The Record Scratch

Back before Spotify

SKRRRRRRRRP!

That’s the sudden and unexpected sound of a record scratch. Let’s go back before iTunes or Spotify. Before CDs. Before cassettes. Rewind even further. Even before eight-track tapes, everyone listened to vinyl. We ALL listened to vinyl. Not just the nerdiest audiophiles.

Back in the day, folks knew firsthand all about the irritating screech made by dragging the needle across an LP or 45. Fast forward to the 21st Century, the record scratch has become a kitschy sound effect. Or as Merriam-Webster puts it, the noise associated with “surprise or change…an abrupt interruption.”

Leader of the Revolution

Way back even before turntables, Jesus drops such unexpected news on His closest followers that it’s deserving of one of the loudest record scratches in history. He’s just confirmed to the disciples that He is indeed the Messiah, the long-awaited Hero from heaven. Just NOT the kind of Messiah they’re expecting.

The anticipation of the Hebrew nation for the Messiah is a revolutionary political and military leader. He would command the rebellion, throw their Roman oppressors out on their ear, and lead the Jews to become a world superpower like never before.

Instead Jesus reveals He’s come as a very different kind of Messiah. Don’t expect Him to rise up against Rome. No, He’s come to be the suffering Servant who will lead the rebellion against sin and death.

The Messiah Will Suffer?!?

We pick up the story in the eighth chapter of Mark’s Gospel. “Then Jesus began to tell them that the Son of Man must suffer many terrible things and be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of the religious law. He would be killed, but three days later He would rise from the dead” (v31).

The Messiah will suffer?!? Be rejected?!? And be KILLED?!?!? What in the wide world of sports is going on here?!?!? That is NOT how this is supposed to go down!! Cue the earsplitting sound of a record scratch.

SKRRRRRRRRP!

Who Is Jesus?

Mark’s bio of Christ takes a hairpin turn here in the middle of chapter 8. Till this point, the second Gospel asks one question over and over and over. Who is Jesus? Could He possibly be Messiah? Is He the One God has promised to send that we’ve all been waiting for?

His weird, bug eating cousin John knew exactly who He was (Mk 1:7-11). So do the devil and his toadies (Mk 1:12). But until now, Jesus keeps everybody else guessing.

Off His Rocker or Straight from Satan?

Is He crazy? His own family thinks so (Mk 3:20, 31-32). Folks in His hometown certainly aren’t impressed (Mk 6:1-6). Religious leaders even suspect He’s on assignment straight from Satan (Mk 3:22).

But as He continues to teach the people, heal the sick and diseased, as well as drive out demons, Jesus’ popularity surges to an all-time high. Is is possible that He’s one of the great prophets of the OT who’s come back for an encore (Mk 6:14-15; 8:28)?

A Hike into the Mountains

All along the way, the Lord starts dropping clues that He could actually be the Christ. Here on this hike from Bethsaida up into the mountains near Caesarea Philippi, Jesus connects the divine dots for the disciples (Mk 8:27-30). Yes, He IS the Messiah!

Not That Long Ago

Strap yourself in their sandals and let that sink in for a moment. This radical Rabbi/Carpenter from Nazareth really is the Christ. 

Picture yourself as James or John. It wasn’t that long ago that you were working at your dad’s fishing business when this Man invited you to be part of His posse (Mk 1:16-20).

Or maybe you're Matthew.  You were busy putting the squeeze on your own people and taxing them on behalf of the evil Roman Empire. Then one day, Jesus stops by the office to chat when everyone else avoids you like the plague. Meeting Him is so life changing that you throw a party for your friends so they can meet Him too (Mk 2:13-17).

Blowing Their Messianic Minds

In the months that follow, it becomes even more clear that something is very different about Him. His teaching. His miracles. His compassion. You have those whispered side conversations with the other guys. Could He be the One? Is it really possible?

