Luke 18 – 20
One day Jesus left the crowds to be alone with his disciples. He asked them, “Who do people say I am?” “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the other ancient prophets risen from the dead.” Herod Antipas was not the only person who was confused as to who Jesus was. Jesus then asked his disciples directly, “But who do you say I am?” Peter replied, “You are the Messiah sent from God!”
Upon first reading this, I didn’t think much about it. Yes – Jesus performed miracles and had people wondering who he was. He was teaching about God’s Kingdom and finding those who were struggling through life, surrounding them with an amazing amount of love and healing them. I can see the confusion about him being the long-awaited Messiah as they had expected the Messiah to be someone who would stand up and disempower the Roman government and give the Israelites their freedom. They were expecting a warrior – not someone who reached out to the poor and to those they declared sinners and love and heal them. They expected someone who would not only follow, but enforce the strict Jewish laws, not challenge them and hang out with sinners and the Gentiles!
I’ve had to answer this question myself. Who is Jesus – to me? When I first started going to church, I could not even say his name without cringing. Jesus brought so many memories to me of people judging and being cruel to others and not helping those in need. After reading the Gospels, the answer to that question was different. Jesus is someone who deeply cares about me, to the point where he walks beside me, loving me during some of my most challenging moments. Before I read the Gospels, Jesus would reach out his hand to me to walk with me through life’s challenges, but I walked away from him wanting to do things on my own. I would experience a reprieve from life, but it was only temporary. He kept coming back though, during some of my darkest times, reaching out his hand in hopes that I would take it this time – and I’m so very grateful that I finally did!