This episode explores the personal question that Jesus asked: “Who do you say I am?” Walking through Mark 8:27-33, J. Mark examines three responses people had to this question: confusion, bold confession, and Jesus’ disapproval. As people throughout history have shaped Jesus into what they want Him to be, this passage calls us back to the truth of who He truly is. How do we answer the question, “Who do you say I am?”
Transcript
It is a privilege to open the Word of God and learn from its author. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit guides us, and we trust Him to show us what we need. Our title is a personal question. Who do YOU say that I am? The emphasis is on you. You probably recognize this line from the question Jesus asked His disciples, and you are right. This is the story we will be examining today from Mark 8.
We will look at three responses to this question from the passage. As we do remember, this is a personal question. Everyone will answer this question. Answer wisely because the correct way to answer this question will change your life. There are hundreds or thousands of ways to get it wrong, but the right answer will revolutionize your life.
Let’s go now with J Mark to Mark chapter 8.
Throughout history, people have expressed many ideas about Jesus. From His birth to the present, people have attempted to shape a Jesus that makes sense to them. Many times, we project onto Jesus the qualities we want Him to have.
We are no different from those who lived during Jesus’s time with their varying ideas about who He was. As we continue our study in Mark’s Gospel, we face a most important question from Jesus: “Who do you say I am?” The question is just as relevant to us as it was then.
Our study is designed to bring you face-to-face with the authentic Jesus. Understanding His identity isn’t just an academic matter; it’s a question that carries the weight of our beliefs and our eternal destiny. It is a question that we cannot afford to overlook. Our text is Mark 8:27-33.
27 Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi, and on the road, He asked His disciples, saying to them, “Who do men say that I am?”
28 So they answered, “John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.”
29 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Peter answered, saying to Him, “You are the Christ.”
30 Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.
31 And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
32 He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.
33 But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”
The characters’ RESPONSES in this text answer the question, “Who Do YOU Say I Am?”
The First RESPONSE is,
The People’s Confusion
Jesus traveled north with His disciples to the foothills of Mount Hermon and the villages around Caesarea Philippi, approximately 15 miles north of the Sea of Galilee.
As they travel, Jesus asks them, “Who do men say I am?” Jesus already knew what the crowds thought of Him, but He wanted the Twelve to learn the difference between perception and reality. Jesus’ disciples also knew what people were saying, and their answers came without hesitation. However, with this question, Jesus was setting the stage for a more significant inquiry.
They first mentioned John the Baptist. In chapter six, when Herod first heard about Jesus, he said, “John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him. Later, his guilty conscience led him to conclude, “This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!” Most likely, Herod wasn’t the only one with that opinion.
Other people said, “He is Elijah.” In the book of Malachi, we read, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.” If you compare the messages and miracles of both men, you will find many similarities. So, this was a logical conclusion for them to draw.
Still, others said that Jesus was “one of the prophets.” Some saw Jesus as just another in a long line of prophetic messengers. But Jesus was more than that. Despite all His miracles, all the displays of Divine power, and explicit teaching about the kingdom, people still refused to accept Him as Messiah. Their highest hope was to have a military deliverer who would free them from Rome’s tyranny and reestablish the monarchy’s glory days of David and Solomon.
People today are still confused about who Jesus is. There are many opinions about who Jesus is. Many of those opinions result from trying to bring Jesus down to the level of our human understanding. We want a Jesus who makes us comfortable where we are and makes few or no demands on us. But that is a Jesus deprived of His strength and vigor, not the Jesus of Scripture.
More importantly, people’s confused opinions about who Jesus is don’t change the facts. Many will realize too late that there is only one correct response to the question, “Who do you say I am?” This leads us to the subsequent response.
The Next RESPONSE is,
Peter’s Confession
The religious leaders were hostile to Jesus. The crowds were looking for bread and a political Messiah. Jesus probed the disciples’ understanding of who He was by asking, “Who do YOU say I am?” Did the Twelve still believe He was the Messiah?
And Peter, reckless, impulsive Peter, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, blurts out: “You are the Christ.” Matthew records Peter’s response: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Luke has Peter saying, “[You are] the Christ of God.”
Peter was making a clear statement that Jesus was the Messiah. His confession was in direct opposition to the Pharisees’ pronouncement that “Jesus was NOT the Messiah.” Because Jesus refused to perform the signs they requested and fit into their system, they rejected Him.
How could Peter make such a bold confession? Only by the Spirit of God! Matthew records Jesus as saying to Peter, “Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonas, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father which is in heaven.”