Here in the shadow of massive Mount Hermon, Jesus confirms He’s the Christ. There’s just one problem. He’s not THAT kind of Christ. Not the one they’re expecting, anyway. As a matter of fact, He’s about to blow their messianic minds.

Jesus’ Personal Favorite Nickname

First of all, Jesus confirms He’s Messiah by calling Himself the “Son of Man” (v31). This is our Savior’s favorite nickname for Himself. This phrase shows up a total of 14 times in Mark. And the only person who calls Jesus the Son of Man is none other than Jesus.

What exactly does the name mean? It comes from a passage in the OT where God pulls back the curtains of the heavenly throne room for a dude named Daniel. What the prophet sees is a divine coronation, a passing of the baton from Father to Son.

Messiah’s Coming out Party

“As my vision continued that night, I saw Someone like a Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into His presence. He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey Him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed” (Dan 7:13-14).

All Bible scholars agree on the identity whom Daniel sees. The Ancient One is the First Person of the Trinity, God the Father. The Son of Man is the Second Person of Godhead, God the Son.

Dan’s vision is actually the Messiah’s coming out party. So when the Son of God uses the Son of Man as His personal label, it’s His not-so-subtle way of revealing He’s the One the Father has promised to send.

Dripping with Meaning

Jesus reaches deep into the OT and selects a name that drips with messianic meaning. Jews know full well what the Son of Man signifies. It’s another way of saying the Christ or the Anointed One. But it’s a title that probably doesn’t trigger any alarms for the Romans.

This. Must. Happen.

At this point, you can bet the boys are all in. Our Lord is Messiah! Sweet!! We’ve hitched our wagon to the right Rabbi, fellas!!! Suddenly our Savior says that He “must suffer many terrible things” (v31).

What the WHAT?!?!? Messiah is supposed to rule and reign. Who said He “must suffer many terrible things” (v31)? Jesus makes it clear that what’s about to happen isn’t a possibility. There’s no getting around it. This. Must. Happen.

It’s a Lock

“Must” is the Greek verb δει/dei, which means to be necessary and inevitable. It comes from a root word meaning to chain things together or put someone in handcuffs. We’re talking about something that is a lock. It’s not “if” but “when.” 

A little later, the Lord tells the Twelve all about how God will pull all the strings just before His Second Coming. “These things must (Gr. δει/dei) take place” (Mk 13:7). It’s ALL part of the plan. It’s all part of HIS plan!

God’s Gonna Do What God’s Gonna Do

We may think we know what God has to do. There’s just one little problem. God’s gonna do what God’s gonna do. Period. Just ask Job. Here’s what he said to the LORD after his ordeal, “I know that You can do anything, and no one can stop You” (Job 42:2).

When God wants to do something, there’s no getting around it. It’s a lock. This. Must. Happen.

A Prediction of Pain

And Jesus says what’s about to go down is going to be nasty. Well, at least three out of the four. First, He’s going to “suffer many terrible things” (v31). “Suffer” (Gr. πασχω/pascho) is a word in the original language which means to experience physical or psychological pain, if not both.

You might be interested to know that this term is the source for both Passover as well as what we’ve come to call Jesus’ passion describing His crucifixion, death, and burial. This suffering reminds me of when they ask Clubber Lang’s prediction for his fight with Rocky Balboa. “Prediction? Pain.”

Our Savior is predicting His own pain on what we’ve come to call Good Friday. He’ll undergo not just the physical torture of 

scourging and one of the most excruciating forms of capital punishment the world has ever seen, but the psychological torment of rejection by His heavenly Dad.

No Ticker Tape Parade

Second, Jesus breaks it to the boys that He’ll “be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of the religious law” (v31). Imagine the disciples shock at hearing these words. Of all the people on the planet, shouldn’t these guys be the ones who organize the ticker tape parade for God’s Messiah?

The Roster of Religious Big Wigs

Let’s take a snapshot of the roster of religious big wigs the Lord lists here. Leading off are the elders. These are older members of the ruling council who’ve orbited the sun for several decades. They don’t necessarily hold a professional position like a priest or scribe.

Next are the leading priests. These men are in charge of worship at the temple in Jerusalem. It wasn’t that long ago that the chief priest had to be a descendant of Aaron and served for life. But once the Romans rolled in, they threw that out the window and handpicked the high priest.

So the leading priests includes also includes those who had previously served in that role. Apparently, once a chief priest, always a chief priest. The term could also include other important priestly power players at the time.

The So-Called Experts

Last and certainly not least in this who’s who of the Jews are “teachers of the religious law” (v31). A lot of the other translations call them “scribes.” These are the so-called Bible experts who should know the finer points of interpreting and applying Scripture. Notice how I said “should.”

Despite their incredibly impressive resumes, the Lord says these big dogs from the Hebrew home office will reject Him as Messiah. The idea behind this kind of rejection is to kick something to the curb after determining it is counterfeit.

A Brutal Murder

Which brings us to the third part of this terrible triple play. Don’t think this is simply the Jewish leaders telling Jesus “thanks but no thanks.” The Son of God tells the Twelve that “He will be killed” (v31).

That translation of the Greek verb αποκτεινω/apokteino actually soft sells it just a bit. This word describes a brutal murder or dying a violent death. What ultimately awaits Jesus in Jerusalem will be gruesome and gory.

Just to review. Christ says it won’t be pretty. Pain. Rejection. Violent death.

The Suffering Servant

While His closet followers can’t figure out what all this has to do with God’s Anointed One, the prophet Isaiah wrote extensively about how Messiah would actually be what he calls the suffering Servant (Is 52:13-53:12).

This prophetic passage checks all the same boxes that Jesus teaches His team. One, it must happen. “It was the LORD’s good plan to crush Him and cause Him grief” (Is 53:10). In other words, what’s about to happen is right down the center of the Father’s plan.

Suffering, Rejected, Murdered

The Servant Messiah will suffer terribly. “His face was so disfigured He seemed hardly human, and from His appearance, one would scarcely know He was a man” (Is 52:14). The Christ will be “treated harshly” (Is 53:7).

Isaiah describes in detail how the Messiah will be a target of rejection and scorn. “He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief…He was despised, and we did not care” (Is 53:3).

And just as Jesus tells the Twelve, He will be brutally murdered. “He was led like a lamb to the slaughter…No one cared that He died without descendants, that His life was cut short in midstream” (Is 53:7, 8). When it’s over, “He was put in a rich man’s grave” (Is 53:9).

The Reason for the Bloody Scene

Believe it or not, Isaiah wrote these words 700 years BEFORE Jesus was born! The prophet also reveals the reason behind this bloody scene. It’s all for you and me. Yeah, you read that right. For you. For me.

“We thought His troubles were a punishment from God…but He was pierced for OUR rebellion, crushed for OUR sins. He was beaten so WE could be whole. He was whipped so WE could be healed” (Is 53:4-5, emphasis added).

SKRRRRRRRRP!

It’s God’s Idea

Yeah, you read that right. This is all God’s idea. It’s the Father’s plan. He gave His one and only Son so that we could have a relationship with Him. It’s the only way to bridge the mammoth chasm between Him and us.

A guy named Paul says it this way AFTER it happened. “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (2Cor 5:21).

Jesus Does for Us What We Can’t

Through the lens of 2,000 years of history, we can see what the disciples can’t. We know that Jesus lives the perfect life that we failed to live. He suffers excruciating pain and is totally rejected so that we never have to be. He dies the death for our sin that we should have died.

But thank heavens that it doesn’t stop there. He rises to a glorious new life that we totally do not deserve.

