Who Do You Say That I Am?

This is the pivotal question that Jesus asked his disciples. While praying with them around the villages in the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked them first, “Who do the crowds say I am?” His disciples replied variously with John the Baptist, Elijah, or some other prophet returned of old.
What do the crowds say today? Most will admit that He was a historical figure, that he lived in Judea during the early part of the 1st century AD. Some will further admit that he was a religious leader who led a Jewish reform movement. Still many will admit that he was at the very least a great teacher, someone akin to Siddhartha Gautama. A smaller group, Muslims for example, will declare him even to be a prophet. But the most radical claim held by anyone is that Jesus was in fact the Messiah, the Son of God, and not only that but God incarnate.

Well, which view is correct?

At this point Jesus asks the pointed question, “But what about you? Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter responds, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Does Jesus rebuke him for responding like this? On the contrary, He accepts it wholeheartedly. And that’s the rub for anyone who believes otherwise, isn’t it? Assuming one accepts the authenticity of the account at the outset, one can’t very well continue to believe that He was merely a great teacher or prophet. Anyone today claiming equality with God would be variously declared insane, criminal, or blasphemous. No matter how good and reasonable his teachings might be, he would be almost universally eschewed.

But this doesn’t happen with Jesus. Why?

Put simply, many have rejected the Bible as a reliable witness to who Jesus is and what He said. For the Muslim this is understandable, as he has a different text making different claims as to His identity. But that aside, most people have developed an image of Jesus from Sunday School, popular culture, and any number of other venues. This pop culture Jesus is pretty shallow. He’s a nice guy who walks around the countryside engaging in nonviolent resistance and uttering convenient platitudes like, “Judge not, lest ye be judged.” Any further details are hazy, and thus, it becomes quite easy to believe whatevery suits the fancy.

But there isn’t any other reliable witness.

If any of us has a chance at knowing anything about Jesus, the Bible is it. He has a few brief mentions in other historical documents, but the New Testament is the best attested to by far from the period. So what happens when pop culture Jesus meets the real Jesus? It’s a rude awakening—this isn’t the same guy at all. He still has all those attributes which we’ve always associated with Him. He’s gentle, loving, merciful, peaceful, and so on. But then there are times He comes across terribly judgmental, overbearing, disrespectful toward his parents and siblings, and disrespectful toward people making requests of Him. He at times can be a man of extreme and unsettling passions. He claims to be the Son of God. He uses the very name of God to refer to Himself. And maybe most odious in today’s environment, He claims to be the only way to God (John 14:6-7).

So what are we left with? We can reject the Bible as a reliable witness altogether, leaving us with really nothing of significance worth saying about Him. We can play the game of picking and choosing from the Bible what we like and don’t like. But that is intellectually dishonest. Or we can accept that Jesus really said these things. If He really said these things, He is either the Son of God, a liar, or a deranged individual. But make no mistake. There is no room for Him just being a good teacher or a prophet. The Scripture makes no provision for it, and without this witness one is hard-pressed to draw any conclusions.

So what about you? Who do you say He is?

Matthew 16:13-17, Mark 8:27-29, Luke 9:18-20