Two Great Questions that Jesus Asks that we should answer - Mark 8:27-30
This is the first part of a two-part teaching set on the passage in Mark's Gospel where Jesus is on the road, having a conversation with the disciples about who He actually is. There are 4 key parts of the story that I want to look at in this section:
What does it mean for men to walk with other men?
Jesus' first question: Who do men say that I am?
Jesus' second question: Who do you say that I am?
Peter's answer: You are the Christ.
What does it mean for men to walk with other men?
“Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; AND ON THE ROAD He asked His disciples, saying to them, “Who do men say that I am?””
Men: walk with men. There is something about walking with other men, journeying with other men that is important. It was on the road that Jesus asked these very profound questions.
Get out of the town, get on the road. For some, this will be on a bike. For others, it will be walking through a forest or up a hill. Somewhere you don't need tech. Somewhere you can not be distracted. Something that involves activity and exercise. Something that gets you outdoors.
Mark 9:33,34
They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.
Luke 24:32
And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”
On the road, with other men, having conversations with each other, have conversations with God, committing to Him, having the scriptures opened to you.
Life is a journey - but it was never meant to be done alone. And there is something about men being with other men, Godly men that draw the best out of you, that journey with you and do life with you. They ask you questions and debate with you and it is wonderful and it is Godly and it shouldn’t be missed.
That’s not to say ladies you should be doing this as well, you should. But I want to challenge the men listening - get with other men, get away from the city and walk together for several hours. Ask questions of each other and draw out of each other and let your souls be refreshed.
The First Question - Who do men say that I am?
So the first question that Jesus asks - who do men say that I am? This is a fascinating question - who do people say that Jesus is? It’s one of those questions I am constantly curious about. The people in front of me, the people I come into contact with, society - what do they say about Jesus? Who is?
And it is good to understand the times, to know what people think of Jesus and what the general opinions of society are.
Like Peter, I think it is good that we have the answer to that question.
So, according to some research by Barna - in the UK - we know:
Some say He was a good man. Some a prophet. Some people would say that he is a figment of our imaginations and the source of the greatest hoax of all time. So would say he is a holy man. Some would say that he was indeed the son of God.
What do people say about Jesus? It’s good to know that answer to that question. But why?
This was some interesting data - when practicing Christians were asked what were the top influencing factors that helped you come to christ - here’s what they had to say:
Growing up in a Christian family - 41%
Having conversations with a Christian - 36%
Attending a standard church service - 28%
Reading the Bible - 27%
Having an experience of the love of Jesus - 24%
Notice number 2: Having a conversation with Christian - notice it was a conversation (a bit like this one that Peter and Jesus were having). To have good conversations, it’s good to know about different people’s worldviews and opinions. We can have much better conversations when we know what people think and why they think it.
So - spend some time understanding how people around you think about Jesus. Who do they say he is and why? How can you enter conversations about that?
You've actually got to find a way to take the plot line of the culture, and give it a happy ending in Jesus.
— Tim Keller
The second Question - But who do you say that I am?
“He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said to Him, “You are the Christ.” Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.”
esus takes this from public opinion about him to personal opinion about him. Who do you say that Jesus is? And in truth, this is the only question that counts. Public opinion is not that important. Peter gave Jesus as a summary of the general consensus - you are a prophet.
Ok - that’s what society thinks. But what do you think?
You are the Christ
And Peter answers this - "You are the Christ." For me, this is the pivotal moment in Peter’s life. This is the first time he has verbalised to Jesus that He was indeed the Christ.
There comes a point where you have to stand before Jesus and answer that question, who do you say that I am?
Because the answer has profound implications.
If you think he was a good and holy man but that is it, then OK. There is no challenge with that - you can carry on leading your life the way you have been. He is just another character from history that did well.
I personally struggle with the idea that he was just a good man, a holy man even a prophet just because of the claims he made about himself. A holy man would not claim to be the Son of God if he wasn’t. That doesn’t make Him good - it makes him a liar - the founder of a hoax, maybe a hoax that is the biggest of all time.
But - take those claims aside, Jesus lead a good and holy life, one that looked out for the poor and the helpless. He challenged racism and prejudice. He championed women. And his sermon on the mount is a whole new level of wisdom that we can apply.
