June 24, 2010

Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say I am?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life." "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "The Christ of God." (Luke 9:18-20)

"Who do the crowds say I am?" If we were to answer Jesus' question today, we would probably have a tough time finding anyone in any crowd who would say that they feel Jesus is/was John the Baptist or Elijah. But if we would consider the crowds to be those outside our own circle or outside our little bubble - we would likely hear a number of different answers that don't mention anything about Jesus being the world's one and only Savior - "The Christ of God."

At the time that Jesus posed this question, if you wanted to know something about someone you would have to do your information gathering face to face - either face to face with the person you wanted to know something about, or face to face with someone who knew that person. Contrast that with our day and age - now labeled the "information age," where with a handful of simple strokes of the keyboard, you can bring up an immeasurable amount of information on anything and almost anyone you want, including Jesus. Typing Jesus into Google produces 206 million results - if you were to spend 30 seconds examining each page it would take you just short of 196 years to finish looking at each page! Unfortunately, the old evil foe also uses the technology of today to twist, distort, and water down the truth in an attempt to lead the crowds of today away from the understanding of who Jesus is. Satan not only uses the internet, but he also uses other technology such as television and the movies. When was the last time you saw a television program or a movie accurately portray "The Christ of God?" So, who do the crowds of today say Jesus is?

"Jesus, he's that guy who probably wants nothing to do with me - I'm a hopeless case - I already know I'm going to hell anyway." "[God our Savior] wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." (1 Timothy 2:4) "Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners..." (1 Timothy 1:15)

"Jesus, he's that guy with the perma-smile - like that Walmart smiley face. I have faith in Jesus my buddy who doesn't really care how I live. No matter what I do or don't do he'll bring me into heaven." "If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God." (Hebrews 10:26-27)

"Jesus, he's that guy who lived a long time ago, he's long gone. Anyway, our world today is completely different, nothing he did would even be relevant today. He's not around anymore, he wouldn't understand." "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever." (1 Peter 1:24-25) "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Hebrews 13:8) "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:20)

We have looked at a just a few examples of who the crowds of today say Jesus is, "But what about [us]?" "Who do [we] say [Jesus] [is]?"

We say: "Jesus, he's that guy who's not only a guy, but also God." Jesus is the "Beautiful Savior...[who is] Son of God and Son of Man." (CW 369:1) Jesus is that "Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29) Our faith is strengthened when we learn more about who Jesus really is. To find out more about who Jesus is, we don't need to ask the crowds or even google it on our computers, we have the "holy Scriptures, which are able to make [us] wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." (2 Timothy 3:15) - the holy Scriptures like the passages used above that contrast the crowd's ideas of Jesus - the holy Scriptures that tell us who Jesus was and is and what he has done and what he continues to do - for us. We find a sampling of examples of who Jesus is in the hymn "How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds," "O Jesus, Shepherd, Guardian, Friend, my Prophet, Priest and King, my Lord, my Life, my Way, my End, accept the praise [we] bring." (CW 358:5)

Sadly, to many in most of the crowds out there, the name Jesus doesn't mean much. In contrast - "How sweet the name of Jesus sounds in a believer's ear!" (CW358:1) Let's get out there and share the sweet name of Jesus by "[Going] and [making] disciples of all [different crowds]..." (Matthew 28:19), that others in the crowd might learn more about the sweet name of Jesus - that they may also "Taste and see [and hear] that the LORD is good" (Psalm 34:8) - that they may hear the name of Jesus and say it is good!