WHO IS JESUS?
Luke 9:18-27;
Key Verse: 9:20b
“And Peter answered, ‘The Christ of God.’”
Who is Jesus? The author Luke wrote his gospel “having followed all things closely for some time past” (1:3), so that his readers may know who Jesus is. In Luke 7, a sinful woman publicly showed her love & thanks for all that Jesus had done for her. Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven” (7:48). Those who heard Jesus said, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” (7:49) Luke wants us to ask ourselves, “Who is this Jesus?” In Luke 8, Jesus & his disciples were crossing the lake on a boat when a windstorm came down on the lake. The disciples were full of fear & said to Jesus who was asleep, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Then Jesus “awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm” (8:24). In awe & amazement, the disciples said to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?” (8:25) Again, Luke prompts us to ask, “Who is this Jesus?”
In today’s pivotal passage of Luke’s gospel, we’ll answer this question of the ages: “Who is Jesus?” Jesus himself asked his disciples, “But who do you say that I am?” (20a) Peter gave the correct answer, “The Christ of God.” How did Peter know who Jesus is? Was he smarter than others? Did he figure it out himself? In Matthew 16:17, Jesus said, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar (son of)-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.” In other words, Peter knew Jesus not by figuring it out himself, but only by God’s personal revelation to him. Pray that God may reveal who Jesus is to you. Today, let’s learn what it means that Jesus is “The Christ of God.”
1st, Jesus’ whole life was a life of prayer (18a). Read 18a. “Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him.” In his gospel, Luke records Jesus’ prayer & Jesus’ teachings on prayer more than any of the other 3 gospels. The prayers of Jesus is recorded 11 times, & Jesus’ teachings to pray 9 times.
Jesus & Prayer in the Gospel of Luke References
The Prayers of Jesus
3:21 Jesus is praying as the heavens are opened at his baptism
5:16 Jesus would often withdraw to desolate places & pray
6:12 Jesus goes to the mountain to pray and continues all night in prayer before he chooses the 12
9:18 Jesus is praying alone before asking who the crowds say he is
9:28–36 Jesus goes with Peter, James, and John up on the mountain to pray & is transfigured
10:21–22 Jesus prays to thank God the Father in the Holy Spirit for concealing & revealing
11:1–4 Jesus is praying and then teaches his disciples to pray the Lord’s prayer
22:17, 19 Jesus prays to give thanks to God for the cup & for the bread
22:32 Jesus tells Peter that he has prayed that Peter's faith may not fail
22:41 Jesus prays about “the cup”
22:44 Jesus prays more earnestly
References Jesus' Teachings on Prayer and Exhortations to Pray
6:28 Jesus teaches people to pray for those who abuse them
10:2 Jesus teaches people to pray earnestly for the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers
11:5–13 Jesus teaches the disciples to persist in prayer & assures them the Father will give the Holy Spirit
18:1 Jesus tells the parable of the unjust judge to teach his disciples always to pray & not to lose heart
18:9–14 Jesus tells the parable of the Pharisee & the tax collector, contrasting their prayers
19:46 Jesus says that the temple is to be a house of prayer
20:47 Jesus warns against the scribes, who make long prayers for show
21:36 Jesus warns his disciples to pray for strength to escape the things that will take place at the end & to stand before the Son of Man
22:40, 46 Jesus tells his disciples to pray that they may not enter into temptation
Notably, among these 20 accounts, Luke shows that prayer occurred at every major point in Jesus’ life:
1. At his baptism by John the Baptist, Jesus was praying (3:21) before he began his public ministry,
2. Just before his selection of the Twelve, Luke 6:12 says, “In these days he (Jesus) went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God,”
3. In today’s passage Jesus was praying alone (18a) before helping Peter to confess that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16),
4. At his transfiguration, Jesus “went up on the mountain to pray” (9:28),
5. Just before his teaching on the Lord’s prayer, “Jesus was praying in a certain place” (11:1),
6. Before Peter’s triple denial, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you…but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers” (22:31,32).
In brief, Jesus’ whole life was a life of prayer. What did Jesus pray about? In Jesus’ high priestly prayer in John 17 right before his arrest, trial & crucifixion, Jesus 1st & foremost prayer was to glorify God by dying for the sin of the world (Jn 17:1,4). 2nd, Jesus prayed for his disciples to be sanctified by the word of God (Jn 17:17). 3rd, Jesus prayed for the unity of believes, just as God the Father & Jesus the Son are one (Jn 17:20,21). At this particular time, Jesus was specifically praying for his disciples to know who he is. As Jesus prayed for his disciples to know who he is, let’s also pray that God may help us know who Jesus is.
2nd, most people think Jesus is a great man (18b,19). After prayer, Jesus asked his disciples a question: “Who do the crowds say that I am?” (18b). The disciples knew right away. Read verse 19. “And they answered, ‘John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.’” Generally, such an answer has been the opinion of most people in the world through out the ages. No one thinks that Jesus is bad. In fact, most people think that Jesus was a great teacher, a great man, & even a great man of God, like the heroes of Israel, such as John the Baptist, Elijah or any of their other prophets of old. In brief, the majority of the masses of people think that Jesus was a great man. What about Jesus’ disciples?
3rd, Peter’s answer about Jesus was different from that of the common people (20). Read verse 20. “Then he said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ And Peter answered, ‘The Christ of God.’” Though Jesus asked the question to all of his disciples who were with him, Peter was the one who answered, for he was the sanguine one, & the most spontaneous one, as well as their spokesman (big mouth). So Peter answered on behalf of all the disciples & said, “The Christ of God.” What can we learn from Peter’s answer as to who Jesus is?
1. The Christ of God is the Creator God. By being with Jesus, the disciples came to see the Deity of Christ, that is, that Jesus is God in the flesh. The disciples saw Jesus’ power & authority over demons, diseases & death, when Jesus drove out demons, when Jesus healed the sick, & when Jesus raised to life those who had died. They also saw Jesus’ power to calm a furious storm on the lake that threatened their lives (8:24,25). The crowds that gathered around Jesus thought of Jesus as an extraordinarily kind, loving & great man who also performed miracles. But Peter & the disciples acknowledged that Jesus was more than just a man. St. Paul said of Jesus in Philippians 2:6,7, “who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” Again John 1:14 says, “And the Word (God) became flesh (a man) and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” In short, when Peter said that Jesus is the Christ of God, he was confessing that Jesus is the Almighty God, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, & the Creator of the heavens & the earth (Ge 1:1). Do you have such a confession of Christ in your heart?
2. The Christ of God is the promised Messiah, the Savior of the world. When we look at the world we know that something is terribly wrong. The Bible says it’s because man chooses to live without God, & lives as though he is God, when he is not. God is the Creator. We are his creatures. But when creatures think & live as though they are the Creator, the world & their lives fall apart, as evidenced by our own problems, & all the problems in the world. What would God do with such a world that is in open blatant rebellion against God? God, who is just & righteous, judged & cursed the world, including man. Because of God’s righteous judgment, man would die & then be judged & sent to hell forever (Ro 3:23; Ro 6:23a). But God, who is also love, mercy & grace, wants to save him from hell (Jn 3:16). It’s like a father who has to punish & execute his son for committing murder, yet he loves him & wants to save him. What could God do with the man he has to punish for his sin, yet wants to save him out of his love? The only way is for God to send his Son Jesus to fully reveal God’s justice & God’s love to the world. (To explain this 1 sentence would take at the minimum another entire sermon.) At Jesus’ birth, the angels announced, “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10,11). Peter understood that Jesus is the Christ who came to save all mankind from perishing in their sins. But how did the world respond to this Savior Christ the Lord?
Once, after Jesus fed the 5,000 with 5 loaves & 2 fish, the people wanted to “take him by force to make him king” (Jn 6:15). Why did they want to forcibly make Jesus king? It’s because the people wanted Jesus to immediately solve their urgent bread problem for the rest of their lives. So, Jesus began to teach them that he is more than just a provider of physical bread for their physical lives, which will someday perish. Jesus said, “Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you” (Jn 6:37a). Jesus wanted to give them eternal life, instead of just improving their physical life with physical bread. But as Jesus taught them to desire eternal life more than their physical life, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” (Jn 6:60) Their problem was that they wanted physical & worldly salvation; & they desperately clung to their present perishing life, & turned their back on the eternal life Jesus wanted to give them. So they rejected Jesus who wanted to save them from perishing in their sins. John 6:65 says, “After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.” When this happened, Jesus sensed that his own disciples became shaky. “So Jesus said to the Twelve, ‘Do you want to go away as well?’ Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God’” (Jn 6:67-69). Unlike the crowd who clung tenaciously to their physical life, Peter saw that Jesus is God, that Jesus is the Holy One of God, and that Jesus has the words of eternal life. By God’s revelation, Peter understood that Jesus is the Christ of God & the Savior of the world. Do you personally know how Jesus is your Savior? Do you confess like Peter that only Jesus has “the words of eternal life”?
4th, Peter still did not understand the meaning of his confession that Jesus is the Christ of God (21,22). Peter made his public confession of Christ correctly. But Jesus knew that Peter did not understand his own confession of Christ, even though he answered correctly. Similarly, there are those with some correct knowledge of Christ, yet that knowledge is very limited & incomplete. So, Jesus began to explain to Peter more fully who the Christ is by explaining to him what the Christ must do. Read 21,22. “And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, ‘The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.’” Jesus told the disciples that he must suffer, be rejected, killed & on the 3rd day be raised. But Peter, who had just given a correct answer “the Christ of God,” didn’t like what Jesus said. Peter expected the Christ to come to rule the world & banish evil. But Jesus said that the Christ would suffer & be killed. This so upset Peter that he rebuked Jesus sharply. Matthew 16:22,23 say, “And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, ‘Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.’ But he (Jesus) turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.’” Peter went from an A student who gave the correct answer to an F student who just cancelled his A grade. Why did Peter object so strongly to Jesus’ prediction of his suffereing & death? Jesus explained why: “For you (Peter) are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man” (Mt 16:23). Though Peter knew that Jesus is God & that Jesus is the Savior of the world, his mind was still set on the things of man, not the things of God. He is like a man who says to his wife, “I love you,” & then goes & dates another woman. Likewise, Peter was still thinking of Jesus based on “the things of man,” such as his desire for human glory, & for human honor, & for human greatness, & for a successful life in this world. Peter wanted Jesus to be a great King in this world, so that he would be a mighty price under King Jesus. Peter still did not know that the things of God are different from the things of man. Though he knew Jesus, he still didn’t know Jesus. Though Peter thinks he loves Jesus & is committed to Jesus, he still doesn’t know himself, for he would soon deny Jesus 3 times. Like Peter, we learn that we always need to know Jesus better, especially to know the meaning of his sufferring.