But if we think he is more than that - if we think he is the son of God, if we think He is the Christ, if we think that He is God incarnate - then the implications for that are massive and life-changing.
And that’s why we have to come to a conclusion to this question in our own hearts. One answer doesn’t demand anything from us. But if He is the Christ - that changes how you live and who you live for.
The Christ
So what does Christ mean? Well, Christ wasn’t Jesus’ last name. Mary and Joseph weren’t called Mary and Joseph Christ. Christ was in fact Jesus’ title.
It literally means Chosen, Anointed One - so Peter is saying that Jesus is the Christ, the Chosen, Anointed One.
Christ is also the direct translation of the Hebrew word Messiah. So let’s add that - Jesus is the Christ, the Chosen and Anointed One, the Messiah.
If we also look at Matthew’s Gospel - it adds a bit more to what Peter said: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.
You are the Christ, the Chosen and Anointed One, the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.
So what does anointed mean?
In the Old Testament - we see examples of people who were anointed for God - like Samuel. He was called by God, and separated out for God’s service - and to signify this - oil was poured on his head.
So to anoint is literally to pour oil - but it is more the symbolic act of what it means. It is how someone because separated for the works of God. But much more than that - that person also become empowered to do those works.
God doesn’t just give a task to do - he gives you the power to do that task.
So Peter understands that Jesus has this anointing - the consecration from God, this call and the power to be the Messiah - the one Chosen by God to save His people from their sin and to rule and reign as the King of kings and Lord of Lords.
What was Jesus anointed to do?
So if Jesus is the Christ - the chosen and Anointed one - what exactly was he chosen and anointed for?
“He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.””
This is what Jesus was anointed to do - that is why He is the Christ - He is good news to the poor, he is freedom for those in prison, he heals the blind and sets free those that are oppressed and proclaims God’s favour and blessing to all.
That sounds amazing, doesn’t it?
It’s amazing - how the one word - Christ has all this meaning behind it. Jesus the anointed one.
CHRISTians
Even the word CHRISTian is interesting. If you are a Christian - you have to go through a point, like Peter, where you understand that Jesus is the Christ.
A Christian is literally a follower of Christ. Well, to follow the Christ - you have to understand who He is. But the etymology of this word is more than just being a follower of Christ. We aren’t just following along blindly.
We are saying that we belong to Him, we will adhere to him - as in slave ownership.
A Christian is a slave of Christ.
And this is incredibly important.
Peter, by acknowledging that Jesus is the Christ, is also saying that he will follow Christ, belong to him - be a slave to him.
That's why answering this question - who do you say I am is insanely important. I can’t think of a more important question that you need to answer and come to terms with your life.
Why be a slave?
And if this idea of belonging to Christ doesn’t inspire you - if you don’t like the idea of being a slave of Christ - I hear you! I didn’t like it either. But then I realised something profound.
We are all slaves. All of us.
The Bible says that we are slaves to sin. Sin is our master and we have to obey it. And that can manifest in different ways.
Some are slaves to sex. Slaves to money.
What about being a slave to your career? A slave to your figure, and you’ve got to keep your weight down.
Some are slaves to likes on Social Media - and you know you’re a slave because you are controlled by it, it has a hold on you but you are too blind to see it. We can be slaves to anxiety, sources of self-esteem, love, care, hatred - they are all in there.
You are a slave to something. I guarantee it.
You think the meaning of life is to be free, but you’re actually not as free as you think you are. You have to live for something. Everybody has to live for something, and whatever that thing is you’re living for will enslave you, and you will feel guilty and shameful because you’ll never feel like you can live up to it.
— Tim Keller
So What is Freedom?
If we all want it and we all need it and seek after it. The freedom to be truly me - what is freedom?
And I realised one day that true freedom is the ability to choose what binds us.
You will be bound by something - a slave to it, but you get to choose what. That’s freedom. And true freedom is not trying to chase some elusive separation from what binds you - true freedom is recognizing you are a slave to something and you get to choose what you are a slave to.
So Peter chose to be a slave for Christ.