A Sudden Realization

Zoom back to the scene in Mark. If we could only see the looks on the faces of His disciples at His words. This is certainly not the reception Messiah is supposed to receive. Suddenly they must realize they’ll soon face something very similar. Pain. Rejection. Violent death. Cue the record scratch.

SKRRRRRRRRP!

Drowning out the Best Part

The ear-piercing sound apparently drowns out what Jesus says next. “But three days later He would rise from the dead” (v31). All His talk of agony, denial, and murder is so loud that they never hear the best part.

Two more times, Jesus will look His team straight in the eyes and tell them about His upcoming betrayal, murder, and resurrection (Mk 9:30-31; 10:32-34). And just like the first time, they just don’t understand (Mk 9:32; 10:35-45).

They just don’t get it. And before we get too cocky, you and I wouldn’t either. But it won’t be long before they do. One day soon, the resurrected Christ will come strolling out of the cemetery on a quiet Sunday morning.

A New Mega-Theme

What they don’t understand now is that before the Son of Man can rule and reign forever, He must first suffer and die on our behalf. And so begins the new mega-theme in Mark’s Gospel. Jesus has a date with death in Jerusalem on our behalf.

Later that Friday, an even more deafening scrape will resonate throughout all eternity. When our Savior dies in our place, rocks will split, curtains are torn, and dead will rise. Talk about a record scratch!

SKRRRRRRRRP!

©2018

Jay Jennings

Good News Embargo

Breaking News

Did you know there are times when the news media gets inside info and DOESN’T break the story? No, I’m not accusing the mainstream media of being in cahoots to control the news cycle.

What I’m talking about is a little something something called a news embargo. This is an agreement between journalists and the source of their information to sit on a story until it’s appropriate to release it to the public.

Embargoes and Accuracy

News embargoes happen all the time. For instance, companies in the tech sector will give reporters a heads up on the details of their latest software and hardware. This lead time allows various outlets to have their coverage ready to go when the products hit the market.

While that’s incredibly important to members of the media but here’s the big advantage for the source of this inside info. Accuracy. By leaking critical info before the story breaks, they stand a much better chance that the reporting is right.

Leaking Messianic Details

Did you know that Jesus did the very same thing with His disciples? A couple of thousand years before newspapers, wire services, and network news, much less the internet, the Lord leaked major messianic details to His disciples and told them to keep it quiet.

Call it a Good News embargo.

Keeping It on the Down Low

Alone with His closest followers in the mountains, Christ uses a quick Q&A to reveal to His crew who He really is (Mk 8:27-30). He confirms what they’ve suspected. He’s the long awaited Hero whom God has been promising to send to save His people.

And before they can run and tell the world, He immediately commands them to keep it all on the down low. Just wait. This is hush-hush until the time is right. When it is, you’ll know EXACTLY how to explain who He is and what He just did.

Four Bios of Jesus

We pick up the story in what we’ve come to know as the Gospel of Mark. The second document in the New Testament is one of four bios of Jesus. There’s a lot of duplicate stories in them. As a matter of fact, we can find other versions of this same episode in two other Gospels as well (Mt 16:21-28; Lk 9:18-21).

Four Gospels, Four Audiences

You may think that’s a waste of ink. But we need to understand that God originally intended each of these four stories for four different audiences. For instance, Matthew originally wrote to Jewish readers and ties a lot of his details about Jesus to God’s chosen people.

Luke composed his story specifically for a dude name Theophilus (Lk 1:1) and for non-Jewish Greek speakers in general. John wrote the biography of his best Friend a little later than the rest for a broader audience, filling in the gaps and passing along events the others leave out.

A Non-Stop Thrill Ride

So what about Mark? What’s the deal with the second Gospel? First of all, most biblical big wigs believe he’s writing for Roman readers. Back in the day, Romans didn’t fool around. They loved action.

As a result, Mark is a non-stop thrill ride with Jesus. It should come with a warning label. Buckle up before reading. Please keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times.

