While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, “What do you think about the Christ?” (Matt. 22:41-42). On another occasion, Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do men say that I, the Son of man, am?” (Matt. 16:13). This is an important question. Consider opinions expressed regarding the Christ. “‘Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?’ So they were offended at Him” (Mark 6:3). “Now King Herod heard of Him, for His name had become well known. And he said, ‘John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him.’ Others said, ‘It is Elijah.’ And others said, ‘It is the Prophet, or like one of the prophets’” (Mark 6:14-15). “And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out” (Mark 6:49). “Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone” (John 6:15).
People have many ideas about Christ. Some are right, others are wrong, and many are incomplete. There were some mistakes made in the passages above and some lessons we can learn from them. What did these men discover about Jesus? They spoke of His proximity and humanity—“Is this not the carpenter?” They spoke of His power—“Therefore these powers are at work in Him.” They spoke about the mystery surrounding Him supposing Him to be a spirit. They also referenced His sovereignty that they would make Him king. They made the mistake of limiting Him by their own opinions. They failed to see Christ through the eyes of Scripture. Every criticism of Christ is a revelation, not of Christ, but of the person who makes the criticism. Man limits Christ’s power in their lives by the limitations of their concept of Him. Christ is just as great in our lives as we allow Him to be. Christ should be seen in light of His relationship to His Father and His mission. Christ should be seen in light of Scripture. Christ should be seen in light of His mighty works. Christ should be seen in the lives of Christians. When Christ is finally seen as He is, we, with Thomas say, “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). Paul would say, “I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day” (2 Tim. 1:12). Jesus prayed, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3).
Let us continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus the Christ. With that proper understanding, we are equipped to share a correct image of who Jesus is. It is clear that human opinions don’t matter. Only a true knowledge of our Lord and His work matters.