Reflect

Who is this man who compelled others to give up their lives and follow him? What new messages does he offer that attracts them?

Jesus asked two questions of his followers: “Who do other people say I am?” and “Who do you say I am?” leading to Peter’s statement of faith.

Most people have an idea of the historical God, through the creation story, the stories of the Old Testament, and the prophets. This was all the Jews knew of God—the law and the prophets. Now the God of law, of the Old Testament, has become the living Savior of the New Testament, the good news in human form.

In answer to the first question, the disciples reflected the thinking of the past—“one of the prophets.” They repeated what they had heard others say. They say is the way a lot of information about religion is passed on. The second question brings it closer to home. “Who do you say I am?” Faith in God always comes down to personal knowledge. We cannot build a faith experience on what others say about God. We must, like Peter, make our own decision.

In this Advent season, as we prepare for his coming, we need to know truly who this Jesus is, and what his coming means to us. The approaching holiday season might represent the first question. This may be the way the world celebrates his coming, with the trappings of the commercial Christmas. The Christian can base their celebration on the second question, and on Peter’s answer: Emmanuel. God has come to dwell among us.

—Jean Grimsley

Question

1. What do you think led Peter to make his profession of belief? Do you think he really understood what it meant?
2. If Christians are supposed to be the living reflection of God in the world today, why would people want to be like us?
3. What qualities of Jesus do you strive to reflect in your life?

Act

1. Make a list of all the ways you have an identity in your life—spouse, parent, child, employee, club member, church member, etc. Which of these offers a true reflection of who you are, and which ones are the world’s labels?
2. Review the lives of John the Baptist, Elijah, and Jeremiah to look for characteristics they had in common with Jesus.
3. Find ways to keep the true identity of Jesus foremost in the coming weeks as you prepare to celebrate Christmas.

Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash