TEN QUESTIONS JESUS IS ASKING CHRISTIANS
Ten questions Jesus is asking Christians
Week Two: Who Are You?
Read Matthew 16:13-17
Question Two: Jesus - “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”
And the response from His disciples...
14 So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
And Jesus asks again...
15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
And the reply...
16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
And Jesus comments...
17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
In this day and age we can literally reinvent ourselves at the drop of a hat. We can be as fluid as we choose, and our society MUST affirm our identity inventions. It's as easy as wearing a mask. The opinions of the people, it's endless mazes, uncertain guesses, and wild hypothesis. The people’s popular notions of him (Jesus) in those times was, that he was the ghost of a dead man, an ancient one returned from the dead, Peter (Simon Bar-Jonah) on the other hand gets it right, with a little help from the Spirit of Father God.
Studying ancient human history is about examining available resources and the manuscripts behind them, as well as the social environments of their content and claims. Take for instance the key resources regarding the life and history of (Tiberius) Julius Caesar. They are made up of his own accounts of the Gallic Wars. Also mentions in the speeches of Cicero, Sallust’s account of Catiline’s War, Suetonius’s section on Caesar in Twelve Caesars, and Plutarch’s section on Caesar in Plutarchs’s Lives. And yet all these writings from antiquity were written accounts about him written more than 100 years after Julius Caesar's time. This means it was not written biographies or transcribed by eyewitnesses. And the oldest manuscript is from the ninth century—a full 900 years removed from the actual events. These accounts about the man Julius Caesar were legend handed down by word of mouth and yet historians do not doubt the man existed.
Meanwhile when we consider the Gospel evidences and the life and times of Jesus the Son of Man, the writings left behind for the churches of antiquity were written by direct eyewitness accounts and transcribed by people who were alive at the time the events were taking place. Jesus Christ’s story is just as well attested to as Caesar’s was. You can accept or deny the claims made about Jesus in the Gospels, but you can’t pretend they were never made. If we believe what the best sources say about Julius Caesar, then we should believe what the best sources say about Jesus Christ. Contemporaries of Jesus and eyewitnesses of those events were still alive, unlike Suetonius’s or Plutarch’s accounts regarding Caesar. The New Testament writings are far superior to their classical historical companions. The earliest available manuscripts date to within the same century that the events were chronicled. The writings also are very solid in their content, and no variations have been made over time, nor have they developed any differences that affects any doctrinal teaching over time. So we can see the Gospels compare favorably to the classics in terms of what the sources say about Jesus and about Caesar.
Even more remarkable is the realization that unlike Caesar, Jesus had no political position in his community, no governmental powers, no earthly authority. He was a poor wondering preacher, who was rejected by his own people and executed as a criminal. His public ministry lasted roughly 2-3 years and he only traveled within the lands of Judea. There was no Instagram viral video moment that exploded onto the social media scene. No famous Jesus tweet or social media statuses. He had nothing in comparison to the fame, power, and renown of Julius Caesar, and yet his historical biographies and the teachings of his "Way" has traveled throughout the entire world into every human nation and remains extremely relevant even now some 2000 years later. This is beyond religion, beyond a cult following, beyond superstition, this is the supernatural power of the Spirit driven Gospels at work. This is who Jesus is, he is the supernatural Son of the living God, the promised Messiah. The Savior of humanity. And he is also The Son of Man.
So what do we have?
We have four historical biographies (Gospels) written in the first century by eyewitnesses to Jesus' ministry. And we have dozens of Old and New Testament prophecy and accounts that give testimony to who Jesus is. And we have secular resources such as Mara Bar-Serapion, Josephus, Tacitus, Suetonius, and more. And it's remarkable that this historical Jesus has survived the tests of time at least at a minimum equal to the testimonies regarding the most powerful and famous human being of his time (Julius Ceasar). So we should not be confused or deceived. And even more importantly we have something very special...we have Jesus himself explaining who he is and what he's up to in the world of Men.
Further study: (read Mark 13)
Jesus said directly to his apostles, “Watch out that no one deceives you...You must be on your guard...Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit...Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved...At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it...do not let him find you sleeping...Be alert... What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”
Summary:
This is who Jesus is. He is the ultimate authority. The Son of the living God. The King of The Universe. And he is The Son of Man as well. And you need to KNOW this deep down into your heart so that no one can take that away from you. The times are coming and may already be here that betrayal and lawlessness is coming upon you because you've come in His name. For His sake you will be persecuted. You will be treated unkindly. And your response MUST be faithfulness to Christ Jesus in a blessing kind of way. No returning evil for evil, kindness in being the good news. In that dark hour preach the good news. Remember you are His advocate. Find your faithfulness and endurance. Pray that God will reduce the intensity of these times for you. Don't be surprised when lawlessness overwhelms you, but be a blessing just the same. Brother will betray brother, fathers and their children will hate each other. The children will betray their parents, even unto death. The times will progressively grow worse for you, but you must stay alert and keep watch over your faith.
Q: What's the point of the question: “But who do you say that I am?”
A: The point is, how you answer that question will determine who YOU are. And it will effect your relationship with Jesus Christ, especially in the times of darkness.
For further discussion: Who Are You, In Christ Jesus?
Blessings upon you now and forever.
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