“Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’” (Matt. 16:13). This is a very good question. So much depends on how we view who Jesus is. During His time on earth, there were a lot of opinions about Him. There are four that I would like to look into with you.
In Nazareth, they said, “‘Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?’ And they took offense at Him” (Mark 6:3). “King Herod heard of it, for His name had become well known; and people were saying, ‘John the Baptist has risen from the dead, and that is why these miraculous powers are at work in Him’” (Mark 6:14). Regarding His disciples, “When they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed that it was a ghost, and cried out” (Mark 6:49). Regarding the people seeing His miracles, “So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone” (John 6:15).
Mistakes were made in their observations. They saw His nearness to humanity and said that, “He is one of us.” Out of guilt they saw His moral authority and power, “mighty powers are at work in Him.” Others focused on His sovereignty and would have made Him king. The disciples focused on the mystery of His being and supposed that He was a spirit.
What were the mistakes of these observations? They severely limited who He was by the limitations of their opinions and personal views. They were limited by what they could see and perceive in that moment. There was more to be known about Him. They failed to see Him in the light of scripture. In doing so, they limited their understanding to simple mortal observations without spiritual guidance.
What are the lessons suggested by these observations? The opinion a man has of Christ reveals much about the man. 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. Would it be said of us, “Oh you of little faith”?
Christ should be seen in light of His relationship to His Father. Christ should be seen in light of 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 can say, “My Lord and My God.”