Chapter 62
WHO DO YOU SAY I AM?
Matthew 16:13-15
Before we begin our study let us pray,
Dear Heavenly Father,
We come before You in the name of your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Father God, as we go through this study please open our eyes, our ears, and our hearts so we can truly comprehend what You are revealing to us. Father God, as we go through the following Scriptures, please place within us the faith and belief to be able to truly proclaim Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
Amen
INTRODUCTION
We begin our study by reading a conversation Jesus once had with His disciples. The conversation we are interested in for this study is recorded in,
Matthew 16:13-15
[13] When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” [14] So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” [15] He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
In reflecting upon the various responses Jesus’ disciples gave brings to mind the question of; “Who do we, you and me, say and believe who Jesus Christ is?”
To help us in our understanding and belief in whom Jesus Christ really is, we will take a quick survey of the New Testament to review,
1. Some of the many signs Jesus performed that bears witness to His true identity.
2. Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection.
3. Three of the many people who bore witness to who Jesus Christ really is.
SOME SIGNS THAT REVEAL JESUS CHRIST’S IDENTITY
We begin with the fact that
JESUS WAS BORN OF A VIRGIN
To see this let us read about His birth as recorded in,
Matthew 1:18-25
[18] Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. [19] Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. [20] But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. [21] And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” [22] So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: [23] “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” [24] Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, [25] and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.
Let us notice the following verses,
18 … Before Mary and Joseph was married, Mary was with child.
20 … An angel told Joseph that the child was of the Holy Spirit.
22-23 … This miraculous conception was foretold through Isaiah the prophet. To see this we go to,
Isaiah 7:14
[14] Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.
It is noted that the name Immanuel means: “God with us.”
Throughout Jesus’ public ministry we read that,
JESUS OFTEN HEALED THE SICK
As an example, let us read about the time when Jesus, after He chose His twelve Apostles, came down from the mountain. To do this we go to,
Luke 6:12-19
[12] Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. [13] And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles: [14] Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; [15] Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; [16] Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor. [17] And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, [18] as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed. [19] And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.
Let us notice the following verses,
17-18 … The people came to hear Jesus and be healed of their diseases and those who were tormented with unclean spirits (demons).
19 … Jesus healed them ALL.
As we read the New Testament we discover many were amazed and astonished with the fact that,
JESUS TAUGHT WITH AUTHORITY
To see this, let us read about the time when Jesus taught in Capernaum’s synagogue. To do this we go to,
Mark 1:21-22
[21] Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught. [22] And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
As we read earlier,
JESUS ALSO EXPELLED UNCLEAN SPIRITS (DEMONS)
To see this we return to Mark and read from,
Mark 1:23-28
[23] Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, [24] saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” [25] But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” [26] And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him. [27] Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.” [28] And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee.
Let us notice the following verses,
23-24 … The unclean spirit or demon recognized who Jesus was. Specifically, the demon addressed Him as Jesus of Nazareth, the Holy One of God. It is noted that every time Jesus encountered an unclean spirit or demon they recognized Him.
25 … Jesus commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man.
26 … The unclean spirit obeyed Jesus and came out of the man.
In addition to teaching with unprecedented authority, healing the sick and expelling evil spirits we also find that,
JESUS MIRACULOUSLY FED THOUSANDS OF MEN ALONG WITH THE WOMEN AND CHILDREN
One of the times He did this is recorded in,
Matthew 14:13-21
[13] When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself. But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities. [14] And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick. [15] When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food.” [16] But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” [17] And they said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.” [18] He said, “Bring them here to Me.” [19] Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. [20] So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained. [21] Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Let us notice the following verses,
16 … Not wanting to send the people away hungry, Jesus told His disciples to feed them.
17 … They only had among them five loaves of bread and two small fish.
19 … After Jesus prayed He gave the broken loaves of bread to His disciples. The disciples gave the broken loaves to the multitude.
20 … After they ate, the people gathered up twelve baskets of crumbs.
In addition to all the above miraculous signs, we also discover that Jesus demonstrated He was able defy the laws of physics. This occurred when,
JESUS ACTUALLY WALKED ON WATER
To see this let us go and read what Jesus and His disciples did after they fed the 5,000 men along with the women and children. This time we go to,
John 6:16-21
[16] Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, [17] got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them. [18] Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing. [19] So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid. [20] But He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” [21] Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.
Let us notice the following verse,
16-17 … After feeding the multitude, Jesus’ disciples went into a boat and started to row towards Capernaum. Also notice, Jesus was not with them.
19 … After rowing 3-4 miles, Jesus came walking to them.
21 … After Jesus went in to the boat, the boat along with Him and His disciples were miraculously transported to the place they were rowing to.
In addition to defying the laws of physics, Jesus also demonstrated His,
AUTHORITY OVER THE PHYSICAL FORCES OF THE EARTH
To see this let us read about the time when, through His Word, a windstorm and the waters of a lake were stilled. This miraculous event is recorded in,
Luke 8:22-25
[22] Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side of the lake.” And they launched out. [23] But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. [24] And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. [25] But He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, “Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!”
In addition to having authority over the forces of the earth, we discover that,
JESUS RAISED THE DEAD
An example of Jesus’ authority to raise the dead was demonstrated when He brought back to life a twelve year old girl. To read what happened we go to,
Mark 5:35-42
[35] While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” [36] As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.” [37] And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. [38] Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly. [39] When He came in, He said to them, “Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping.” [40] And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying. [41] Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, “Talitha, cumicumi,” which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” [42] Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement.
In addition to all the signs and wonders, the Bible also records that,
JESUS FORGAVE SIN
To see this let us read about what happened in the city of Capernaum when a paralytic was set before Him to be healed. To do this let us go to,
Mark 2:1-7
[1] And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. [2] Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them. [3] Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. [4] And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. [5] When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” [6] And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, [7] “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
Let us notice the following verses,
5 … Instead of healing the paralytic, Jesus forgave him of his sins.
6-7 … The scribes believed Jesus had blasphemed.
To demonstrate to them and now us that He has the power and authority to forgive sin, Jesus healed the paralytic. This is recorded in,
Mark 2:8-12
[8] But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? [9] Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’? [10] But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, [11] “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” 12] Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”
The New Testament records for us that at the end of His public ministry Jesus was eventually put on trial for blasphemy. He was taken to Pilate, the Roman governor in Jerusalem. The chief priests and elders persuaded the people to demand that Jesus be put to death. Consequently, Pilate sentenced Jesus to be beaten, scourged and crucified.
With this in mind let us now read about the fact that,
JESUS DIED, BURIED AND PHYSICALLY RAISED FROM THE DEAD
To do this we begin by reading about,
JESUS’ DEATH AND BURIAL
To read what happened we go to,
Luke 23:44-49
[44] Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. [45] Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two. [46] And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ Having said this, He breathed His last. [47] So when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God, saying, “Certainly this was a righteous Man!” [48] And the whole crowd who came together to that sight, seeing what had been done, beat their breasts and returned. [49] But all His acquaintances, and the women who followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.
Let us notice the following verses,
46 … Jesus gave up His Spirit to God the Father. No one took it from Him. To be sure we had interpreted this verse correctly, let us read from the Scriptures where Jesus explains to us that He is the good shepherd. His explanation is provided to us in,
John 10:11-18
[11] “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. [12] But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. [13] The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. [14] I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. [15] As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. [16] And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. [17] “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. [18] No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”
Let us notice the following verses,
11 … Jesus tells us that He is our shepherd and will give His life for us.
18 … No one took Jesus life from Him. He laid His life down for our behalf. Then, as we will soon read, Jesus also took His life back.
With this confirmation, let us return to Luke and now read from,
Luke 23:50-56
[50] Now behold, there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and just man. [51] He had not consented to their decision and deed. He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God. [52] This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. [53] Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before. [54] That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near. [55] And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid. [56] Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.
Let us now notice the following verses,
50-53 … After Jesus died; Joseph of Arimathea laid Him in a tomb.
55 … To find out where and how Jesus’ body was laid, several women followed Joseph to the tomb.
56 … After the women prepared spices and oils to anoint Jesus’ body, they rested.
Returning to the Gospel according to Luke we discover that,
JESUS PHYSICALLY ROSE FROM THE DEAD AND ASCENDED BACK INTO HEAVEN
To refresh our memories let us first read from,
Luke 24:1-9
[1] Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. [2] But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. [3] Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. [4] And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. [5] Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? [6] He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, [7] saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’” [8] And they remembered His words. [9] Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.
After presenting Himself alive to His apostles and speaking to them about the arrival of the Holy Spirit; Jesus ascended into Heaven. This is recorded in,
Acts 1:9-11
[9] Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. [10] And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, [11] who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”
With all the above in mind the question remains to be answered as to; “Who do you say Jesus Christ is?”
Before you answer this question, let us first review the testimony of,
THREE OF THE MANY EYEWITNESSES WHO PROCLAIMED THE TRUTH OF WHO JESUS CHRIST IS
The first eyewitness we will review is that of,
JOHN THE BAPTIST
By preaching and baptizing throughout Israel the message of repentance, John the Baptist fulfilled the prophecies given by the Prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 40:3-5) and Malachi (Malachi 3:1). He did this to prepare the way for the Lord. Let us now read what John had said about Jesus Christ as recorded in,
John 1:29-30
[29] The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! [30] This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’
Let us notice the following verses
29 … John proclaimed that Jesus came to save us from our sins.
30 … In other words, even though Jesus was physically born by the Virgin Mary, at approximately the same time as John, Jesus existed way before John the Baptist. To be sure we are interpreting this verse correctly, let us first read what the Holy Spirit, through the Apostle John, wrote concerning Jesus Christ. The Scriptures of interest are in,
John 1:1-4
[1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He was in the beginning with God.[3] All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. [4] In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
And now let us read from,
John 1:14
[14] And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
To finish John the Baptist’s testimony, we go to,
John 1:31-34
[31] I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.” [32] And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. [33] I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ [34] And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”
Let us notice the following verses,
31 … John was sent to prepare Israel for Jesus’ arrival.
34 … John testified that Jesus Christ is indeed the Son of God.
Our second testimony is that of,
THE APOSTLE THOMAS
After Jesus rose from the dead, He appeared before His disciples. He did this to not only fill them with God the Holy Spirit but to also reveal to them that He was alive. Unfortunately, Thomas, who was one of the twelve apostles, was not present at this time. Even though the disciples told him that Jesus had appeared to them, Thomas did not believe. Eight days later Jesus again appeared to His disciples. This time Thomas was with them. Let us now read what transpired between Jesus and Thomas as recorded in,
John 20:26-29
[26] And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” [27] Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” [28] And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” [29] Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Let us notice the following verse,
26-27 … Even though the doors were shut, Jesus stood in the midst of His disciples. Jesus in His resurrected body told Thomas to look at His hands and put his, Thomas’, hand into His side.
28 … After Thomas looked at Jesus’ hands and placed his hand into Jesus’ side, Thomas proclaimed Jesus to be; “His Lord and His God!”
Our third and last eyewitness is,
THE APOSTLE PAUL
Let us remember the apostle Paul was not with the original twelve. In fact, he did not become a believer in Jesus Christ until Jesus had already risen from the dead and ascended into Heaven. However, in his letter to the church in Corinth, in his defense as an apostle of Jesus Christ, Paul asked the following rhetorical questions,
1 Corinthians 9:1
[1] “Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? …?”
We also discover that the teaching and preaching Paul gave was given to him from the revelation of Jesus Christ. To amplify upon this, we go to “The Amplified Bible” and read from,
Galatians 1:11-12
[11] For I want you to know, believers, that the gospel which was preached by me is not man’s gospel [it is not a human invention, patterned after any human concept]. [12] For indeed I did not receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a [direct] revelation of Jesus Christ.
With this understanding, let us now prayerfully read what Paul wrote as to who Jesus Christ really is. To do this we go to,
Colossians 1:15-20
[15] He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. [16] For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. [17] And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. [18] And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. [19] For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, [20] and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.
We now come to,
THE POINT OF THIS STUDY
To summarize the point of this study, let us prayerfully read,
John 20:30-31
[30] And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; [31] but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.
CLOSING
As we close this study let us pray that when asked by Jesus; “Who do you say I am?”, we can respond as the Apostle Peter and proclaim,
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
(Matthew 16:16)
Amen and Amen