Who is Jesus? A Sermon on Identity and Faith

Jesus's Central Question

• ❓ Jesus, near the end of his public ministry, asks his disciples in Caesarea Philippi, "Who do people say that I am?"
• 🎯 This question is framed not as a survey, but as a pop quiz to gauge understanding of his identity.
• 💡 Throughout Jesus's ministry, his identity was hinted at by divine pronouncements, such as the voice from heaven at his baptism calling him "my beloved son."

Public Perceptions of Jesus

• 🗣️ Early responses to Jesus's identity included comparisons to John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or "one of the prophets."
• 🤷 These were incorrect, partly due to the 500-year gap since the last prophet in Israel, leading to confusion.
• 🤔 Modern interpretations might label him a good teacher, a myth, or something else, but these also miss the mark.

The Disciples' Confession

• 🌟 When Jesus asks, "But who do you say that I am?", Peter famously answers, "You are the Messiah, the son of the living God."
• 🔑 This confession is presented as the correct answer, revealed not by human understanding but by God.
• ⛰️ Jesus renames Simon to Peter, meaning "rock," signifying his future role in building the church, despite his later denials.

Jesus's Vision for Identity

• 👁️ Jesus saw Peter's potential, calling him "Peter" (rock) years before he fully embodied that role, even predicting his future denial and eventual leadership.
• 🤔 The sermon poses a third question: When Jesus looks at us, who does he see, and what would he call us?
• 🙏 The ultimate goal is to know Jesus—Emmanuel, Messiah, Lamb of God—and through him, to understand our true created identity and see others through his eyes.