He Is the Christ!

“But what about you?” [Jesus] asked. “Who do you say I am?” (Mark 8:29, NIV 1984).

My Musings – “Who do people say I am?” A myth or legend? A great moral teacher? One of many paths to God? All too common misconceptions nowadays. “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” (Mark 8:28, NIV 1984). Not all that common today, but it was back then. Perhaps more genuine, but also misconceptions. One might as well say, again borrowing from C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity, “a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell.”

But there’s a clue as to who He is, at least in the English translation, in how He asked the question. “I am.” To be more precise, “I AM has sent me to you.” (Exodus 3:14, NIV 1984). Not as a prophet, a great moral teacher, or even as a path to God. But as the path to God. The “anointed one.” The Messiah. The Christ. Savior. “We have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.” (1 John:14, NIV 1984).

My Advice – And “what about you…Who do you say [He is]?” “You are the Christ,” is the only legitimate answer. Believe it and be justified. Confess it and be saved. For, “if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” (Romans 10:9–10, NIV 1984). It does not matter what others say. “You must make your choice,” of who He is.