In Luke 9:18 (NIV) Jesus asks a very significant question. "Who do the crowds say I am?" In the gospels the crowds were essentially spectators or gawkers. They enjoyed listening to Jesus. They followed him all over and around the Judean hillsides. But they were consumers. Some wanted bread. Some wanted healing. Some wanted to overthrow the Roman government. Some liked Jesus for his story telling. Some liked Jesus for confronting the religious establishment. Some were just curious. The crowds rarely demonstrated commitment to Jesus. For the crowds, Jesus was little more than a popular icon or a momentary fad.
"Who do the crowds say I am?" Jesus was asking his disciples to notice that among the crowds, there were many popular misconceptions about his identity.
Jesus was viewed asa pop icon.
Who the crowds thought Jesus was and who Jesus claimed to be, were an eternity apart. Now let’s just land here for a moment. Popular culture has never had an accurate understanding of Jesus Christ’s identity. That was true in Jesus’ day and it'strue in ours.
In Luke 9:19 (NIV) the disciples reply, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life."
The crowds, the uncommitted masses of people, and popular culture at large have very little clue about who Jesus is. George Barna has been studying the American church and American culture for decades. You might be stunned to realize just how many people in our churches, who sit in a pew every Sunday, who faithfully darken the doorways of our churches, have very little clue about Jesus’ true identity. It has led people like Barna to conclude that maybe Christians ought to start evangelizing people who are already attending church!
A significant question: Do churchgoers understand who Christ really is?
I have no assurance that a person correctly understands Christ’s identity just becauseshehas been attending churchher whole life. The crowds followed Jesus for reasons other than his true identity. They followed Jesus for temporal, earthly reasons. They had their own agendas, their own purposes, and their own set of expectations. Some of us today may do the same thing.
Recently, I read a thought provoking book called The American Jesus. The book looks back over the past few hundred years of American culture andpresents a number of portraits of how American culture has misunderstood Jesus. For example, President Thomas Jefferson saw Jesus as an "enlightened sage." He loved Jesus for his timeless wisdom. But Jefferson could not tolerate Jesus’ messianic claims or his talk of signs, miracles, and wonders. He took a razor blade to his Bible, seeking to reduce Jesus to nothing more than a philosopher or good teacher. He cut his Bible down by ninety percent.
Others sought to refashion Jesus into a "sweet savior." They attempted to make him more feminine, feeble, weak, and cuddly than sovereign. In reaction, Jesus was again refashioned into the "manly redeemer" who was full of testosterone, anger, passion, and fight. Jesus became a man of activism, even war. As Hollywood’s culture developed, Jesus became the "superstar" or theentertainer. Jesus the superstar has given rise to contemporary music, Christian rock stars, etc. Mormons made Jesus the "elder brother." The civil rights movement made Jesus the "black Moses." The Jews made Jesus the "rabbi" or teacher. Within popular culture, Jesus is nothing more than an icon. Prothero says that Jesus is an expression of our hopes and fears, our dreams and expectations, and our needs.
Jesus asks, "Who do the crowds say I am?" You’d better be mindful of who the crowds are saying Jesus is. They are notorious for being wrong. You had better be careful when Christian books like The Purpose-Driven Life become national best sellers. Jesus isn’t always who we want him to be, or who television says he is.
An eternal question that must be answered: Is Jesus the messiah?
In Luke 9:20-27 (NIV) Jesus moves away from a significant question, "Who do the crowds say I am?", to the most important question, "Who do you say I am?"Luke 9:20-27 (NIV) reads,"'But what about you?' he asked. 'Who do you say I am?' Peter answered, 'The Christ of God.'Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone. And he said, 'The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.' Then he said to them all: 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.'"
When push comes to shove, it doesn’t matter who the crowds say Jesus is. Jesus is always calling us out of the crowd, out of popular culture, and off the wide path, to a deeper understanding of his identity as the Son of God. Jesus is deeply concerned with your personal beliefs about his identity. The most important question you will ever be asked is, "Who is Jesus Christ?"
Peter recognized that Jesus was God's only Son.
Peter saw something in Jesus that the crowds did not see. He saw, "The Christ of God." Jesus was the long-awaited messiah who had been promised for centuries. He was the messiah who would come to deliver God’s people from the power of sin and death. Jesus wasn’t just another Jewish rabbi. He wasn’t a wise sage. He wasn’t a philosopher. He wasn’t an elder brother, another Moses, or another Elijah. He was God’s Son!
Peter saw the identity of Christ, whereas the crowds only saw what they wanted to see. Peter understood why Jesus had the power to drive out evil spirits. He understood why demons readily submitted to Christ’s authority. He understood why Jesus amazed people with his teaching and insight into scripture. He understood why Jesus could touch a person or just say the word, and people would be healed of sickness, cured of disease, restored from injury, given their sight, or even be raised from the dead.