5th, the way to know that Jesus is the Christ of God (23-27). Peter thought that being a Christian would give him power & privilege, not realizing that being a Christian is humility & service. Peter expected that under King Jesus he would rule the world, like the rulers of the Gentiles bossing himself over others (Mk 10:42). Peter still had no idea that being a Christian is to be the lowest servant to all kinds of ungrateful & nasty people. So, Jesus began to teach him practically what the real Christian life is. In verses 23-27 Jesus taught Peter the lifestyle of one who confesses that Jesus is “the Christ of God.” Read 23-27. “And he said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? 26 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. 27 But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.’” These verses are paradoxes that easily confuses Christians. What Jesus said in these verses seem to be the opposite of what we prefer. But these “confusing” paradoxes spells out clearly the life of an authentic & genuine Christian. These paradoxes cannot be adequately explained with words, because they can be only fully understood by those Christians who live it out “in real time” in their daily lives.
1. self-denial & cross carrying (23). Read verse 23. “And he said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” The Christian life is the best & greatest life in the world. But it is a life that requires continuous & constant self-denial & taking up of one’s own cross. America has many unhappy people because many want happiness without self-denial & without a cross. But there’s no such thing. When a man has no specific topic that requires daily self-denial & no cross that he is carrying daily, he is robbing himself of happiness. But a Christian who denies himself daily, & carries his cross daily because he loves Jesus is the happiest man in the world. So, if you want to be happy, please answer this question: what are you denying yourself of daily, & what is the cross that you are carrying daily? The important word is “daily.” If you know the answer right away, you are indeed a happy man. But if you don’t know the answer right away, pray that someday soon you may be a truly happy man.
2. lose your life (24). Read verse 24. “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” Our entertainment & hedonistic culture causes man to only want to save his life & enjoy his life, not realizing that the only way to truly enjoy one’s life is to lose his life, & give away his life for Jesus & for the glory of God.
3. lose the whole world (25). Read verse 25. “For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?” People want to gain the world & enjoy their honor & glory. Many people want to be the next Bill Gates, or the next Michael Jordan or Tigar Woods, or even the next Billy Graham. In other words, they really don’t want to loose their life in this world because they want to become famous in the world. But Jesus says that those who want to gain the world, will loose what is most important, which is themselves & their very souls (Mk 8:36,37). What a tragedy it is to gain what we want, & loose ourselves!
4. unashamed of being a Christian (26). Read verse 26. “For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” There are many aggressive people who are willing to declare their choice of lifestyle, their choice of career, their choice of their favorite sports team, their favorite movie, their favorite TV show, etc. But Christians seem to be apologetic & ashamed that they love Jesus. If they are not ashamed of being a Christian, they are often obnoxious, insensitive, rude & condescending toward others. But Jesus wants us to be unashamed of him, while living humbly & with self-denial.
5. never tasting death (27). Read verse 27. “But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.” The tragedy of most people is that they taste death while they are living. Some taste death when they loose their job. Some taste death when they hold grudges & cannot forgive them. Some taste death because of their jealousy over some person who is more successful & more recognized than them. Some taste death because of their own fear & anxiety about their life & their future. When anyone tastes death, they loose all their joy of life. But Jesus promises that whoever has a true confession that Jesus is the Christ will never taste death, even when they are facing death. Thank God that in Jesus, we never taste death! It’s because in Jesus we only taste life & we taste the kingdom of God while living in the kingdom of this world.
From Peter’s confession, we learn that Jesus is God, & that Jesus is our only Savior. We especially learn that we always need to grow in our knowledge of Christ in our hearts. If we do not grow in the knowledge of Christ, then like Peter we will deny Jesus. Practically, we learn that there is a specific lifestyle of anyone who confesses that Jesus is “the Christ of God.” It is a lifestyle of self-denial & of carrying one’s cross. Self-denial & cross carrying is hard & painful for anyone. But to those who see the majesty & glory of Christ, denying oneself & carrying one’s own cross is the greatest honor & the greatest privilege any man can ever have in this life. When we love Jesus & deny ourselves & take up our cross daily, we are living the best & the happiest & the most fulfilling life any man can ever live. Thank God for Jesus who invites us & calls us to confess that Jesus is “the Christ of God.”