Do you wonder what other people are thinking at times? Do you sometimes watch people, observe their actions, and wonder what is going through their minds? Have you ever asked someone what they thought of someone else? Do you think people wonder that about you?
People watching can be very entertaining. People just do some of the funniest things. But watching them and trying to discern what they are thinking is a bit more challenging. Sometimes, we would really like to know. It might shock us if we did know.
Jesus asked His disciples who other people were saying He was. He was curious what the rumors were going around the area. The answers the disciples gave Him included John the Baptist, and various prophets from hundreds of years before. Though anyone of us might be flattered by their answer, I’m sure Jesus was not.
Because people were saying He might be any one of these other prophets, Jesus knew the people were not getting what He was saying and doing. They didn’t understand the prophets were not able to do what He could do. Neither did they teach with authority in the way He did. So, I’m sure He was disappointed that their hearts remained blind to who He was.
We often say who He is, but are we any better off than the people who were saying He was a prophet? I’m not convinced I nor many people I know fully understand the magnitude of who Jesus is. There are many names for Him, and each tells us something about Him. But when we think of Him as the Son of God and as God, do we fully comprehend what that means? I believe the disciples, or at least some of them, had a good understanding of who He was before the cross. They had a much more complete understanding after the resurrection. Being in His presence was awe inspiring more than any other person we can think of. We should be as awe struck as the disciples were.
I pray we all know who Jesus is. I pray we seek to gain a better understanding of who He is. I pray each one of us will be in complete awe of who Jesus is, who God is. Know who Jesus is. Seek to know Him better. See Him as the Son of God. See Him as God. Be in awe of Him.
Matthew 16:13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
Marty Pressey 