Storytelling God, send your Spirit to open our minds and hearts to hear your Word. Challenge us, change us, and move us to follow Christ, who speaks to us as a friend whose word we can value and trust. Amen.
Gospel Reading: Mark 8:27-33
There comes a time in every Christian’s life when we must confront the person of Jesus Christ and examine our relationship with him. We can study the testimony of Scripture, explore the insights of scholars and theologians, and reflect on the thoughts of believers throughout history. But ultimately, we cannot avoid this central and personal question which Jesus asked his disciples: “Who do you say that I am?”
As we look at this morning’s gospel reading from the Book of Mark, we need to be asking ourselves, “Where do I stand with Jesus Christ?” The passage marks a turning point in Mark’s story. Up to now, the Gospel has highlighted Jesus’ miracles—signs of his authority, power, and divinity. Up to this point Jesus had performed many miracles — healing the sick, casting out demons, feeding the 5000, and the 4000, calming storms, and raising the dead. But from this point on, the focus shifts, the path now leads to the cross. Mark moves from showing who Jesus is to revealing what he came to do, which was to offer salvation to a sin-filled world through his suffering and death.
So then, the question is: what are we to make of Jesus? Some of you may have already formed your own views—perhaps without ever seriously considering the question. In fact, when you stop to reflect on what you believe about Jesus, you may realize you’re not entirely sure where those beliefs came from or why you hold them.
So, let’s have a look at this morning’s reading from Mark and see what Jesus has to say about himself. It begins this way, “Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that I am?’”
In one way, this moment was a crisis for Jesus. Whatever the disciples might be thinking, he knew for certain that an inescapable cross lay ahead. The problem confronting Jesus was this: with the cross looming, had he had any effect at all? Had he achieved anything? Had anyone discovered who he really was? If he had lived and taught and moved amongst these men for three years and no one had glimpsed the spirit of God upon him, then all his work had gone for nothing.
In this moment, Jesus brought everything to a point of decision. He asked his disciples what people were saying about him, and they answered, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, and still others, one of the prophets.” The disciples had been moving among the crowds, mingling in the marketplace, listening closely so they could stay in touch with what people were saying. The crowds had witnessed his miracles and were astonished by his teaching—but even so, they remained uncertain about who he truly was.
Then Jesus asked them directly, “‘But who do you say that I am?’” It was Peter who replied for the disciples, saying, “‘You are the Messiah’” So, it was evident to them that Jesus was the long-promised Messiah for Israel. In Matthew’s Gospel, Peter said, “‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’” thereby confirming that Jesus was truly God’s Son.
Throughout the history of Israel many prophets had arisen who were always pointing forward to the one who would come, who would be the Messiah, the very Anointed One of God. The word Messiah actually means “a deliverer.” And what Peter is declaring here is remarkable. He is saying to Jesus, “You are that one. You are the one concerning whom the prophets have spoken. You are the one who has been promised down through the ages.”
Now we live in a world filled with differing opinions about Jesus. Some see him as a wise teacher, others as a political rebel, a myth, or simply a moral example. But Jesus isn’t satisfied with what the crowds think, he asks each of us personally: “Who do you say that I am?” That question changes everything. If Jesus is the Christ, he isn’t just a piece of your life, he is Lord over all of it. If Jesus is the Christ, he’s not just for Sunday, he’s your daily strength and hope. If Jesus is the Christ, then following him means a life of surrender, sacrifice, but also, joy. The Christian faith isn’t just about believing *something* about Jesus. It’s about trusting him as the King who saves, the Lord who reigns.
But there is another question we must answer, for no sooner had Peter made this incredible proclamation, confirming that Jesus was the Messiah, than Jesus told him that he must tell no one. Why? Why could they tell no one who Jesus was? First and foremost, Jesus had to teach Peter and the others what Messiahship really meant, because Jesus’ role as Messiah stood in stark contrast to the first century Jewish ideas of Messiah.
