Mark 8: WHAT ABOUT YOU? WHO DO YOU SAY JESUS IS?

 

WHAT ABOUT YOU? WHO DO YOU SAY JESUS IS?

📖 Scripture
Mark 8:27-30
27 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?” 28And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” 29And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” 30And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.

🔎 Observation
Jesus starts with a question. He’s not confused about His identity, but He is compelling His disciples to confront theirs.

PUBLIC OPINION IS SHALLOW
People saw Jesus as a prophet, a reincarnated John, a moral teacher.
Close, but not the real point.

PERSONAL CONVICTION IS REQUIRED
Faith cannot be borrowed from the crowd.
Everyone has to answer for themselves.

PETER’S ANSWER IS RIGHT, BUT INCOMPLETE
He calls Jesus the Messiah, but later he rejects the idea of a suffering Messiah.
Knowing the title is not the same as understanding the mission.

✴️ Application
We can know a lot about Jesus and still not know Him.
The question is not “What do we believe about Jesus?” but “Who do we say He is in our lives?”

Today that means:
❇️ LET US STOP SETTLING FOR SECONDHAND FAITH
It is what do we believe, not what our parents, pastors, or friends believe.

❇️ LET OUR ANSWER SHAPE OUR CHOICES
If He’s truly our Christ, our Messiah, then He gets final say over our time, money, relationships, and plans.

❇️ LET US BE HONEST IF OUR ANSWER TODAY IS MESSY
The disciples got it right and still struggled to live it out.
Jesus meets us where we are and He will help us and reveal Himself to us if we allow Him.

💗 Reflection
1. Whose voice am I listening to?
The crowd called Jesus a prophet, Elijah, John the Baptist.
But who has shaped my view of Jesus lately?
Is it social media, culture, family, past hurt?

2. What does my life say my answer who Jesus is?
Peter said “You’re the Messiah” but still resisted a suffering Messiah.
If someone watched my schedule, spending, and reactions this week, what would they say I believe Jesus is?

3. What would change if I took Him seriously?
If Jesus is truly our Christ, He has authority.
What’s one decision, fear, or desire I’m holding back from Him right now?

Do we recognize Jesus as our Lord and Savior, or just a good teacher, a friend, a helper, a prophet, messenger, or a genie whom we expect to grant our requests?

✝️ Believing Jesus as our Christ means having a genuine faith that has personally responded, not just repeating or following what others say.

✝️ Believing Jesus as our Christ means having a genuine faith that is personally surrendered, not just merely an intellectual belief.

It’s not enough to know what others say about Jesus.

What about you? Who do you say Jesus is?

🤲 Prayer
Jesus our Lord and Savior, we don’t want to just repeat what others say about You. Today we answer for ourselves - You are the Messiah, the Son of God. Forgive us Lord for the times we treat You like just a good teacher or just a helper or just a friend. We acknowledge You as our God and we allow you to be the Lord over our lives, and the Savior of our souls. Help our actions Lord, line up with what we claim to believe – believing that You Jesus is our Christ. Amen. 🙏

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PASTORA RIVA - JCRC RIYADH