The Big Question

By the time we get to Luke 9:18-25 and Matthew 16:13-16 the apostles have already seen wondrous things: Jesus healing the sick, driving out demons, feeding the five thousand, walking on water, and rebuking the waves and wind. So it’s not surprising that He finally asks, “Who do men say that I am?” The apostles answer: John the Baptist or Elijah or one of the other ancient prophets. But Jesus doesn’t let it rest there. He then asks the big question. “But who do you say I am?” And Peter nails it by saying, you are “the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

It’s interesting to note that all this took place in Caesarea Philippi, the territory that once belonged to the tribe of Dan but was now the seat of pervasive idol worship, where the Temple of Pan/Baal stood with its idolatrous statues filling niches carved into Mount Hermon, the very mountain where many Bible scholars believe Satan and the fallen angels descended to earth to work their mischief. And it’s here in this hotbed of sin and rank offense to God, Jesus asks His question.

Satan is still working his mischief, seeking to wreak havoc and to “kill, steal and destroy.” And though the world is a hotbed of sin and offense to God, Jesus’ question to His disciples is the very question He will ask each of us one day. And how we answer will determine our eternal destiny. If we have come to accept that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God,” who died for our sins so that we can be forgiven, we will be; and we can expect a glorious eternal destiny. But if we have not, if we are stuck in the Temple of Pan, paying homage to the world and its systems, and seeking to gratify self, our eternal future is bleak indeed.

Jesus tells his disciples in Luke 9:23 that they must take up their cross daily. The Amplified Bible perfectly explains what this means. It says we must die daily to self (our cross) laying aside our own interests for Christ’s. It is a life that can only be lived by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. But make no mistake, whatever we choose, we will not be able to escape the “big question.” And with so much riding on it, it would serve us well if we began today to formulate our answer. With so many false teachings about the “many ways to heaven” we need to be sure where we stand.

In parting, I leave you with Jesus’ own words: “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?”

Until next time,

Sylvia