Peter’s Version

The fast pace is great but for me the cool thing about this particular book is the source. We may call it the Gospel of Mark but some of the earliest followers of Jesus understood this document to be based on Peter’s eyewitness account.

So while historically John Mark gets the byline, Pete’s the source. A better title might be “The Gospel of Peter as Told to John Mark,” but they didn’t ask me. Could there be a better reference for a story about Jesus than the team captain of the original Dirty Dozen?

Four Different Perspectives

What these four very similar but significantly different biographies of our Savior do for us today is provide four different perspectives on many of the same stories. This specific conversation between the Lord and His team is a perfect example.

We’ll focus here on Pete and Mark’s version but we’ll also take a moment and compare it to Matt and Luke along the way. Ready? Sweet. Let’s dive in!!

A Crazy Couple of Weeks

The camera zooms in on Jesus and the Twelve hitting the road after a brief but eventful stop in Bethsaida. The Lord has just restored the sight to a blind man (Mk 8:22-26). And now He’s about to open the eyes of His disciples like never before.

It’s been a crazy couple of weeks for Christ and His crew. He’s been trying to get alone with the boys for quite awhile (Mk 6:31). But everywhere they go, a crowd gathers.

Need to Get Away?

An audience estimated at 5,000 dudes (and probably at least 20,000 people) assembles and Jesus feeds them one of His legendary miracle meals (Mk 6:30-44). Next stop, Gennesaret, where people immediately recognize the Galilean Healer and plead with Him to cure the sick, diseased, and disabled (Mk 6:53-56).

Then bunch of religious bullies from the Hebrew home office ambush Him and accuse Him of ignoring their manmade rules (Mk 7:1-23). Jesus tries to slipping across the border near Tyre and Sidon to get some time with the Twelve. But even in a foreign country, a desperate mom begs Him to cast a demon from her baby girl (Mk 7:24-30).

A Second Miracle Meal

He then takes them back south to the eastern side of Lake Galilee near the Ten Towns. Local folks bring the Lord a hearing impaired gentleman for yet another miraculous healing (Mk 7:31-37).

The next thing you know, another huge crowd shows up for three whole days of teaching straight from Jesus. That means another miracle meal, this time for 4,000 men and the best guess of 16,000 folks (Mk 8:1-10).

There’s yet another run-in with the Pharisees who demand a magic show (Mk 8:11-13). Jesus follows that up with a pop quiz for the Twelve on a boat ride (Mk 8:14-21). They still can’t fully wrap their brains around what they’ve seen.

Hitting the Road Again

After opening the eyes of a blind dude in Bethsaida, our Savior hits the road with His team one more time. “Jesus and His disciples left Galilee and went up to the villages near Caesarea Philippi” (v27).

It’s about 25-30 mile trip up the Jordan River into the mountains. Caesarea Philippi sits at the base of Mount Hermon, near the source of the Jordan. The city is one of several massive construction projects in Palestine during the First Century.

Philip’s Caesar City

It takes its name from both Caesar and Philip, one of Herod the Great’s sons who rules over this little corner of the Roman Empire. It basically means Philip’s Caesar City. This is Phil’s way of sucking up to the emperor, Tiberius Caesar. You ALWAYS want to be on a dictator’s good side.

Caesarea sound familiar? Not surprising. There’s another city along the coast called Caesarea Maritima. That’s where God schedules a divine appointment for Peter with a Roman military officer named Cornelius (Acts 10:1-48).

A Few Moments Alone

Here in the tiny villages outside the big city, Jesus can FINALLY get a few moments alone with the disciples. He’s safe from those pesky Pharisees and Sadducees. And He’s just over the border in Iturea, where Herod Antipas can’t touch Him.

A.T. Robertson believes that Jesus is using this little mountain retreat as the perfect place to tell the guys what’s going down over the next six months. He’s about to make it clear for the first time what He’s come to do and what’s about to go down.

Eliminating Distractions

Alexander MacLaren agrees and says this is Christ’s way of eliminating the disciples’ distractions. He leads them “away from familiar ground into comparative seclusion of the country around Caesarea Philippi, in order to tell them plainly of His death.”

Even then, the Lord does it gently. Before He starts talking about dying a bloody death on a Roman cross and rising from the dead, He needs them to understand one very important truth. His true identity.

A Three-Step Process

Jesus will use a three-step process. First, He asks them who the public sees Him to be. Second, He asks them who they see Him to be. This sets the stage for revealing who He REALLY is.

This Is No Travel Game

Traveling somewhere in the boondocks, Jesus starts pulling back the curtain. “As they were walking along, He asked them, ‘Who do people say I am?’” (v29). This is more than just another way to pass the time on the trip.

This might seem to be Jesus’ version of “I Spy” or “Punch Buggy.” For those born after 1990, parents used these little travel games to occupy their kids on long drives. Yes, there actually was a time before portable DVD players in the backseat.

Looking for Answers

No, Christ’s question has a very important purpose. It’s similar to the pop quiz He gave the disciples on the boat to Bethsaida (Mk 8:14-21). He’s building on that same conversation from a couple of days ago.

“Asked” (Gr. επερωταω/eperotao) is actually a legal term in Greek that describes interrogating someone and get to the bottom of a situation. Luke specifically picks this very same word when the Sanhedrin gives the apostles the third degree (Acts 5:27).

An Ongoing Conversation

And the grammar here in the original language tells us something most translations don’t. The form of the verb is actually in the 

imperfect tense. For those of us who aren’t English majors, the imperfect is the perfect way of saying Jesus is asking them more than once.

Mark wants us to know that this is a lot more than a single question. This is an ongoing conversation between the Lord and His team while they travel. We can easily read this as “He kept on asking them.”

The Time Is Right

Jesus knows the time is right. He’s taking advantage of the opportunity. With no crowd and no distractions, He’s not letting the disciples off the hook this time. Do not pass “Go.” Do not collect $200.

The Savior keeps asking them, “Who do people say I am?” (v27). So what’s the the buzz, boys? What’s the word on the street? What are folks saying about Him?

Slipping in the Side Door

Jesus uses this first question to subtly slip around to the disciples’ side door. He begins by disarming them. He ultimately wants to know what they believe about Him. But He starts by seeing how much public opinion has influenced their view of Him.

How about you and me? Are we allowing our view of Jesus to be shaped by pop culture and secular society? Or do we hold tight to who He says He is and what He came to do?

Who Is Jesus?

Most people really like Jesus…well, at least THEIR view of Him. They see Him as a great teacher. Others as some small-town rabbi. The list is endless. Prophet. Mystic. Revolutionary. Healer. Some folks on the fringe even think He’s an extraterrestrial. But God? Not so much.

Does world’s view of Jesus impact how we see Him? Do your friends, family, and coworkers look at you cockeyed because you believe in Christ? According to MacLaren, “The unpopularity of a belief drives away cowards, and draws the brave and true.”

Feeling Peer Pressure

Did you know feeling peer pressure about Jesus is nothing new. Way back in the First Century, Paul tells fellow Christ followers not to let culture squish them into the mold of belief.

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” (Rom 12:2).

Think of it this way. True change doesn’t come outside pressure and fitting in to how the world thinks. The only real transformation comes when we allow God to swap out the corrupt operating system installed by culture and replace it with His way of seeing His Son as our Lord and Savior.

Putting Their Heads Together

The conversation continues along the winding mountain road. Jesus’ disciples put their heads together and answer His question. “Some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say You are one of the other prophets” (v28).

Apparently, word has gotten back to the boys about reports to Herod Antipas concerning the radical Rabbi/Carpenter from Nazareth (Mk 6:14-15). These are the very same guesses by the king’s closest advisors.

