Who do you say I am?
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22 They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?”
24 He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.”
25 Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into the village.”
27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”28 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”
29 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”
30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.
Introduction
In John 9:39 Jesus said ‘I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see’. Jesus came to give sight to the spiritually blind. The blind man healed in Mark 8:22-26 is also a metaphor for the disciples’ lack of understanding. Mark 8:17-18, 21 -“do you still not perceive or understand?…Do you have eyes, and fail to see?”
Mark 8:22-26 reveals that the disciples struggled with Jesus' true identity. They heard his words and witnessed his miracles and yet did not know for sure who he really was. Notice in Mark8:17ff words like perceive, understand, eyes then we have the miracle giving sight to the blind man followed by the question to the disciples: Do you not understand who I am? Then Peter’s revelation – You are the Christ.
Like the Bethsaida Blind Man, the disciples were in need of a second touch. They did not fully understand, like the Blind man did not fully see at first.
The beauty of this healing in Bethsaida is that we can identify with the disciples’ blindness. We are no less in need of healing and for the HS to teach us and show us the wonders of whoo Jesus is and his great love for us. We need more than a second touch but a new every morning touch and we see the steadfast love of the Lord is great as is his faithfulness to us.
Who do you say I am?
Our reading starts with a question ‘who do people say I am?’(Mark 8 v ) and then he personalises it ..Who do you say I am… and we can be personal about this question this morning… Who do I say Jesus is…who do you say Jesus is?
[Move 1] The backdrop to this great question is in verse 27. Jesus is in Caesarea Philippi (25 mls NE Sea Galilee). All around that region are temples and statues to Greek Gods (Pan god of nature) also political greatness…. in Caesarea P there was a white marble temple dedicated to Caesar and the people of the empire would have pledged their allegiance to Caesar by hailing ‘Caesar is Lord.’
In this place & with this architecture and politics all around him Jesus asks his ‘disciples’ “Who do people say am?” They said; one of the prophets reincarnated some how, a great teachers of our times. Similarly, today 2012, people say he was a great man, rather like, Caesar the great, Alexander the great, William the conqueror, David Cameron the conqueror!
Question: “Who do people say I am?” Then and now people try and answer….he was great ….but that answer is not feasible …John Stott writes ‘Our claim is not that Jesus was one of the great spiritual leaders of the world…Jesus is not ‘the great’ he is the only, he has no peers, no rivals and no successors!’ Contemporary Christian pg 306
[Move 2] It’s personal: Jesus asks them a very personal question ‘who do YOU say I am?’ and Peter answers ‘You are the messiah the son of God.’ And from Peter’s messianic name ‘Christ-messiah’ came the earliest of all the Christian creeds (Greek) ‘kyrios Iesous’ ‘Jesus is Lord’ …the disciples started to call Jesus ‘Lord Jesus’ or LJC or full title Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (eg 2 Peter 3v18) . These few words so simple yet packed with meaning.. Jesus is Lord/Christ declares the human Jesus to be the divine Lord. Col 2v9 ‘In Christ all the fullness of deity lives in bodily form.’ Stating these two words Kyrios Iesous’ became the basis of accepting s.o as Christian in the early church.
When you answer this question personally and say to Jesus and to people ‘Jesus is Lord’ you are saying your life is under the Lordship of Jesus: no longer self centred but Christ centred. Note we are a witness by BOTH the way we live and the words we speak (witness/testimony) Isaiah 50v4-9 ‘the Lord has given me a tongue (words)… I did not turn back…. I did not hide my face from insult… I have set my face like a flint…’The backdrop to this great question in verse 27 is in the miracle at Bethsaida. After that they travel north to Caesarea Philippi (25 mls NE Sea Galilee). All around that region are temples and statues to Greek Gods (Pan god of nature) also political greatness…. in Caesarea P there was a white marble temple dedicated to Caesar and the people of the empire would have pledged their allegiance to Caesar by hailing ‘Caesar is Lord.’
In this place & with this architecture and politics all around him Jesus asks his ‘disciples’ “Who do people say am?” They said; one of the prophets reincarnated some how, a great teachers of our times. Similarly, today 2012, people say he was a great man, rather like, Caesar the great, Alexander the great, Trump the Great! William the conqueror, Starmer the conqueror!
Question: “Who do people say I am?” Then and now people try and answer….he was great ….but that answer is not feasible …John Stott writes ‘Our claim is not that Jesus was one of the great spiritual leaders of the world…Jesus is not ‘the great’ he is the only, he has no peers, no rivals and no successors!’ Contemporary Christian pg 306
It’s personal: Jesus asks them a very personal question ‘who do YOU say I am?’ and Peter answers ‘You are the messiah the son of God.’ And from Peter’s messianic name ‘Christ-messiah’ came the earliest of all the Christian creeds (Greek) ‘kyrios Iesous’ ‘Jesus is Lord’ …the disciples started to call Jesus ‘Lord Jesus’ or LJC or full title Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (eg 2 Peter 3v18) . These few words so simple yet packed with meaning.. Jesus is Lord/Christ declares the human Jesus to be the divine Lord. Col 2v9 ‘In Christ all the fullness of deity lives in bodily form.’ Stating these two words Kyrios Iesous’ became the basis of accepting s.o as Christian in the early church.
When you answer this question personally and say to Jesus and to people ‘Jesus is Lord’ you are saying your life is under the Lordship of Jesus: no longer self centred but Christ centred.
[Illustration. 1875 Fanny Crosby -RiP 1915 Blinded by medical error as child. As a young person she devoted her life to he Lord jesus, despite the fact that her healing never came. Memorised the bible. Before she was 15 she could recite most of the Psalms, the Pentateuch, the Gospels, Song of Songs, Proverbs. “Safe in the Arms of Jesus” “Rescue the Perishing” “Blessed Assurance” “Pass Me Not, O Gentle Saviour.”“Praise the Lord… let the earth hear his voice. Come to the Father thro Jesus the son and give him the glory great things he has done.
We started with a miracle of sight, then a miracle of spiritual sight given after Jesus personalises his question. Who do you say I am… We can be personal about this question today… Who do I say Jesus is…who do you say Jesus is?Is he your Lord & Saviour Jesus Christ?
