daily java

Daily Java:

Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:15-16).

They were all sitting around the campfire. Jesus and the apostles are talking about the events of the day, what happened, who said what.

Jesus asks, Who do people say I am?

People had all kinds of ideas who Jesus was. Some were pretty good, some were hare-brained. But Jesus wanted his disciples to consider them all.

So they start listing them. Some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.

Jesus was the subject of a lot of speculation among the Jews. It had been 400 years since the last prophet had been sent to Israel. And whether they liked him or not, or accepted his message or not, it was hard to deny that there was something of God in Jesus.

It hadn’t been long since John the Baptizer had been around. He wasn’t there but for a few short months, but he made a tremendous impact on people with his preaching and in general, just his appearance.

He looked like a prophet ought to look. Rough clothing, acetic lifestyle, confrontational style of preaching, he looked a lot like what they figured Elijah would look like.

Malachi, the last book and the last couple of verses of the Bible, had even said that Elijah would come. Well, he came and then died pretty quickly.

Then Jesus came. Was he Elijah like Malachi said? Or was he someone else? Maybe he was John the Baptizer come back again. Or maybe the Spirit of John had come into Jesus.

Or maybe Jeremiah or another prophet. Maybe he was the prophet they had been waiting for. It had been 400 years since the last prophet. Could Jesus be one of those?

They talk about it for a while, discussing who people are saying he is, what people are saying about him. Jesus attracted a lot of publicity and speculation, that was for sure. Nobody ignored him.

But he stops the discussion. He asks, who do you say I am? Enough of other people. What about you? What do you think?

The apostles sit for a moment thinking. Peter blurts out: You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. The other apostles are thinking, yeah, I wish I had said that.

But when Peter said it, he realized and confessed what all of us have to realize and confess for Jesus to be able to work in our lives.

People can tell you all day long about Jesus and who he is. But it is only after you admit it in your heart, after you confess the fact that he is Lord and Savior, that it will do any good. For his grace to work, you have to be believe in him yourself.

And when you believe – really believe in your heart – he can work and he will work in you. Then he becomes your motivation.

My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20).