Article: Who is this Man?

 

 

Mark 8:27-30 – “And Jesus went out, and His Disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi (places Him about forty miles north of the Sea of Galilee, and about forty miles south of Damascus):  and by the way He asked His Disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am?  (Constitutes Who He really was, and the drawing out of the Disciples, as to Who they thought He was.  The Greek Text says, ‘He kept on asking,’ meaning that the question so startled them that at first they did not answer.)

“And they answered, John the Baptist: but some say, Elijah; and others, One of the Prophets (their answers were strange, but reflected the thinking of much of Israel at that particular time).

“And He said unto them, But whom say you that I am?  (Concerns the greatest question that could ever be asked.  It is a question that all must ultimately answer.) And Peter answered and said unto Him, You are the Christ (Peter actually said, ‘You are the Messiah,’ because that’s what the Word ‘Christ’ actually means; it was the Great Confession).

“And He charged them (commanded them) that they should tell no man of Him (relates the fact that it was now obvious that Israel had rejected Him, and consequently, there was no further point in projecting the issue).”

The question of Jesus Christ to His Disciples, “Whom do men say that I am?” is the most important question in the world.  How one answers this question will determine their eternal fate, “Heaven” or “Hell.”  How one answers this question will tell you if one is truly Spiritual or just religious.  The problem in the modern church is that many know about Christ, but don’t know Christ.

 

WHO JESUS CHRIST IS TO ME

I cannot answer the question of Jesus Christ as it regards the reader, as I have no way of knowing your heart, as Salvation is a personal and individual act.  However, I can answer the question as it regards my own life.  To me, this Man is Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, and this is what He has done for me:

•    He has Saved me from sin, and given me Eternal Life.
•    He has baptized me with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking with other Tongues.

 

WHO IS THIS MAN?

•    He is the One Who healed me of the most severe form of migraines.
•    He is the One Who has sustained me and kept me safe in His Arms when I was broken and wounded.
•    He is the One Who has given me joy and peace.
•    He is the One Who has brought me through the storms of life.

 

WHO IS THIS MAN?

•    He is my strength when I am weak.
•    He is my eyes when I cannot see.
•    He is my legs when I don’t think I can take another step.
•    He is my compass, when I don’t know which way to go.

 

WHO IS THIS MAN?

•    He is my Hope, my sure Foundation, an ever-present Help in time of need.  He is my Elder Brother, He is my King, Provider, Doctor, and Lawyer.  He is my great High Priest, my Mediator, and Intercessor.

 

WHO IS THIS MAN?

Isaiah said, “He is a nail in a sure place” (Isa. 22:23).  He is my Strong Tower, He is my Shepherd Who “makes me to lie down in green pastures:  He leads me by the still waters and restores my soul” (Ps. 23).  He is my Rod and Staff that I lean on in times of distress and travail.

 

WHO IS THIS MAN?

He is the Branch, the Bread of Life, the Comforter, Counselor, and Cornerstone.  He is my Deliverer, He is Faithful and True, the Gift of God, He is my Blessed Hope, He is the Horn of Salvation, and the Hope of Glory.

 

WHO IS THIS MAN?

He is the Righteous Judge, the Lamb of God, the Light of the world, the Lily of the Valley, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, He is the Living Stone, He is Living Water, He is my Master, my Mediator, my Passover Lamb, and the Prince of Peace.

 

WHO IS THIS MAN?

He is Prophet, Purifier, Redeemer, He is the Resurrection of Life, He is the Rock, the Root of David, the Rose of Sharon, the Son of David, the Son of God, the Star out of Jacob.  He is my Teacher, He is my Truth, my Way, my Wisdom.  He is my Great Physician, my Balm in Gilead.

Who is this Man?  He is Jesus Christ my Saviour.  That’s Who He is to me and I pray you can say the same.

 

THE TIME OF THE QUESTION

This event, as recorded in Mark, Chapter 8, took place about six months before the Master’s Crucifixion.  Please understand, His Disciples had been with Him now for three years.  They had seen the Miracles, they had sat at His Feet as He spoke as no man had ever spoken, as One having Authority not of this earthly realm.  Yet, at this moment He would probe His Disciples as to their own personal belief and understand as to Who He was, and what His True Mission on Earth was.

 

ASSOCIATION VERSUS RELATIONSHIP

One must never forget that association doesn’t always mean that one has a relationship.  Untold numbers in the modern church “associate” themselves with Christ, but they have no true relationship, in other words, they may be religious but they are not Born-Again.  Too many church goers are interested in dating Christ, but not marrying Him.  We must be vigilant that we don’t become complacent as it regards our relationship with the Lord.  Jesus Himself said in His Sermon on the Mount, “But seek you first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Mat. 6:33).

 

WHO IS THIS JESUS?

    
The question, “And by the way He asked His Disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am?” constitutes Who He really was and the drawing out of the Disciples as to who “they” thought He was.

The Greek Text says, “He kept on asking,” meaning that the question so startled them that, at first, they did not answer.

The answer to this great question, as to who He actually is, constitutes the entirety of His Ministry, from the Incarnation to His glorious Resurrection and Ascension.  If the Disciples had a misunderstanding about this great Truth that Jesus is God manifested in the Flesh, then they would misunderstand everything else as well.

As Christ was drawing out His Disciples, we as well must be drawn out by the Holy Spirit, we too must not have any misunderstanding concerning Who Christ is, “God manifested in the Flesh,” and what He did, “die on Calvary’s Cross to redeem man from the curse of sin.”

Someone once asked me the question, “What is the New Covenant?”  The answer is very simple, the New Covenant is Jesus Christ and Him Crucified for the sins of humanity.

 

MOSES

To further explain the idea of being “drawn out” let’s look at Moses for a moment.  The name “Moses” means “to draw out,” or “to be drawn out.”  As an infant he was “drawn out” of the water, at the age of 40 he was “drawn out” of Egypt, at age 80 he was “drawn out” from the backside of the desert.  Then he was anointed to “draw out” the Children of Israel from Egyptian bondage.  Let the reader understand that the Lord is in the “drawing out” business.  We are drawn out of sin to Salvation.  Then we are drawn out by the Lord to the mighty infilling of the Holy Spirit, and then the desires to “draw us out” to a closer fellowship and deeper relationship.

 

“SOME SAY”

    
The Disciples answered and said, “Some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others one of the Prophets.”

This answer shows us how blind Israel was to Christ even though He was in their midst.  Many had seen the Miracles, many had heard His Words spoken in Power and Authority, yet they still did not believe He was their Messiah.

Edward Bickensteth, a noted Bible Scholar who lived many years ago, said this:  “The Great Body of them (Israel) were offended at His poverty and humility; for they thought that the Messiah would appear among them with royal state as a temporal king.”

Israel’s problem was they couldn’t accept the fact they needed a “Saviour” before they could have a king, and why was this the case?  They simply couldn’t believe that a carpenter’s Son from Nazareth was their Messiah.  How many in the modern “seeker sensitive” church and “Emergent Church” is in the same boat?  They really don’t believe in Jesus Christ or the Bible anymore, for if they did they wouldn’t be ordaining homosexuals or condoning abortion, and following the ways of the world.

 

“BUT WHOM DO YOU SAY THAT I AM?”

 

 

Notice how the Lord brings the question down to a personal level.  You see Salvation is personal.  It all comes down to the individual.  You must know the answer to that question yourself.  You can’t make it to Heaven because your mother or father is or was a Christian, you must know and accept Jesus Christ as the only means of Salvation.

 

“YOU ARE THE CHRIST”

In the Greek, Peter actually said, “You are the Messiah” because that’s what the word “Christ” actually means.  Who is this Man?  He is God’s Son and man’s Redeemer.  He is the Mender of broken hearts.  He is the King of kings and Lord of lords.  He is a Father to the fatherless, He is the only One Who can break the chains of sin and liberate mankind.  He is all knowledge, hope, and peace.  He is the Bread of Life and the Great Shepherd who watches over His Flock.  He is Grace and Mercy, He is Everything, He is Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Your Evangelist,
Donnie Swaggart