Overview of: MatthewToday's Reading:
Matthew 16:1 – 18:35
"Lord, Christ, Healer, Teacher"
Focus Verses: Matthew 16:13-17
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" 14 They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15 "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" 16Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.
Insight:
Ever since the birth of Jesus, people have had many ideas about just who and what he is. When Jesus asked his disciples to recount some of the things they had heard people say about him, they had no trouble producing a variety of answers. "But what about you," Jesus asked, "What do you say?" Peter didn't have to go on hearsay and speculation; he had face-to-face, day-to-day experience with Jesus. This experience caused him to believe that Jesus was the Christ, the promised Messiah, God's anointed deliverer. He saw Jesus as the only Son (sharing God's divinity and authority) of the only true, living, and eternal God.
Response and Action:
Who do I say Jesus is? I believe Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of the World. I believe he is Lord, the only begotten Son of God--light from light, true God from true God, of one being with the Father. I will acknowledge him in all my ways. My life is the truest expression of what I say I believe. Whatever I say about Jesus must be confirmed in my actions, choices, and attitudes.
O God, help me to follow your Son, Christ Jesus, with a whole heart. Help me to live out my faith in my words and in my deeds. Make my path straight as I make every effort to acknowledge Jesus to be my Savior and my Master each and every day. Amen.
Old Testament for Today: Isaiah 52:10
10 The LORD will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.
In Context: Isaiah 52
Proverb for Today: Prov. 26:12
"Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him."
Recommended Reading:
The Incomparable Christ
by John Stott
Who Was Jesus?
by Scot McKnight
