Who we say Jesus is?

Dear Friends: This Sunday we are going to consider one of the most challenging passage in all the Gospels. Mark 8:27-38 is a passage well worth reading prayerfully more than once.

Interestingly enough, in the overall layout of the Gospel of Mark, this passage is in the exact middle of the Book. Before this passage, Jesus concentrates on healing and teaching; after this passage, Jesus is on the way to Jerusalem, discussing His death and Resurrection with His disciples. Since these verses are the hinge-point of the whole book, we need to thoroughly understand what Jesus is saying.

The site of Caesaria Philippi is still in the Holy Land today, in the territory that we call the Golan Heights. It lies up in the mountains to the Northeast of the Sea of Galilee, not quite 50 miles from Damascus, Syria. It is an amazing view of the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River Valley. In Jesus' day, Caesaria Philippi was home to a huge temple dedicated to the god Pan. So looking back towards all of Galilee, recalling their past ministry, and within site of a pagan temple, Jesus inquires of the disciples "Who do people say that I am?" And then, really putting them on the spot, Jesus asks them, "Who do you say that I am?"

Jesus then launches into a discussion of what the true Messiah must be like. Rather than being a powerful military general, He is a suffering servant. And then Jesus tells us who He really is. So as we find out in this passage, who we believe Jesus is has great relevance to who we are in relationship to Him.

Lot's to discuss here. We begin with Who we say Jesus is? A great prophet? A brilliant teacher? Or the Son of God who died so we might live? Our answer to that will tell us what kind of disciples we are. See you Sunday.