Who Do You Say I Am?…

Matthew 16:15 He *said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 

Who asks this kind of question?

Jesus gets right to the heart of the matter… He did then… and He does today. I don’t know about you but I have a problem with this… because now I have to answer! Do I give the polite, non aggressive “You are my Master”, or do I answer with a convoluted, “You are my everything.” Or, do I just ignore the question and go right to the business of making it all about me?

Don’t you hate it when people put you on the spot? Friends, family or acquaintances, I’m appalled when they want to reveal my most intimate thoughts and feelings… probably because they aren’t always so pretty. I certainly wouldn’t ask them (too risky) what they thought of me. And if they ask me what I think of them, I do not believe they REALLY want the truth because I don’t when I ask. My philosophy to communication… please lie to me, or as my mother used to say, “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” I’ll just pretend your silence is awe and wonder at having me in your circle.

But Jesus (God) isn’t like that? He tells us the truth and expects us to respond with the same. He asks… and He gives us the freedom to answer. He loves us in spite of our answer and He loves us enough to ask us again and again.

When I was a new-born (born again Christian) I was taught that I only had to answer the “Who do you say I am” question once and it would be good for always. But this isn’t how Jesus works… at least not with me! He asks me this whenever I am making choices about what I believe about Him, about what He does and about what I believe He will do. Growing up, I have realized that abundant life in Jesus is more than THE ONE QUESTION. I have life with my answer to who I believe saves me, but I have abundant life in an intimate growing relationship where all the questions, mine and His, become more and more revealing and more and more demanding of the absolute truth upon which trust and life-changing fellowship is built.

Most of His questions leave me breathless…

John 21:15 So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus *said to __________, do you love Me more than these?” 

And every answer I give has an equal and terrifying response… “He *said to __________, “Tend My lambs.”

It can leave me a quivering, stuttering fool! But that’s just me…

How about you? Have you ever or do you hear His voice often? Revelations 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.”

Have you ever sat down to dinner with Jesus and asked Him all the questions you have on your mind and heart? You can go to a dinner party (at church or restaurant/bar) and tell all your friends whatever they want to hear, but do you or have you ever sat down to an intimate, safe, loving feast with Jesus? Do you want to?

There have been many times in my life when the answer to that question (dinner with Jesus?) would have been (and sometimes still is if I am extremely committed to MY way)no… no… and no. I have given (from my extensive catalog) every excuse in the book but really when the truth is finally let loose, it is always because I do not want to hear from Him!

Sounds crazy, huh? Since every word that is spoken by Jesus is love, why would I not want to hear His love? Because… are you ready for this?… because I would HAVE (love requires it) to respond! As long as I don’t hear from Jesus Himself, I can respond to MY script of what He says or MY plan action for His imagined call.

I can sit in Bible Study all day long and “discuss” what Jesus means or meant and how I might possibly put these principles into action. I might be praised for my insight. I might even be admired for all my due diligence. And, as long as I am never called out I can even begin to convince myself I am telling the truth to my soul.

But Jesus… when you turn your eyes on Him… when you look full in His face… and when He SEES your heart… the things of this earth grow strangely dim!

STRANGELY DIM… and then… He speaks!

I don’t know any other god who seeks to have a one-on-one relationship with humans. I don’t know of any other god who CAN.

Have you spoken to THE God? The God who pursues… the God who came and paid the price so that He could be with us… the God who lives… the God who knocks… the God who speaks… the God who listens… the God who dines with us.

I can tell you over and over what I believe (and I am deeply moved and grateful when I can) but I want you to speak to God yourself. I want Him to tell you who He is. And after dinner, I want you to answer Him when He asks you, “Who do you say I am”.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.”

If you dismiss His invitation to dine, please consider that the only one you may be condemning to starvation and a life of dumpster diving with all the other idols and man-made gods, is you.

Psalm 34:8 O taste and see that the Lord is good; 

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB  version of the Bible