THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION EVER ASKED

“Who do you say that I am?” (Luke 9:20). This is the question that Jesus asked the disciples on a particular occasion. Just prior He had asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” (Luke 9:18). To this, the disciples were very quick to respond, “John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.” There was a lot of speculation as to who Jesus actually was. One thing, however, that was not questioned, was the fact that Jesus was someone significant.

As the story unfolds, in becomes clear that Jesus was not overly concerned with who the crowds thought He was. What He wanted to know was who His disciples thought He was. Jesus takes a question that was pointed at the impersonal “they” and He directs it straight at the heart of the disciples. “Who do you say I am?” Peter takes the lead and says, “The Christ of God.”

Here is a simple fact that the disciples could not escape and neither can we. It does not matter who the crowds say Jesus is. The only thing that matters is who you say Jesus is. When we stand before our Lord on the final judgement day we will not be graded on a curve that is based on what others around us believed. We will be judged at one point; who do you say Jesus is. If you have recognized Him as Lord of all and surrendered to Him, then you will do well. If you shape and form your opinion by what others around you say, it will not go well.

Jesus is the Christ! There is no way around it. We must recognize this fact. We must surrender our lives to Him. We must allow Him to shape, guide, and determine our future. Jesus goes on to say (Luke 9:23-25), “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.  For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?”

In the words of Jim Elliot, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose."