July 11
From the desk of Pastor Ben

Examining Jesus’ Identity – Part 3

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
                                (Matthew 16:16)

Here, Simon Peter was again the spokesman for the disciples. In a concise and emphatic manner, with no hesitation, Peter declared Jesus to be the Messiah.

Peter’s fellow disciples had paved the way for his decisive identification of our Lord. Andrew had enthusiastically proclaimed Him to be the Messiah, and Nathaniel had called Him “the Son of God . . . The King of Israel” (John 1:49). The apostles also knew that John the Baptist testified to Jesus’ being the Son of God (1:34), and the more time they spent with Him, the more they were convinced of His divine nature, power, and authority.

However, the apostles, like their fellow Jews, had long expected a conquering and reigning Messiah who would defeat Israel’s enemies and establish His righteous, eternal kingdom on earth. And when Jesus’ humility, meekness, and servant leadership failed to match up with that pre-conceived picture, it tended to delay the Twelve’s confident conclusion concerning His real identity and role. That Messiah would experience so much opposition and suffering, not to mention eventual execution, was inconceivable to them (John 14:5). But now, they were all (except Judas Iscariot) ready to stand firmly on the truth of Peter’s ringing confession of faith.

Ask Yourself:
Does your confidence ever waver concerning who Christ is? If so, what are the most common conditions that bring about such doubts? If you were to start with the unshakable belief that Jesus is truly the Son of God, how would that change your reaction to these doubt-inducers?