Daily Bread

Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that I am?’ And they answered him, ‘John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.’ He asked them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered him, ‘You are the Messiah.’And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.

Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’

One of the questions I have asked myself is, "Did Jesus know he was the Messiah or the Son of God?" Now, it's a good question, and the orthodox view is probably, "Yes, he did," but that doesn't make sense of a lot of texts, such as Jesus' downplaying of his Messiahship, therefore I think the answer may be a little more nuanced than a simple, "Yes."

Jesus clearly knew what the Messiah had come to do and, through revelation from scripture (particularly Isaiah), and listening to (and being one with) his Father God, he knew what he had to do, yet the proof of the pudding would be in the tasting. It is likely that the revelation about his calling came, not all at once, but over time. In other words, at 10 years old I doubt (i.e. it is unlikely) that Jesus knew he was going to die on a cross in his 30s.

To be the Messiah, Jesus had to fulfil what the Messiah had come to do — and this included his death, resurrection, and ascension. The journey of the disciples was to come to believe, alongside Jesus himself, that Jesus was the Messiah, and this meant (and Peter learned this the hard way) overcoming many preconceptions and assumptions.

The gospels themselves invite us to journey with the disciples as we too come to believe that Jesus was and is the Son of God, therefore today, the question asked by Jesus to his disciples is the same question he asks us, "Who do you say I am?"

Holy God, our Maker and Redeemer,
I am mindful that your ways are not my ways
and that I can stray from the paths
you have laid before me.
May your Holy Spirit speak into my heart
and may she reveal, through word and prophecy,
your will and purpose for my life.
And may I confess that Jesus
is my Lord, my King, and my Saviour
and proclaim boldly that
Jesus is the Messiah — the Son of God.