Luke 9:18-27
18 And it happened that while He was praying alone, the disciples were with Him, and He questioned them, saying, “Who do the people say that I am?”
19 They answered and said, “John the Baptist, and others say Elijah; but others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.”
20 And He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered and said, “The Christ of God.”
21 But He warned them and instructed them not to tell this to anyone,
22 saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised on the third day.”
23 And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, this is the one who will save it.
25 For what good does it do a person if he gains the whole world, but loses or forfeits himself?
26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory and the glory of the Father and the holy angels.
27 But I say to you truthfully, there are some of those standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”
Who Do You Say That I Am?
Peter’s confession
One of the greatest goals of Jesus’ public ministry was to train the disciples and to lead them to a confession of faith. Sensing that the time had come, Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do the people say that I am?” From their lips came answers such as John the Baptist, Elijah, or one of the prophets of old. Next, Jesus asked, “But who do you say that I am?” This is the crucial question that every person must answer. Unless you know Jesus in a personal relationship – an “I and You” relationship – it is impossible to live a faith that is alive. Is Jesus personally involved with you? Representing the disciples, Peter answered, “The Christ of God.” In other words, it was a confession that Jesus is the promised Messiah. This is a confession that cannot be made without God’s revelation. Let us give thanks to God, remembering that no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:3).
The cross of Jesus and the cross of the disciples
Immediately following Peter’s confession, Jesus began to explain the mission of the Messiah. This was because Peter’s view of the Messiah was extremely inadequate. (1) The Messiah would be rejected by the leaders of Israel, (2) be crucified, and (3) rise again on the third day. These events would happen not by chance, but by necessity. It was for this very purpose that Jesus came to earth. Following Jesus’ prophecy of the cross, the theme shifts to the cross that the disciples themselves must bear. To confess Jesus as the Messiah is at the same time to accept His suffering and resurrection, and to decide as a disciple to take up one’s own cross. The cross in this case refers to a life of self-sacrifice. The blessings of the Christian life are found in paradoxical truth, that it is in self-sacrifice that true life is found. The decision to die to oneself is not something to be made only once, but daily. The following words of Jesus strike the hearts of modern-day people bound by materialism: “For what good does it do a person if he gains the whole world, but loses or forfeits himself?” Today, let us continue to make the decision to live by the life of Jesus through dying to ourselves.
Today's prayer
Father God of Jesus Christ, I now confess that Jesus is Lord. Please grant me power from above so that I may walk the way of the cross that the Lord Jesus walked. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.