Who Do You Say Jesus Is? Matthew 16:13-20

Rev Tim Griggs (Lifeworks Uniting Church)

We often look for the chosen one in our world. The new football coach who will bring the team together to win a premiership, the new Prime Minister/President who will bring stability and growth to a country, the new CEO who will turn a company around and bring success.

Jesus was seen as the Chosen One, to fulfill the prophecies of the one who would bring justice to all and save the people.

In Matthew 16:13-20, Jesus asks ‘who do people say I am?’ Jesus isn’t being conceited, but is preparing his followers to respond personally. And Jesus' arrival demands that we all respond to the question, ‘who do you say Jesus is?’

Is Jesus a great person, a great teacher, a fraud, or is Jesus the Son of God, the Messiah, the Saviour of the world? We each respond to the question (whether it is what Jesus is to us, or no response is a response), and how we respond is of eternal significance.

Leaders, positions, wealth, etc… will come and go, but Jesus' question has remained constant for us all. Who do you say Jesus is? And follow up question: what does that mean for my life?