Mark 8:29 - Life's Biggest Decision; Who Do You Think Jesus Is?
Mark 8:29 (NIV) "But what about you?" he
asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "You
are the Messiah."
Mark 8:29 (NLT) Then he asked them, But
who do you say I am? Peter replied, You
are the Messiah.
INTRODUCTION
Peter Answered. As spokesperson for the
Twelve. Messiah. [NIV SB 2020 re Mat. 16:16]
A critical climax in Marks Gospel as
Peter, representing the apostles, recognizes Jesus
as the promised Messiah. [NIV SB 2020]
Peter speaks for the Twelve and confesses
Jesus as the Christ, i.e., the divinely anointed
leader and Messiah who they expect will liberate
the Jewish people from the oppressive yoke of
Rome. Peters confession is God-given (Matt.
16:17)... Peter responded for the group, You are the
Messiah (or the Christ; Messiah (a Hebrew term) and
Christ (a Greek term) both mean the anointed
one. [NLT SB 2008]
Who Do You Say That I Am? After they
reported the prevailing erroneous views about Jesus
(v. 28), He asked the disciples to give their
own evaluation of who He was. The answer every
person gives to this question will determine his or
her eternal destiny. You Are The Christ. Peter
unhesitatingly replied on behalf of the 12, clearly and
unequivocally affirming that they believed Jesus to be the
Messiah. [MacArthur SB]
Jesus asked the disciples who other people
thought he was; then he asked them the same
question. It is not enough to know what others say
about Jesus: You must know, understand, and accept
for yourself that he is the Messiah. You must
move from curiosity to commitment, from
admiration to adoration. [Life Application SB]
COMMENTARY PEARL
Who Do You Say I Am?
It was a transitional moment in Jesuss
ministry. For the first time, He spoke very clearly
and in great detail about why He came to Earth.
He also asked a powerful question that we still
need to answer today: Who do you say I am?
(Mark 8:29 NLT).
Now, this is the most important question
of all. Its a question that we all must
answer. And by the way, everyone will ultimately say
that Jesus Christ is Lord. Every Christian will
say it, and every non-Christian will say it.
Every atheist will say it, and every agnostic will
say it. One day every person will say that Jesus
is Lord.
They wont necessarily say it during
their lives on Earth, but one day when they stand
before God Almighty, they will acknowledge Jesus
Christ as Lord.
The Bible tells us that at the name of
Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on
earth and under the earth, and every tongue
declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of
God the Father (Philippians 2:10-11 NLT).
Of course, its one thing to say that
Jesus is Lord when were with our Christian
friends. But will we say that Jesus is Lord when
were gathered with family? Will we say that Jesus
is Lord when were at work? Will we say that
Jesus is Lord when were out and about?
Its one thing to make a stand with
fellow believers, but its another thing to make
a stand in our culture. Jesus said, If
anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of
Man will be ashamed of that person when he
returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father
and the holy angels (Luke 9:26 NLT).
Dont be ashamed of Jesus Christ. Speak
up for Him. [Greg Laurie from Harvest
Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com]
COMMENTARY
Others That Referred To Jesus As Messiah:
Matthew 16:16 (NKJV) Simon Peter answered
and said, "You are the Christ, the
Son of the living God."
Luke 9:20 (NKJV) He said to them, "But
who do you say that I am?" Peter
answered and said, "The Christ of God."
John 1:49 (NKJV) Nathanael answered and
said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son
of God! You are the King of Israel!"
John 4:42 (NKJV) Then they said to the
woman, "Now we believe, not because of
what you said, for we ourselves have
heard Him and we know that this is
indeed the Christ, the Savior of the
world."
John 6:69 (NKJV) Also we have come to
believe and know that You are the
Christ, the Son of the living God."
John 11:27 (NKJV) She said to Him, "Yes,
Lord, I believe that You are the
Christ, the Son of God, who is to come
into the world."
Acts 8:37 (NKJV) Then Philip said, "If
you believe with all your heart, you
may." And he answered and said, "I
believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of
God."
Acts 9:20 (NKJV) Immediately he preached
the Christ in the synagogues, that
He is the Son of God.
What Jesus Said of Himself:
John 14:6 (NKJV) Jesus said to him, "I am
the way, the truth, and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through
Me.
Mark 14:61-62 (NKJV) But He kept silent
and answered nothing. Again the high
priest asked Him, saying to Him, "Are You
the Christ, the Son of the
Blessed?" 62 Jesus said, "I am. And you
will see the Son of Man sitting at
the right hand of the Power, and coming
with the clouds of heaven."
CLOSING PEARL
Lifes Biggest Decision
Some people are indecisive by nature, but
Im generally not one of those people. In fact,
I tend to be overly opinionated. Ask me about
anything, and Ill probably have an opinion about
it.
However, sometimes I can be indecisive.
This usually involves figuring out what to order
at a restaurant. What to order for lunch
isnt a life-altering decision. But there are
other decisions that are very important, like
choosing a career or deciding whom youre going to
marry.
And the biggest decision of all is what
you do with Jesus Christ. Theres no more
important decision than this one.
In Johns gospel, we find the story of
an indecisive man, someone who let others do
his thinking for him. He tried to appease a
bloodthirsty, fickle crowd and his own troubled
conscience. His name was Pontius Pilate.
He was like the soldier in the Civil War
who couldnt decide which side he wanted to
fight for. He put on the coat of the Union Army
and the pants of the Confederate Army, and both
sides ended up shooting at him. That is what
happens to the person who lives in indecision.
Pontius Pilate was the consummate
politician. He tried to find the middle ground and make
everyone happy. As a result, he made the worst
imaginable decision - a decision that he no doubt
regretted for the rest of his life.
Here was the question that was brought to
him (and is eventually brought to every one of
us): What are you going to do with Jesus?
Ultimately when we stand before God, it
wont be a sin question; it will be a Son
question. It wont be a question of whether you
lived a good life or your good deeds outweighed
your bad ones. Its all about Jesus Christ, who
is God's provision for us to get into Heaven.
[Greg Laurie from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com re John 19:16 question by Pilate]
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS TOPIC
John 14:6 - The 6th I AM Statement of Jesus;
The Way-maker!
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210718-1038.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
Steps to Peace by Billy Graham:
https://stepstopeace.org/
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David
DeRose, MD, MPH:
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Hope Awakens Bible Study Guides:
https://www.hopeawakens.study/lesson-header;id=2
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Panorama of Prophecy with Pastor Doug
Batchelor: https://www.panoramaofprophecy.com/
Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The
Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