Mark writes, “Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.” This was not what his disciples were expecting to hear. They still didn’t understand what kind of Messiah Jesus was. They expected a conquering king, not a suffering servant. They wanted victory without the cross.
But now, for the first time, Jesus begins to openly explain the path of suffering that lies ahead. This is not just a prediction, it’s a divine necessity: “the Son of Man must suffer.”, the word “must” signals that this is part of God’s sovereign plan, not a tragic accident. Jesus is redefining what it means to be the Messiah. In Jewish expectation, the Messiah was often seen as a conquering king who would defeat Israel’s enemies. But Jesus reveals that his mission is not to triumph politically, but to suffer, be rejected, die, and then rise.
But the verse doesn’t end in tragedy, it ends in hope: “after three days rise again.” Suffering and rejection are not the final word, resurrection is, death will be conquered. But for now, Jesus is preparing his disciples for the hard road ahead. The cross comes before the crown.
But Peter doesn’t understand this, he scolds Jesus for saying that he is going to die on the cross. From his viewpoint, Jesus will go to Jerusalem and declare himself to be Messiah. A messianic war will break out, and Jesus will be crowned king. Peter can’t reconcile the idea of a suffering Messiah with his own expectations of power and glory.
This was the reaction of Jesus, “But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’” Jesus recognizes in Peter’s words the same temptation he faced in the wilderness, an invitation to bypass the cross, to seek a crown without suffering.
Without realizing it, Peter was tempting Jesus in the very same way that Satan did in the wilderness when he took Jesus up to the top of a mountain, showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and said to him, “‘…All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.’” (Matthew 4:9). Peter did not realize that Jesus’ suffering and death was the plan of God.
Isn’t that the real danger? We want God to fit into our plans. We want a version of Christianity that doesn’t cost us anything. We long for the resurrection, without the cross. But Jesus reminds us that “the concerns of God” go far beyond our desire for ease or comfort. God’s ways are not like ours. His plan of salvation comes through suffering, not around it. The kingdom of God doesn’t move forward by power or status, but through sacrifice, humility, and love.
For Jesus to avoid the cross would be to fail in God’s plan to bring salvation to humankind. Jesus says, “That is Satan’s idea, not God’s.” He also says that Peter has in mind “merely human concerns.” The leaders of Israel wanted to see Rome defeated and their own kingdom restored. Jesus instead called them to repentance and submission to God’s kingdom. The Messiah was not here simply to establish Israel’s kingdom, but to restore creation and to bring all humanity back into a right relationship with their creator God.
The cross is a symbol of Christianity that holds special meaning for every one of us who identify with Jesus Christ. Whenever we see a cross, it speaks to us of Christ’s determination to do his Father’s will by dying for us on Calvary. The cross is all about making a choice. The cross is about discipline, hard work, obedience, and commitment.
So, the question still stands today, just as it did on the road to Caesarea Philippi, when Jesus asked his disciples, “‘Who do you say that I am?’” It’s a question, not just for those disciples 2000 years ago, but for us today. Jesus asks each of us to answer personally, and our answer changes everything. If Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, then he is not just a good teacher or a spiritual figure, he is Lord. And if he is Lord, then we must not only believe in him, but we must also follow him.
But following Jesus means embracing a different kind of Messiah: one who suffers, is rejected, and takes up a cross. It means surrendering our human ways of thinking—our desire for comfort, power, and control—and aligning our hearts with God’s deeper purposes. It won’t always be easy, but the way of the cross is the way of life. And on the other side of suffering, there is resurrection.
So may we, like Peter, boldly confess that Jesus is the Christ. And unlike Peter in that moment, may we also have the courage to accept what that truly means. Let us take up our cross, follow him, and trust that God’s way—though it may be hard—is always good.
Let us Pray:
Lord Jesus, you are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Help us to see you clearly, follow you faithfully, and confess you boldly. In a world of many voices, may our hearts be anchored in you. Strengthen us to live as your disciples, shaped by the cross and filled with hope. Amen.