd? Jesus asks,
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “God’s Messiah” (Luke 9:20).
Peter does not disappoint! He, and presumably, the other disciples, agree that Jesus is better than John the Baptist and Elijah. Jesus is the Christ! He is the anointed One sent from God the Father to ransom humankind from the worst oppression: sin. The preaching of John the Baptist and the miracles of Elijah are insufficient in power to make all things new (2 Corinthians 5:17).
If I could time travel and drop in on one biblical story, this is it. I can only imagine the anointed atmosphere as revelation soaked into the hearts and minds of the disciples. A look of delight indeed covered Jesus’s face at Peter’s announcement. What a moment! But I also want to see what happens when Jesus shifts gears and emphatically states:
Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone (Luke 9:21).
Whoa! Back up the truck, Jesus. I can hear Peter’s blood pressure rising as he digests this commandment from the Lord. Think about it, this whole scene is pregnant with messianic revelation. The disciples are energized by their understanding and seem ready to tell the world. But Jesus appears to throw a wet blanket on their zeal.
In theological terms, Jesus’s warning is called “The Messianic Secret.” The gospel of Mark is replete with Jesus’s admonition that His miracles and identity be kept secret. But why?
The Bible commentator William Barclay says two truths are demonstrated in Luke 9:18-20. First, Jesus is Christ, the Son of the living God. Second, this Christ must go to Jerusalem and die.
And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life” (Luke 9:22).
Knowing that Jesus is the Messiah sent from God is one thing. The bigger question is, “What is He meant to do?” For the crowd, Jesus is sent to reform and purge corruption from human systems. He might accomplish this through political power and maneuvering. However, Jesus wants to ensure that the disciple’s messianic revelation is untainted by political overtones. What kind of king comes to suffer, die, and be raised to life? Certainly not a political one.
“Jesus did not keep His identity hidden from everyone but revealed it to those who would be less likely to expect a political revolutionary (for example, John 4:26)” (Ligonier Ministries).
Jesus’s work on the Cross lay on the horizon, and He is demanding that the disciples not get distracted from that which will bring what no other king can offer: redemption for the soul.
Presidents and potentates are not the answer to the issues arising from the sinful nature of fallen humanity. How can a mere human satisfy the wrath of God? Unless that human being is also the Son of God — the Word made flesh who came to tabernacle among us (John 1:1, 14)!
The crowd’s plan was to trust in horses and chariots (Psalm 20:7; Isaiah 31:1). But God’s plan is different. In God’s plan, the Son is sent, the Son gives His life, and the Son rises again, having taken possession of the keys to death and hell (Revelation 1:18).
So, what about you? Whom do you say Jesus is? What preconceived ideas do you have about the work of Christ in your life and the world?
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