18 Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” 19 And they answered, “John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.” 20 Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”
Section Overview
The entire narrative up to this point is directed to the decisive question posed in this account: who is Jesus? Significantly, while Jesus is praying with the disciples present, he asks them who the crowds are saying that he is. The disciples run through the different views being advanced, including John the Baptist, Elijah, or one of the other ancient prophets. But Jesus does not leave the conversation to what others think but directs the question to his disciples, asking them about his identity. Peter, speaking for the others, confesses that Jesus is the Messiah, the King.
Section Outline
Response
There are many Jesuses in the marketplace today, since we all tend to make Jesus into our image. Sometimes Jesus is described as a middle-class businessman or as a liberal socialist. Others see him as a gentle pacifist or as a revolutionary. Others believe in a health-and-wealth Jesus who would never allow his children to be sick or poor. We have on the market today the Jesus of Jesus Christ Superstar and the Jesus of Godspell, both of which are false Christs. Others understand that Jesus is a man but do not understand that he is also the Son of God. Perhaps evangelicals tend to see Jesus as fully God but forget that he is also fully human. The disciples come to a crucial point in the narrative, since they understand that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Davidic King, the one through whom all of the OT promises will be fulfilled.