14And they said, "Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets."
15He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
Here is the inescapable question that each one of us must face: "Who do you say that Jesus is?" There is no more important question that can be asked, for your eternal destiny hangs on how you answer. Here are some examples of wrong answers that can, and have, been given to this question:Jesus is...
-a good man
-a prophet
-a good teacher
-a miracle worker
-a revolutionary
-a humanitarian
-a religious leader
-the highest created being
Now, there are elements of truth in some of these, but the bottom line is that not one of these answers is sufficient (and some are just downright heretical). Peter gives the correct answer in Matt. 16:16 - "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." In another place, Jesus put it like this: "Unless you believe that I am*, you will die in your sins" (John 8:24).
In other words, you can say a lot of nice, proper, good religious things about Jesus. But who is He really to you? Is he just a man, just a created being? Or is He the eternal Son of God? Is He divine? Have you seen the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 4:1ff)? Or is Jesus just a nice religious teacher to you?
Reader, who do you say that He is? Heaven and hell hangs in the balance, awaiting your answer...
*Jesus is here identifying Himself with the I AM WHO I AM of Exodus 3:14.
