hiking2christ

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” – Matthew 16:13-16 

This is the most important question you can answer: Who is Jesus Christ? The way we answer that question alters everything.

I am so down with fake. I hate false stuff pretending to be real. About this time at Easter every year all the main magazines, Time, Newsweek, etc. roll out their Jesus covers. Clearly, the only thing they really believe about Jesus is that His name on the front sells magazines. Let me tell you about some Easter cover stories. One year a banner asked, “Who Really Killed Jesus?” Really!?! You don’t know? And the answer is—“I did.” Jesus Christ died for mysin! That’s why He was on that cross!”

Another Newsweek cover declared, “How Jesus became the Christ.” I don’t want to be overly critical, but whoever wrote the headline doesn’t get it. Jesus didn’t become the Christ; the Christ became Jesus. The statement couldn’t be more backwards. He isthe eternal Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity.

A more recent cover featured a hipster Jesus, and the headline announced, “Forget the Church; Follow Jesus.” Forget the church? You and I don’t follow Jesus alone. Christianity isn’t a solo sport! This is a team thing. We follow Christ in community. But of course in our world, everything is so independent and individualistic. People are trying to make Christ into a private, only me, hide-it-under-a-bushel pursuit. All this to say, when answering the question, Who is Jesus Christ, don’t depend on magazine covers!

So, how do we answer the question: Who is Jesus Christ? Right after Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” Jesus told him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 16:17). The Father revealed His Son to Peter and God will identify His Son for us. That’s why we have His Word. Revealing Jesus is also the work of God’s Spirit (John 16:7-14). And it has to get personal. Who is Jesus Christ? He’s my Lord and Savior. I know Him. And I’m getting to know Him better every day.

-James MacDonald