Who do you say that I am?

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Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” And they answered, “John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.” Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”

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Interesting that the questions posed about the identity of Jesus to the disciples came in an atmosphere of prayer. The first inquiry was rather generalized and was about public opinion - could have been called it a poll of sorts. Interesting how the crowds sought to equate Jesus with flesh and blood thinking that he was the reincarnation of one of the other great Israeli prophets. Perhaps it was because his message was like John's and his miraculous power like Elijah?

Yet it is not all that important what the polls think about Jesus but it is very important what you or I think about him. The great Christian author CS Lewis framed it this way: "Christ either deceived mankind by conscious fraud, or He was Himself deluded and self-deceived, or He was Divine. There is no getting out of this trilemma. It is inexorable." In essence, Jesus is either God come down to man or he is not. I am convinced with Peter that he is the Christ.

Lord Jesus, you are the Christ of God. I bow at your feet in worship and submit my heart to your will.

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