Question one
by Emma Strelan
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‘But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’ (Matthew 16:15).
Read Matthew 16:13–20
Exams have two types of questions. The first kind requires you to regurgitate things you’ve read and learned by rote. The second type is the kind students usually complain about because they must apply their knowledge. They have to go deeper. This question usually starts with something like, ‘In your own words, describe …’
In today’s passage, Jesus gives his disciples an exam in two stages. Firstly, he asks, ‘Who do [other] people say the Son of Man is?’ Easy. They’ve heard what others say; there are no tough deliberations to be made: some say he’s John the Baptist, and others say Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the prophets. Ten out of ten, full marks.
But then Jesus gets to part two – ‘Who do you say I am?’
And, suddenly, without much warning, Jesus asks the singularly most important question in the gospels. The question the gospels themselves pose in the very act of being written: ‘Given all that you’ve seen and heard, who is Jesus to you?’
And the answer differs. For some people, Jesus is just a ‘John the Baptist figure’ – a crusty old dude standing at a distance, shouting at them to repent their sins. Or maybe he’s a wise prophet figure like Jeremiah with some cool sayings, but now he’s just a part of ancient history.
Maybe if Peter were around today and Jesus asked him, ‘Who do you say I am?’, he would have spouted off one of the many creeds we have to explain Jesus: the Logos, word-made-flesh, second person of the Trinity, God’s only Son, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made … and so on. That’s why we’ve formulated creeds, right? – so we can have a theologically sound answer to the question, ‘Who is Jesus?’
But Jesus wants to know the difference between the general knowledge we can recite because others have taught us and the deep knowledge that has personally made its way into our hearts and actually brings about transformation.
And our answer to this question has major consequences. Peter is the very proof of that.
So, welcome to the exam today. The first question is: In your own words, who is Jesus to you?
Your time starts now.
Lord God, thank you for challenging us to have a personal relationship with you. Please help us to examine who you are to us, not just in an intellectual way but in a way that truly transforms our hearts. Amen.
Emma lives in Adelaide and is studying a Master of Divinity at Tabor College. She also works as a freelance videographer, filming weddings, events and factual videos. She’s currently trying to work out how these two passions can fit together. Emma has a heart for youth camping ministry and for effectively communicating Christian concepts to the younger generations. Despite being in her early 20s, she’s a self-confessed grandma who loves reading, gardening, embroidery, cardigans and drinking tea.
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