In this chapter Jesus asks his disciples about what others are saying. In a way he is asking, "What's the gossip about me?" It's easy for the disciples to answer that question. "Some say this, others are saying this or that." But then Jesus focuses the question to the disciples, who are standing right in front of him and asks them, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter was the one who replied first, as usual. This time though, he got it right. :) "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." It is really easy to make a case for this question to be THE most important question Jesus asks of people, including you and me. Who is Jesus? Is he really the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One, the Savior, the Lord of Lords and King of Kings? If we say he is, it will change our whole life because we'll share his teachings and live them out in our lives.
2. How does this passage relate to any other Scripture I know?
When the Pharisees and Sadducees asked Jesus to show them a sign, he told them that none will be given except the sign of Jonah. I wondered exactly what that meant until I remembered that just a couple days ago I read Matthew 12:40, where Jesus also mentions the sign of Jonah in more detail. "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." He speaks of his death and resurrection. I still think this is funny business about asking for a sign, as if the authoritative teaching and countless miracles wasn't enough. Ha! Still, the resurrection was the clincher.
3. What does this mean for my life?
Speaking of asking for a sign, how many times have I made this kind of demand of God. "God show me a sign that you're still here! Show me a sign that this is your will for me! Show me a sign that you have not given up on me!" God gave us more than a sign, he gave us his Holy Spirit, and a family to belong to in the church. Lord, grow my faith to trust in you even when I don't understand.
4. What questions do I have about this passage?
In verse 28, Jesus says that some standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. What did he mean by that? Was he talking about the resurrection, or was he referring to his "second coming"? I'm pretty sure all the disciples are dead, and he hasn't returned. So I'm a little confused.
In Christ,
Dan
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Verses 13-16 are verses that have always struck me. It sometimes seems much easier for people to say, "Well my mom (dad, grandma, cousin, etc.) says that Jesus is God's son so isn't that enough for me to get in to Heaven." People think that because they come from a Christian home they are in the clear. But Jesus is very specific here and asks the question to all of us- "Who do YOU say that I am?" We can't use what our relatives and friends say. It is up to us to say who Jesus really is. And we must answer like Peter for ourselves.
ReplyDeleteI also wondered about that last verse of the chapter about coming in his Kingdom. And I wondered if He could have possibly meant one of two other instances- 1. His ascension, when all the original disciples except Judas, were there or 2. John's vision which he wrote of in Revelation. Those were my wonderings!