It Is Really Pretty Simple

Scripture Reflections: Matthew 16

¹³When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"

¹⁴They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

Lord Jesus--Your ministry was not over looked or missed by the people, that is a good thing as far as it goes. They could change at a moments notice. They saw the miracles, but their understanding of the events and teachings was another thing. They put you in a good group of people...a group of people who would have had to have been resurrected. A whole new meaning to the the term...the Grateful Dead....correction...Elijah was the only one not offically dead. He had been taken by God to heaven. You were a part of a crowd that divine intervention would have been required to have made your presence possible.

That is a good start, but as is usually the case, just not exactly enough. In their minds you were a sound bite, a picture frozen in time in their thinking, a step beyond a physician, but not the Son of God. For these people, you were a part of the past but not the embodiment of the future.

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."

¹⁷Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.

Lord Jesus--Peter had such ability for insight and such a capacity for messing it all up. Here he got it exactly right. He saw you for who you are. The Christ is the annointed one of God, the Messiah, the one sent from the Father who would do for us what we could never do for our selves: save us from our sins.

Lord Jesus--It is really such a simple thing...it is with the help of the Father whenever I can see the world the way that you do. Give me that ability today.