Matthew 16:13-20 (NRSV)
Read Matthew 16:13-20 on biblegateway.com
Verse 13Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" Verse 14And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." Verse 15He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Verse 16Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Verse 17And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. Verse 18And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. Verse 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Verse 20Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
Devotion
Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Jesus wants to know if they grasp his true identity. Do they understand what he has been sent to accomplish? They may know him to be the Messiah, the One sent to save Israel, but they don’t know he will accomplish that through his death and resurrection.
I wonder sometimes who we say Jesus is when we talk about him to others. Do we misrepresent Jesus? Is he the Messiah? Is he “Buddy Jesus,” as in the film Dogma? Is he your “personal Lord and Savior,” similar to your personal banker? Is he the poster-boy for televangelist media empires? No! He is Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God – the One who lived and died and was raised so that you and I might have eternal life according to God’s plan.
Prayer
Reveal yourself to us, O Christ, that we may proclaim you as Lord and Savior! Amen.