“But what about you? Who do you say I am?”
Jesus’ question to his disciples in Matthew chapter 16 comes on the heels of asking them who people thought he was. Some said John the Baptist. Others said Elijah. Still others said Jeremiah or one of the prophets. So many people—people who thought Jesus was someone he wasn’t. They didn’t know who he truly was.
“But what about you? Who do you say I am?”
Here we get Peter’s beautiful confession of rock-solid faith: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Peter and the rest of the disciples got it—they knew who Jesus truly was. Not just a prophet or a teacher or a good man, but the Christ—the one sent by God to save his people from sin—the Son of the living God.
But before Peter could feel too good about himself, Jesus was quick to tell him that he was blessed because his answer was revealed to him by God. The only reason Peter knew Jesus was the Christ was because God showed it to him through the Holy Spirit creating faith in his heart.
That’s the only reason you and I know who Jesus truly is.
God the Holy Spirit created faith in our hearts. He is the one who sustains and strengthens our faith in Jesus through God’s Word and sacraments—Baptism and the Lord’s Supper—and thank God he does!
Without the Holy Spirit’s work, we wouldn’t know who Jesus is either—which highlights the amazing love God shows us and the importance of telling other people about God’s love for them as well!
Our God knows the temptations we daily face—temptations to live and act in ways contrary to his will for us; temptations to doubt that Jesus is who he says he is; temptations to doubt that God does for us what he promises in his Word.
That is why we need to be rooted in God’s Word, to let God’s promises to us in his Word drown out the whispered doubts and fears, to be comforted by the forgiveness he freely gives to us because of Jesus, and to be strengthened to live each day for him.
“But what about you? Who do you say I am?”
Dear Christian, by God’s grace, we know: Our God is exactly who he says he is.
We can confidently say of Jesus, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. You have taken away my sins. Because of you, I am going home to heaven. I trust your Word. I put my hope in you. I will not be put to shame.”
Looking for a devotional resource that examines the promises of God? More Precious Than Gold looks at God’s promises, the power of prayer, your victory in Christ, and other biblical topics—all emphasizing just how brilliant God’s love for you truly is. God freely gives you salvation through his Word and his Son, and there is nothing more precious than that truth!
Alex Brown is the marketing and content copywriter at Northwestern Publishing House. He has his Master of Divinity degree from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and enjoys reading, writing, and spending time in God’s creation.