Was yours a big family? Did you get together every now and then? Perhaps for special dinners? We did when I was growing up. Although my immediate family wasn't very large, we had quite a few second and third cousins living near by, and we got together for important events like confirmations, graduations, etc. We'd have a good, sit-down dinner – kind of formal, lots of conversation.
I remember one such occasion when my brothers and I were still quite young. Mom had prepared a big dinner and we were all seated at the table. My middle brother was sitting next to Grandma, and conversation was going on around the table.
Now, before I go any further, I would like you to consider how powerful the spoken word can be. The right word spoken at the right time can have a great influence – sometimes good, sometimes not so good. Okay, here's the rest of the story.
My brother was looking about and noticed a spot on Grandma's salad. It was something like a little piece of lettuce on her peach. He couldn't see what it was so he asked, “Grandma, is that a worm in your salad?” The conversation stopped. He didn't mean to say anything bad, but after that Grandma couldn't eat her salad. She probably saw that the speck was just a piece of lettuce, but she kept thinking about the “worm” my brother had said it might be.
That's how strong words can be. My brother didn't tie Grandma up or hold her arms behind her back. He just talked. But his words kept her from eating. Words are often more powerful than we think. What you say is important. It can do a lot to people. That's why the Bible tells us: “Do not let any unwholesome (lit.: “rotten” sapron - of a tree or fruit) talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful…that it may benefit those who listen” (Ep.4:29).
Good words help people. And the best words you could speak tell the truth about God's love. Do you know what kind of talk that is? It's talk about the Lord Jesus – who He is and what He is and how He affects us. What you say about Him is important.
I. Who is He?
It's important to others, and it's important to you because your words are a reflection of what is in your heart. The Bible speaks of that, too, when it says, “Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks” (Mt.12:34). And again, “It is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved” (Ro.10:10). Your words reflect what's in your heart.
So consider: Do your words match what's in your heart? And is that which is in your heart a faithful reflection of what God says? If you are saying things that aren't right, it shows that your heart believes things that aren't true. And if your words don't match the faith that is in your heart, then you aren't being true to God. Some people think that words are just words and aren't so important. But what you say or don't say is important to God, to your spiritual welfare, and very likely to the eternal well-being of others.
Jesus knew that. So it was in our text that He asked the disciples what people were saying about Him. He asked, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
“Son of Man” – that was Jesus' favorite title for Himself. He used it because it put him at one with His followers. He is truly our brother, one of us, born of a woman, fully human. We needed that because of our sin. We needed one like us who could step into our place and do the things that God commands man to do, because we fail. God became one of us to save us. He's the “Son of Man. But there's more to Jesus than being only a man. He's the “Son of God” too, very God, divine just like the Father. He's God and man rolled into one. That's who He is - the kind of Savior we need. Do people see it? That's what He wanted His disciples to evaluate when He asked, “Who do people say I am?”
When you think of it, that's a dangerous question, isn't it? Do you want to know what people say about you? Sometimes you do. But often you're better off not knowing what people say about you because it's not always what you want to hear.
Actually, the Lord Jesus, since He knows what is in the heart of all men (Jn.2:24), already knew what people thought about Him. So, it wasn't for His sake that He asked the question. It was for the disciple's sake – an opportunity for them to consider, compare, and contrast who others said that He was with what they knew.
How do you think the people you know would respond? I'm pretty confident that you know who Jesus is because you say things in the worship service, in hymns, and in prayers as to who Jesus is – your Savior. I would hope that if you're going to say those things, that's what you believe in your hearts for “with your heart you believe and with your mouth you confess.” If you don't believe it, I don't know why you would say it. I'm pretty confident that you know who Jesus is. But what would others say?
If you asked your neighbor, what would he say? If you asked someone at work, what would she say? If you asked a daughter, a son, grandchild, cousin, or some other relative, what would they say? Who do people say the Son of Man is ? It's important.
The answers the disciples gave from people weren't healthy ones: John the Baptist come back to life (Mt.14:2); Elijah come back to life (Mal.4:5); Jeremiah or another prophet come back to life. In one way they were all complimentary answers. But they all fell far short. They were wrong. That's not who the Lord Jesus is.
Dear friends, many didn't get it even though they were around Him and personally knew Him. Many still don't get it. They answer: “Great teacher; miracle worker; good example to follow.” And they all miss the mark. Make no mistake about it; He is all those things. But if you don't know Him as more than that, you don't know who He is. It's important, and He wants each one of us to think about it for ourselves.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah! We already know who He is! ” That's what each of us is inclined to say off the top of our heads without really re-examining it for ourselves. That's not the approach He's looking for. This is vital. Your answer means everything. It shouldn't be taken for granted – ever, never.
So, it's as if the Lord Jesus is coming and standing right in front of you today and asking: “What do people say? And how does that compare with you? Who do you believe I am? Is what you think that which I really am? Who am I ?” Oh, that we all would be quick to answer without hesitation like Peter, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. That's who you are.”
II. What is He?
And with those words Peter said much more than just who the Lord Jesus is. Most importantly he said what He is – the Christ.
You see, dear friends, the word Christ is not just a name; Christ is a title that designates what He does. It means “the Anointed One,” the appointed one, the one specifically set apart by God for a divine task. By nature we don't know what that is until God tells us. It's only made available in the Father's classroom of heavenly learning. That's why Jesus said, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.” That must have brought a smile to Jesus' face.
To identify Jesus, the lowly carpenter from Nazareth , as the Christ is to see Him as the One promised and appointed by God from the very beginning. Down through the ages, since the time of Adam and Eve's fall into sin, the Lord had promised He would send a Savior to rescue us from the sin that condemns all. If Jesus is the Christ, He is that long-awaited Savior, the hope of every contrite heart, the healing salve for every wounded conscience. That's what He is .
“But preacher,” you might say, “we all know that. You're preaching to ‘the choir,' to those who are already saved.”
I pray that is true, then the Lord would say to you like He did to Peter, “Blessed are you for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.”
If you've got that down pat, if you have that as the center of your Christian faith and life, you've got security against the devil and hell, and you are sure of your forgiveness for Christ looses you from your sins. These words mean everything; they are most important; and don't ever become calloused towards them.
Just think of how unsure all these people were when they had the Son of Man, the Christ, right in front of them. It should have been easy for them to identify Him. But they couldn't. Their words showed it. They were wrong - powerfully wrong!
Even today too many know Christ's name but show they don't know what it means by the bad way they use it. Too many sing His songs without knowing what the words mean. Too many own His book but never crack it open to see what He says. We don't want to be like that and take Him for granted.
He is the answer for everything for me, a fallen sinner. To confess Him as the Christ, my Christ, means life itself; it means resurrection from my sinful condition; it means newness every morning; and it means the sure hope of undiminished joy when He returns. To believe this in my heart, to confess this with my mouth is important – important to God, important to me, and important to others whom I tell. These are the strongest words possible, more powerful than we think. Important, eternally important. God grant us hearts of faith to believe and tongues that confess their saving truths; for Jesus' sake. Amen