One detail that Mark doesn’t include adds meaning to this narrative. In verse 27, Jesus went with His disciples to Caesarea Philippi. This town is mentioned only in Matthew and Mark, both of which record the same incident. In March of 2023, Joyce and I had the privilege of visiting this site. The natural spring near Caesarea Philippi was the setting for Jesus’ famous statement to Peter, “On this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matthew 16:18). This is the very first use of the word church in the New Testament.
At the site, water flows from an underground cavern, which is a source of the Jordan River. The pagan people of the day referred to this opening as “the gates of Hades,” or the opening to the underworld, ruled by the god Pan. He was a fertility god whose image was half man and half goat. On the rock cliff above the cave, chiseled niches once held images of idols. There are also the ruins of a pagan temple there.
It’s not too hard to imagine Jesus making this statement to the disciples with this site in the background. It was like putting an exclamation point on what He was telling His disciples and drawing a line in the sand for the powers of darkness.
Immediately following Peter’s confession, Jesus forbade the disciples from spreading that news. And then, to explain the rationale behind His prohibition, He tells the disciples of His impending suffering, death, and resurrection. This was foreign to their concept of a Messiah.
How do you answer Jesus’ question, “Who do YOU say I am?” Do you agree with Peter’s statement, “You are the Christ?” One cannot make that confession and live as one chooses because, as the Son of God, He is also a Lord and Master. We either surrender to Christ’s lordship or continue in our sins. Peter had to learn this the hard way.
The Final RESPONSE is,
Jesus’ Censure
Censure is an expression of strong disapproval, a formal reprimand. Immediately following Peter’s confession, Jesus spoke openly with the Twelve about His impending death. He told them “that the Son of Man MUST suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.”
As He spoke, Peter took Him aside and rebuked Him sharply. Even though Peter attempted to rebuke Him privately, Jesus turned to the other disciples and rebuked Peter severely. “Get behind me, Satan, for you are not thinking after the mind of God, but the minds of men.” Wow!
Why such strong language? The temptation offered to Jesus in the wilderness by Satan is now being suggested by Peter – glory without the cross. Satan was using Peter as a mouthpiece. Peter’s thoughts were not the thoughts of God; this was part of “the leaven of the Pharisees.” Peter was a leader, and his influence was substantial, so the rebuke was necessary. Later, Paul wrote to Timothy about leaders, “Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear.” This command is too often neglected in our day.
For Jesus to forego the cross would have meant no salvation for mankind. That’s why Jesus said these things MUST happen. He had to be, in the words of the apostle Paul,“…delivered up because of our offenses, and raised because of our justification.”
It’s not hard for us to understand Peter’s sentiments. None of us would want someone we love to go through the things Jesus predicted. Peter wanted to control what happened to Jesus, to protect Him, and, in the process, became an unwitting tool of Satan. He was zealous in His love for Jesus, but his zeal was not according to knowledge of God’s plan.
Did the other disciples share Peter’s views? If so, Jesus’ answer was shockingly clear! Contrast Peter’s leadership in his confession of Christ with him now playing the part of Satan and being ordered to the rear! One wrote, “None are more formidable instruments of temptation than well-meaning friends, who care more for our comfort than our character.”
The facts of this passage should teach us a lesson in humility. How short the step is between a good confession and becoming a tool in Satan’s hands is. Even though Jesus censured Peter, He didn’t cast him away because of this incident, and we must be patient with each other as we sometimes err in our zeal for the Lord Jesus.
Again, I remind you of Jesus’ question, “Who do you say I am?” Are you confused, like the people of Jesus’ day, thinking He was John the Baptist, Elijah, or some other prophet? Or do you confess that He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God?
If you confess that He is the Christ, what difference does that make in your life today?
Did you notice the extremes in this lesson? Confusion on the part of the people followed by Peter’s crystal-clear pronouncement of who Jesus is. Then, right after that, Jesus strongly rebukes Peter. It feels a little bit like a roller coaster, right? Honestly, answers to Jesus’ question-“Who do you say I am?”-always seem to be extreme. Many people love Him and would die for Him right now. Others hate Him and kill those who don’t share the same hatred. Extreme, yes, but a reality. Again, the question is personal: Who do YOU say that I am?
If you have any comments about today’s lesson, our email address is hope@heraldsofhope.org, and our website is heraldsofhope.org. There you will find “contact us,” under the partner tab on the top right. Click that to message us directly. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
With our title in mind, I end with Philippians 2, “Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth.” Every knee will bow. This means me, this means you. Please do it now while you have a choice.