Peter understood why, in the middle of a fierce storm at sea, Jesus could get up, rebuke the wind and raging waters, and cause an entire storm front to subside. It wasn’t because Jesus was a nice guy or a gifted teacher. It had everything to do with the fact that Jesus was the promised messiah, the Son of God and the savior of the world.
"Who do you say I am?" Jesus asks. That is a question of salvation, my friends!
Now let’s keep it real for a few minutes. Who do you say that Jesus is? As we keep reading in Luke 9 we move away from a significant question and an eternal question, to three not so great questions.
A question which comes from Peter.
Luke 9:28-36 (NIV) says, "About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him."
Put yourselves in the disciples' shoes. Eight days earlier Peter acknowledges that Jesus is the Christ, the promised messiah. Now, on a mountain they see Jesus transformed from human likeness into the glorious splendor of God. And standing there beside Jesus is Moses, through whom God gave the law. And there is Elijah, who represents all the prophets who foretold the coming of Jesus Christ. Jesus, Moses, and Elijah are talking about Jesus’ coming death and ascension into heaven. Jesus would be leaving the earth to return to God the Father.
Luke 9:33-36 (NIV) continues, "As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, 'Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.' (He did not know what he was saying.) While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. A voice came from the cloud, saying, 'This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.' When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves, and told no one at that time what they had seen."
Jesus came to establish a spiritual kingdom, not an earthly kingdom.
So here’s what’s going on.The disciples get a first-hand glimpse of Christ’s divinity. Jesus’ identity as the Son of God is confirmed before their very eyes.But Peter’s first question is, "Lord, can we put up three shelters?"Peter had an earthly vision that centered on this life. But Jesus didn’t come to establish a physical kingdom. He came to establish a spiritual kingdom.
In John 14:1-4 (NIV) Jesus says to his disciples, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going."
This life is not our destiny. God doesn’t intend for us to be here on earth forever. As the messiah, Jesus came to show us the way to eternal life. A lot of people don’t care about eternal life. Theywant the best life right now, as a best selling Christian author says.
Jesus wants us to have the best life for all of eternity. That life comes as we recognize his identity, let go of our earthly aspirations, and trust in him for eternal life. God is preparing a place for us in heaven, not here on earth.
A question which comes from a father.
Here is the setting in Luke 9:37-40 (NIV). "The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. A man in the crowd called out, 'Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him. I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.'"
Notice that the father has a relatively simple request of Jesus. "Please heal my son!" Who cannot relate to a parent wanting to havehis child healed? But notice Jesus’ sharp response in Luke 9:41 (NIV). "'O unbelieving and perverse generation,' Jesus replied, 'how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.'"
Luke 9:42-45 (NIV) continues,"Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the evil spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father. And they were all amazed at the greatness of God. While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did, he said to his disciples, 'Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men.' But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask him about it."
Jesus didn't come to bring just physical healing, but also spiritual healing.
So here is what is going on. Jesus has revealed himself as the Christ, the Son of God. He has come to deliver the world from the power of sin and death. But here comes a father seeking healing for his son, perfectly trusting that Jesus has the power to drive out the evil spirit in his son. Like Peter, the father is focused on this life; on receiving physical healing and going on his way.
But Jesus didn’t come to bring physical healing alone. He came to bring true spiritual healing. The father isn’t rebuked for seeking physical healing. He is rebuked for not seeing the greater healing that Christ was bringing to the world. Jesus was bringing forgiveness, the gift of the Holy Spirit, the promise of a resurrection body, and the hope of eternal life. What a tragedy it would be if the father received physical healing for his son now, but never trusted Jesus Christ for eternal life. Come to Jesus for physical healing. But don’t lose sight of the true healing that Christ brings.
Another question comes from among Jesus’ disciples.
In Luke 9:46-50 (NIV) a dispute arises among the disciples over who will be the greatest."An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. Then he said to them, 'Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For he who is least among you all—he is the greatest.''Master,' said John, 'we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.''Do not stop him,' Jesus said, 'for whoever is not against you is for you.'"
Jesus came to serve, not to be served.
So here is what is going on.The disciples are jockeying for power and status. But Jesus didn’t come to be served. Rather, he came to serve and give his life for many. If, unlike the crowds, you truly believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, it requires a complete change in your perspective.
Instead of trying to achieve the best life now--- the dream home,perfect health, power, and status--- you surrender everything for the glory of Jesus Christ. You begin trusting Jesus Christ for that mansion in heaven, a resurrection body, and for your name to be written in the book of life.
In John 3:16 (NIV) Jesus says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." It is a fact that your life asyou know it now will perish. Jon Morrissette will be forgotten. My home at15 Lansing Drive will one day be sold, resold, and eventually demolished. My body will one day wear out and my body will become dust. One day, my name will fade from the tombstone on which it was engraved.
Don't miss the best eternal life by trading it away for the present.
"Who do you say I am?" Jesus asks. That is a question of eternity for all of us here. Don’t miss the best life for eternity bytrading it away for the best life now.
Colossians 3:1-4 (NIV) says, "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."