Are you a seeker of Truth?

Luke 9:18-21

Are you a seeker of truth, have you grown tired of religion and it’s tradition?  In fact, you may be one who is smart enough to know there is a Creator, someone that holds this universe together, but you do not know how to find that one.  I’ve got great news for you, in four verses from the Bible you can find the answer, it is that simple! 

“Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” And they answered, “John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.” Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.” And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”  (Luke 9:18-22 ESV)

If you are one of those literal people as I seem to be, it appears as if Dr. Luke miss spoke when he stated; “as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him” but my sweet wife explained “Jesus praying alone is the same as you praying on the back porch, and me sitting with my cats in a chair near by,” and she is right.  Jesus being God in the flesh had no need to ask anyone anything, but He did this for you and me, and the twelve.  “Who do the crowds say that I am?”  If you want the answer to that question go to any school of higher learning and ask the professors and I bet you are going to hear a little different answer from the one the disciples and the people of that day.  These are the answers you can expect, a good moral man, a good teacher, historical figure, a Rabbi who acted like a rebel, a guy who claimed to be God, and the list goes on.

A Christian group in Dallas, Texas, called Bluefish did a man on the street interview and these are some of the answers to “Who is Jesus?”

He was a dude that lived back in the day pretty awesome he had a beard.

I don’t know because I don’t really believe in him so I don’t really think anything of him.

Jesus was a man from what I figure.

He probably existed but I don’t believe he was the Son of God or anything.

I think that he is a pretty cool guy he had a peaceful philosophy I think he’s misinterpreted by a lot of people.

Not that much different from the University professor but C.S. Lewis rains on these summations, this is his quote on the subject: “If Jesus was not whom he claimed, then he must be a lunatic, a liar, or worse.”  In his book “Mere Christianity” you can read Lewis going into great detail on the subject of the above statement. 

So the people all gave Jesus a pass on being someone of great importance like John the Baptist or Elijah, but not the Messiah.   Jesus asked the question to the twelve and Jesus has not stopped asking it of all people, “But who do you say that I am?” 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice