KNOWING JESUS CHRIST FOR YOURSELF

KEY TEXT: Matthew 16:13-18 (KJ21) – “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 And they said, ‘Some say that Thou art John the Baptist; some, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ ¹⁵ He said unto them, ‘But whom say ye that I am?’ ¹⁶ And Simon Peter answered and said, ‘Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ ¹⁷ And Jesus answered and said unto him, ‘Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father who is in Heaven. ¹⁸ And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.’”

When Jesus asked His disciples what people say concerning His identity, they gave all sorts of answers. None of the answers they gave was correct. Have in mind that His twelve disciples were from different families, different occupations, and had different lives. Thus, they interacted with diverse kinds of people. According to the answers they gave Jesus, of all these people they interacted with, none of them said that Jesus is the Son of God.

Reflective Question: “If Jesus asked me today, would my answer be based on what others say about Him, or what I personally know by revelation?”

These are some of the prophets/people who had prophesied about Jesus:

1. Isaiah predicted Christ’s virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14 → Matthew 1:22–23). He also prophesied that Jesus would be called Mighty God, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). He spoke of Christ’s suffering and atoning death (Isaiah 53).
2. Jeremiah spoke of a new covenant through the coming Messiah (Jeremiah 31:31–34 → Luke 22:20; Hebrews 8:6–13).
3. Ezekiel pointed to a new heart and new spirit that the Messiah would bring (Ezekiel 36:26–27 → John 3:5–6).
4. Daniel prophesied the coming of the Son of Man who would receive everlasting dominion (Daniel 7:13–14 → Matthew 26:64). He gave the timeline of the Messiah’s coming (Daniel 9:24–27).
5. Micah predicted the Messiah’s birth in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2 → Matthew 2:1–6).
6. Zechariah foretold the King riding on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9 → Matthew 21:5). He spoke of the Messiah being pierced (Zechariah 12:10 → John 19:37). He also predicted Christ’s betrayal for 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12–13 → Matthew 26:15, 27:9–10).
7. Malachi spoke of the coming messenger (John the Baptist) who would prepare the way for the Messiah (Malachi 3:1 → Matthew 11:10).
8. Moses said God would raise up a Prophet like him, whom people must listen to (Deuteronomy 18:15 → Acts 3:22–23, referring to Jesus).
9. David (as psalmist-prophet) wrote psalms pointing to the Messiah’s suffering, death, and resurrection (Psalm 22 → Matthew 27:35–46; Psalm 16:10 → Acts 2:25–31).

In the above list, we see nine different people who served at different times, predicting the first coming of Jesus (the Messiah). By the time Jesus was asking the disciples that question, all those prophecies were available and the various prophetic books that they were originally found in had already been written.

Nevertheless, by the time Jesus asked His disciples what people say about His identity, some of the prophecies that were written about Him had already been fulfilled. Yet even with all these prophecies, people still missed Him, because without revelation from God, Scripture remained only ink on scrolls.

Reflective Question: “Do I take time to search the Scriptures for myself, or do I rely only on what I’ve heard from others?”

These were some of the prophecies that had already been fulfilled:

• Christ’s virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14 → Matthew 1:22–23).
• Christ’s birth in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2 → Matthew 2:1).
• Christ’s coming out of Egypt (Hosea 11:1 → Matthew 2:15).
• Christ’s ministry beginning in Galilee (Isaiah 9:1–2 → Matthew 4:13–16).
• John the Baptist as the forerunner of Jesus Christ (Malachi 3:1; Isaiah 40:3 → Matthew 3:1–3).
• Christ’s healing ministry (Isaiah 35:5–6 → Matthew 11:5).

The signs were before their very eyes, but without revelation from the Spirit, they could not recognize Him as the Christ. In line with these fulfilled prophecies, people had no reason to give the wrong answers that they gave concerning Jesus Christ’s identity. If they had read the prophecies and understood them, they would know who Jesus is. Understanding of the prophecies could not be given to them by men. It had to be given by God.

Some of the people who mistook Christ’s identity were high-ranking people in the church. Some were probably even teachers of the law and of the prophecies. They had probably read the books but had not submitted themselves to the influence and teaching of the Holy Spirit to give them a proper understanding of what they read.

Those who said Jesus was John the Baptist had no intimate knowledge of Jesus to know that Jesus was a cousin of John the Baptist. They did not have intimate knowledge of John the Baptist as well. They had superficial knowledge of John and Jesus.

A superficial knowledge of God is very common among Christians, and unknown to them, it is very dangerous. When you treasure a superficial knowledge of who God is, you will have superficial Christian actions that will do great damage to the gospel. Instead of being the light of the world, you will be a dimmed light that causes confusion and halts clarity on the path that Christ intends His people to walk.

Much of the misrepresentation of God and His kingdom has been caused by leaders who have a superficial knowledge of God. Thus, they transmit that superficial knowledge to people. A superficial knowledge of God is predominantly caused by a lack of spending time with God.

Reflective Question: “Is my knowledge of God deep enough to shine brightly, or is it shallow and dim?”

Those who said that Jesus was Elijah had probably read the prophecies concerning John the Baptist in Malachi 4:5-6, but had not understood them. It is not enough to read; you have to understand. When Jesus promised His followers that He would send them the Spirit of Truth to guide them into all Truth (John 16:13), He understood that Truth might not be easy to comprehend by merely using a human mind. He understood that it is often difficult to discern truth from error.

Those who said that Jesus was Jeremiah had probably read Jewish tradition. Jewish tradition in 2 Maccabees 2:4–8 said that Jeremiah would return before the Messiah to restore the temple or bring back the Ark of the Covenant. In other words, they had read, but they had read the wrong thing. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6). Many people are perishing because of reading the wrong things.

Some of those wrong things we read are: any day can be the Sabbath, while the Bible says more than ten times (both in the Old and the New Testaments) that the seventh day is the Sabbath (Exodus 20:8–11; Isaiah 58:13–14; Luke 23:56).

Another false teaching that is common in churches is that when someone dies, they go to heaven or hell. While the truth is that when someone dies, they go to the grave awaiting Christ’s resurrection (John 5:28–29). The Bible is also clear that the dead know nothing (Ecclesiastes 9:5). The Word of God also says in Ecclesiastes 9:10, “For there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.”

Another false teaching we heed and treasure is the teaching of a secret rapture. While the Bible says in Revelation 1:7, every eye will witness the coming of Jesus. The second coming of Jesus will be universally loud. Jesus will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God (1 Thessalonians 4:16). The following verse (1 Thessalonians 4:17) says that the righteous will be gathered openly. The second coming of Jesus will be sudden and unexpected but not hidden (Matthew 24:27).

In the same way, many today misinterpret God’s Word because, without revelation from the Holy Spirit, even Scripture is twisted into error.

Reflective Question: “Am I seeking understanding from God Himself, or am I satisfied with second-hand knowledge?”

Reflective Question: “Have I tested what I believe against the clear Word of God, or do I hold on to tradition?”

Proverbs 1:7 (AMP) – “The [reverent] fear of the Lord [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] is the beginning and the preeminent part of knowledge [its starting point and its essence]; But arrogant fools despise [skillful and godly] wisdom and instruction and self-discipline.”

Proverbs 9:10 (AMP) – “The [reverent] fear of the Lord [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] is the beginning and the preeminent part of wisdom [its starting point and its essence], And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding and spiritual insight.”

After Jesus asked His disciples who people said He is, He asked them who they (themselves) say He is. Only Peter answered. The other disciples kept quiet. They might have kept quiet because they did not know the answer, or they were not sure of the answer. Many of us have heard that Jesus is God and that He died on the cross, but we are not sure about that.

Peter said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).

Reflective Question: “If Christ asked me today, ‘Who do you say I am?’ — what would my answer be?”

Peter answered without hesitation. His surety in the answer he gave was solid as a rock. Peter did not get this knowledge from any man. He got it from God. The men at that time, including the highest-ranking men in religious circles, had a false knowledge of who Jesus was and a misconception. Therefore, if Peter had taken heed of their teachings, he would have had a similar misconception of Jesus. Because of my Christian writings, people often ask me if I’m an ordained pastor. The reality is, I am not. It is the duty of every Christian (and not pastors alone) to work with fear and trembling to get to know God personally and intimately and to spread that light to the world. “Ye are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14).

Here is the difference: flesh and blood did not reveal this to Peter. Only the Father in heaven could. Revelation from God makes the difference between opinion and truth.

From prophecy to fulfillment, from false teaching to true confession, the lesson remains the same: true knowledge of Jesus comes only by revelation from God, not by human tradition or opinion. Seek that revelation daily, and like Peter, you will know the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

GOD BLESS YOU!

Prayer
Dear God, reveal Yourself to me afresh today. Remove every false opinion I may have carried, and give me Spirit-led knowledge of who You truly are. Like Peter, help me to genuinely and boldly confess that You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Activity
Spend 10 minutes daily meditating on one prophecy about Christ and its fulfillment in the New Testament. Pray for the Holy Spirit to give you revelation beyond information.

Author: Mark Alex   

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