Monday, July 25

Monday

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”  They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”  “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”  Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.  – Matthew 16:13-17

As a pastor I talk to many people who have questions about the Bible, about faith, and about Jesus himself.  There is nothing wrong with asking questions, it is one of the primary ways in which we grow in our faith.  However, I think sometimes we forget that while Jesus is not opposed to us asking questions about Him, He also has some questions for us!   Author and Cistercian monk Thomas Merton writes, “When you begin to seriously question the Word of God, you suddenly discover that it is also questioning you.”

The gospels record several very pointed, and powerful questions that Jesus asked of those around him.  Consider Luke 18:8 — “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Or Matthew 8:26 – “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?”  Or in Mark 10:51, when Jesus asks the blind man the question, “what do you want me to do for you?”  Or again, Luke 6:46 — “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord’ and not do what I tell you?”  Good questions, all of them, designed (I suspect) to put us on the spot, to keep us honest, and to probe the depth of our hearts.  Dangerous questions, all of them, because they unrelentingly cut to the core of who we are.

But the greatest and most important question is the one found in the passage from Matthew 16 quoted above, “ What about you? Who do you say that I am?”

How you answer this question – Who do you say that Jesus is? – is the most important thing in your life.  You will never be asked a more important question!

           

Philosopher and theologian Dallas Willard once remarked that we should never underestimate our ability to deceive ourselves. Taken seriously, Jesus' question cuts through our self-serving self-deceptions and leave us wonderfully vulnerable to the transforming presence and power of God.

           

If you are willing to take this question that Jesus asks seriously, you will discover exactly what the writer to the Hebrews was getting at when he declared: “Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).  It is risky business, surfacing the thoughts and intentions of our hearts, letting the word of God—the questions of Jesus—do their work on us.  Risky, perhaps painful, but ultimately necessary and in the end, worth it!


Jeff Frazier