“And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.
And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.””
Who do you say Jesus is?
This is one of the most important conversations in the entire Gospel of Mark.
As Jesus and His disciples travel to the villages around Caesarea Philippi, He asks them a simple question:
“Who do people say that I am?”
They give several answers. Some think He is John the Baptist. Others say Elijah or one of the prophets.
Then Jesus makes it personal.
“But who do you say that I am?”
Peter answers,
“You are the Christ.”
For the first time, one of the disciples says it plainly. Jesus is the promised Messiah, the One God had sent to save His people.
Peter’s confession is right, but his understanding is incomplete.
Immediately after Peter’s confession, Jesus begins teaching something His disciples were not expecting. The Christ must suffer, be rejected, be killed, and after three days rise again.
Peter cannot accept that. He rebukes Jesus, because in his mind the Messiah should conquer, not suffer.
Jesus, in turn, rebukes Peter.
“You are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
The disciples expected a king who would defeat Rome. Jesus came to defeat something far greater: sin, death, and the devil.
The cross was not a tragic interruption to His mission.
It was His mission.
Jesus then turns to the crowd and describes what it means to follow Him.
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
Following Jesus is not simply agreeing with certain truths about Him. It means trusting Him enough to follow wherever He leads, even when His way is different from what we would have chosen. Even if His way leads to suffering or death.
That is possible because the One who calls us to follow is the same One who would suffer and die for us. He’s also the one who would overcome death for us.
He gave up His life so that we might receive ours.
Let’s pray…
Lord Jesus,
You are the Christ, my Savior and King. Keep me from trying to reshape You according to my own expectations. Help me to trust Your saving work on the cross and to follow You in faith wherever You lead.
Amen.
As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:
After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
