THE Question

I love hearing a person's story. Each person's encounter with God is unique, which makes it their story to tell. You can't claim my story and I can't claim yours. The first time you met God was your moment...what you did with that encounter started the script and the plot continues to unfold.

One of my favorite people in the Bible is Peter. Upon arriving to heaven and after meeting Jesus (of course!), Peter is definitely next on my list. As one of Jesus' inner circle, Peter had a prime seat to the life and times of Jesus. He was a passionate dude. He took big steps of faith, but he also fell hard. One of the conversations Peter had with Jesus is interesting. The timing is what gets me. Peter had been following Jesus...he accepted the call to become a disciple; he ministered with Christ, and was front row to many of the miracles He performed. Yet Peter’s faith needed to be defined.

Mark 8:29 “And He continued by questioning them, "But who do you say that I am?" Jesus had fed the 5000 and fed the 4000, yet the Pharisees wanted a sign from heaven to prove Jesus was the Christ. Exasperated Jesus took His disciples and their boat away from the Pharisees. In verse 15, He warns them not to be caught up with the “leaven” of the Pharisees or Herod. “Leaven” is referring to zeal and fervor…the Pharisees had zeal. Yet their zeal was for a religion, not God. They were passionate about their rules, they were passionate that God owed them a sign, and they did not lack in fervor for knowledge about God…but they did not really know God. They knew the rules they had been taught, they heard the stories passed down for generations from their ancestors, and they could quote the commandments and Jewish law. Herod had zeal, yet his zeal was to be God.

Peter’s answer was the defining moment: “You are the Christ.” The term Peter used is also Messiah. What is so significant about those 4 words? Peter realized that Jesus was Who He claimed to be. You see, Peter’s relationship with God up until this point had most likely been defined by the Pharisees. The Bible isn’t explicitly clear on his background, but he was Jewish and the Jewish religious education was provided by the Pharisees. Yet something was missing for Peter. His longing was deep enough to step away and follow a man who claimed to be the Messiah his people had been waiting for.

Put yourself in Peter’s place for a moment. If Jesus were to ask, “But who do you say that I am?” What would your answer be?

Passage: Mark 8:1-29