As is the case most times when Jesus asks a question, He asked the disciples "Who do you say that I am?" because He wanted to reveal the truth to them through the answer. Jesus asks this question in Luke 9:20 (see also Matthew 16:13; Mark 8:27). At the beginning of Luke 9, Jesus gives the disciples power to cast out demons and heal the sick; He sends them out to preach the gospel. Upon their return, Jesus preaches to the crowd and performs the multiplication miracles of the loaves and fishes for the 5,000 men, plus the women and children (Luke 9:1–17). Naturally, these events caused a bit of a buzz of discussion surrounding the question of who Jesus really was. So, He brought it up to His disciples. In Luke 9:18–20, we see Jesus' conversation with His disciples: "Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, 'Who do the crowds say that I am?' And they answered, 'John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.' Then he said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?' And Peter answered, 'The Christ of God.'" The same story is told in Matthew 16 and Mark 8. In Matthew 16:16, Peter's response is detailed further as, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." In this, He not only affirms Jesus as Lord but also as the Son of God incarnate. Jesus asked the disciples "Who do you say that I am?" in order to give them an opportunity to assess the true level of their faith. Upon hearing such a bold response from Peter, Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 16:17). God had opened Peter's eyes to see who Jesus truly was, and when presented with this question, Peter was able to confidently state his belief. It was after asking His disciples "Who do you say that I am?" that Jesus started to speak to them about His upcoming death and resurrection—things that had been prophesied about the Messiah. "From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised" (Matthew 16:21). Even though the disciples presumably knew what had been prophesied of the Messiah, and though they had professed great faith in Jesus, when Jesus began to explain to them all that must happen they still had trouble understanding. Peter, who had just been so full of faith, became full of doubt and anger at the prospect of Jesus having to suffer (Matthew 16:22–23). The rest of the disciples were equally as confused as Peter, but they did not say anything back to Jesus (Mark 9:32). Even with revelation from God about His character, the example of Peter and the disciples' quick turnaround shows how easy it is for us to view the things of the Spirit through natural eyes. Hebrews 11:6 reminds us: "And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." This is the process toward spiritual maturity; it requires faith, patience, and practice. Through prayer and the Word, we are able to grow in our faith and knowledge of the Lord (2 Timothy 3:16–17). As we continue to press ahead in our belief in Jesus Christ, like the disciples, we will become progressively more able to understand and believe the revelations given by the Holy Spirit.
Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Peter replied, “You are the Messiah.”
Mark 8:29
We all have to answer crucial questions in life. When we’re young, our grandmother asks, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” and we can say “A fireman” or “A princess” without following through. But, in time, the “What will you do with your life?” question requires a mature, thoughtful answer. Then there’s the question that changes our lives forever. In my case it was, “Mark, do you take Linda to be your wife?” Now that’s a big question!
But there may be no more significant question in all of life than the one Jesus asked his first disciples in Mark 8:29: “But who do you say I am?” This question came in the context of a conversation between Jesus and his disciples near the northern city of Caesarea Philippi. When Jesus asked, “Who do people say I am?” the disciples offered various answers, “[S]ome say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the other prophets” (Mark 8:27). Not satisfied with any of these answers, Jesus turned to his closest followers and asked, “But who do you say I am?” (Mark 8:29). The structure of this question in Greek emphasizes the word “you.” It could be translated more literally, “And you, who do you say that I am?”
You and I can spend our lives speculating about theology. We can study the Bible and spin out all sorts of fine ideas about Jesus. We can even become a master of “the quest for the historical Jesus.” But, in the end, each one of us has to answer for ourselves the central question of life: “Who do you say I am?” We need to decide whether Jesus is just a good teacher (or, as some prominent atheists have recently claimed, not a good teacher at all). We need to wrestle with Jesus’ announcement of the kingdom of God and its implications. We need to confront the peculiar way in which he identified himself with the Lord, even going so far as to forgive sins. And then we need to grapple with the meaning of his death and the implications of his resurrection. Only then are we in a position to answer adequately Jesus’ question, “Who do you say I am?”
