Testify

“’But what about you?’ he asked, ‘Who do you say I am?’” - Matthew 16:15

There has never been any shortage of theories about who Jesus was, but there was a tremendous gap between who people thought He was and who Jesus knew He was. After having spent three years with His 12 disciples – three years where they could watch Him, study Him, listen to Him, and spend time with Him He puts them on the spot. It is time for the Teacher to give His final exam and there is only one question: “Who do you say that I am?”

The “you” in Christ’s question is plural. He wasn’t just talking to one of them, but all of them. Jesus didn’t care about public opinion. He cares about personal convictions. It is the single most important question that Jesus could ever ask. It is the single most important question that you could ever be asked about Jesus. And it is the single most important answer that any of us past, present, or future will ever give. Who do we say that Christ is?

“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” Peter answered. His simple, one-sentence answer said it all. He called Jesus “Christ,” which comes from the Greek term “Christos,” which gives us the word, “Messiah.” Both of these words mean, “Anointed one.” In Israel, to be the Lord’s anointed was to be the King. This is a breathtaking statement coming from a Jew like Peter.

Peter was saying that Jesus was not just a prophet. He is the One the prophets prophesied. “You are the one we have been waiting on,” Peter was saying. “You are the Messiah of our Nation.” Notice that Peter didn’t say who he thought Jesus was. He didn’t offer an opinion. His statement was one of deep conviction and fact.

That is what we must clearly testify to every time we gather together as believers. Without hesitation, we must say: “You are the Messiah, the Savior of the world, the Lord of the universe, and God in the flesh.” It does not matter what else we believe. If we do not believe and preach the truth about who Jesus is, we have lost our greatest magnet to draw others to God.

Father, I pray that Christ will always be magnified among Your people so that the lost will see that He is the Messiah. In Jesus’ name, amen.