The way we answer Jesus has the potential to change our lives. If we acknowledge Jesus to be a divinely inspired teacher, then we will pay close attention to what he says so that we might believe it and live it. If we see Jesus as the Messiah, then we will serve him as God’s royal representative who ushers in the kingdom. If we believe Jesus to be the Savior of the world, then we will put our ultimate faith in him. And if we confess Jesus to be the Word of God Incarnate, the very Son of God, then we will fall before him in worship so that we might live our entire lives as an offering to him.
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: Who do you say Jesus is? What difference does this make in how you live each day? What difference might it make if you took more seriously your confession of Jesus’ identity?
PRAYER: Gracious Lord, you know how much I enjoy studying about you. I love discovering more about what your teaching meant and how the kingdom of God was coming into the world through you. I find it fascinating to chronicle the various ways people thought about you and why.
But, in the midst of my thinking about you, all of a sudden you confront me with the core question of life: “Who do you say I am?” By your grace, I have been able to answer that question. I say you are the Messiah, the one through whom God was beginning to reign on the earth. I say you are the best teacher of all, one whose truth I seek to understand and embrace. I say you are the Savior, whose death brings life to me. I say you are the risen one “who triumphed o’er the grave.” And I say that you are, indeed, the Word of God in the flesh, Emmanuel, God with us.
I can say all of these things, Lord. I believe them. But am I living them each day? Am I speaking and acting as if all of this is true? Help me, by your Spirit, to live each day in light of who you are, Lord Jesus. May my action reflect my confession. To you be all the glory! Amen.
Image courtesy of Laity Lodge, one of our sister programs in The H. E. Butt Family Foundation.
Question
Answer
Jesus asked a lot of questions. Query was one of His favorite teaching tools. One of the questions Jesus put to the disciples was “Who do you say that I am?” (Luke 9:20). This question drew out a response that is instructive to all of us. The context of Jesus’ question “Who do you say that I am?” is important: “Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, ‘Who do the crowds say I am?’ “They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.’ “‘But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’ “Peter answered, ‘God’s Messiah’” (Luke 9:18–20). Parallel accounts are found in Matthew 16 and Mark 8. Matthew relates that Peter did more than just identify Jesus as the Christ; he also proclaimed Jesus’ divine nature: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). Jesus’ question “Who do you say I am?” was not a sign of ignorance; He knew all things, including what was on the disciples’ minds. The question was also not motivated by some type of self-conceit or vanity; Jesus did not preen, and He had no desire to fish for compliments. Rather, His question was aimed at provoking the disciples to consider their level of faith. The immediate results of His question make it clear why He asked them what He did. Jesus began the conversation by asking a related question: “Who do the crowds say I am?” (Luke 9:18). In response, the disciples related the various things they had heard: the opinions included several personages come back to life, pointing to the fact that the crowds viewed Jesus as someone special. But the crowds’ guesses were all wrong. So Jesus directs the question to the disciples themselves: “Who do you say that I am?” In other words, are you following the crowd? Are you sticking with the conventional wisdom about Me? Or do you have another, more insightful answer? What do you really think?Peter then speaks up. In answer to the question, Peter affirms his belief that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah and, more than that, the Son of God. By this time, the disciples had seen many miracles, including the raising of a widow’s son in Nain, the calming of a storm, the casting out of many demons from a man in the Gerasenes, and the feeding of 5,000. The disciples knew that Jesus was more than a prophet; He was absolutely unique; He was, in fact, God in the flesh.
Jesus’ question “Who do you say that I am?” is a good example of one of His teaching methods. Asking a question demands engagement, promotes thinking, and draws out a considered response. Jesus’ question and subsequent teaching also illustrate the progressive nature of God’s revelation and our need for growing in faith. Throughout history, God has revealed His message gradually, starting in Genesis and continuing through the close of the canon. He did not reveal any more than mankind needed or was capable of receiving at any given time. Also, Jesus’ delay in introducing the subject of His death and resurrection suggests that the disciples’ faith needed to mature to the point that they could hear and understand. All of us are called to grow in our faith. There is always more to know of Christ. “Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity” (Hebrews 6:1).
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Why did Jesus ask the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?”