Jesus’ Weird Cousin

Baptizin’ John was not just a prophet but Jesus’ weird cousin. He also played a key role at the Lord’s baptism. Nobody who was there that day along the Jordan will forget how the Father and Spirit showed up for the Son’s coming out party (Mk 1:9-11).

John’s brief prophetic career came to quick end when he kept calling out the king for stealing his own brother’s wife. Mark spends a big chunk of one chapter going over the very sleazy details that ends with the prophet’s bloody head on a silver serving tray (Mk 6:17-29).

A Prophetic Heavyweight

The disciples tell Jesus that some believe He’s Elijah. Man, talk about one of prophetic heavyweights of the OT. Just like John would do later, this particular messenger of God shook his fist at evil kings Ahab and Ahaziah.

When Ahab put a hit on Elijah in order to shut him up, God used to singlehandedly used this guy to wipe the floor with 450 pagan prophets on Mount Carmel (1Ki 18:20-40).

Funny thing about Elijah. He never died. God scooped him up in the most spectacular Uber the universe had ever seen to that point. He road home to heaven in a flaming chariot (2Ki 2:11)! Spoiler alert: It won’t be the last we see of this spokesman of God.

The One the Prophets Predicted

Other than Baptizin’ John and the Big E, folks figure Jesus must be “one of the other prophets” (v28). Some people just couldn’t decide which divine messenger He could be. Isaiah? Jeremiah? Maybe Ezekiel?

All of these prophets had a message for people to put an immediate end to their rebellion and disobedience so they could enjoy 

God’s overflowing goodness. Funny thing, just about every prophet predicted our Savior’s first appearance.

Cutting to the Chase

Now that He’s got the disciples’ take on pubic perception, Jesus cuts to the chase. “But who do you say I am?” (v29). He asks the REAL question. The question behind the question. What’s your answer when people ask about Him? What do you say?

Once again, a little peek at the grammar of the Greek helps us out. The form of the verb “say” (Gr. λεγω/lego) is in the present tense. Because of that, we can easily understand Jesus question to be, “But who are you saying I am?”

Asking about Their Leader

You can bet people are constantly asking the boys about their Leader. What do they tell them? What answer do they give? As the crowds grow larger and His popularity spreads, you know it comes up.

Could Jesus’ question to His disciples be the background for what Peter will write a little later? “If someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way” (1Pet 3:15-16).

How about Us?

Who are you and I saying He is? In other words, this is a lot more than a one time confession and walking the aisle at a revival back in middle school. Doing it once and never saying it again doesn’t cut it. Who are we still saying He is?

Huddling up

Imagine being there when Jesus asks the Twelve for their answer. Can’t you see them huddling up like folks on the Family Feud? What should we say, Andrew? How ‘bout you, James? Is there any doubt, Thomas?

Peter steps up and speaks for the whole team. “You are the Messiah” (v29). But hold the phone! Does you Bible says something else? Most translations say “Christ” instead. What’s the dealio?

The Anointed One

The word in the original language here is Χριστος/Christos. Pretty easy to see this is where we get Christ. The term comes from a root word meaning to anoint something or someone for a very special purpose. He’s the Anointed One.

Χριστος/Christos is the NT Greek equivalent to the one the OT calls Messiah. He’s the long awaited Hero from heaven God promised to send from the beginning. He’s coming to restore the glory of God’s creation that we trashed through our sin and rebellion.

500-Plus Predictions

The very first hint of Messiah came in the opening pages of Scripture when Yahweh warns the satanic snake that He’s sending One to crush its head (Gen 3:15). God follows that by promising Abraham that Messiah will come from His family (Gen 12:1-3;17:1-8).

Later the Father uses the prophet Nathan to inform King David that one of his sons will not only be the eternal King of Kings but the Anointed One (2Sam 7:9-17). Those are just three of 500-plus messianic predictions in the Old Testament.

The Hero of the Bible

The big idea is that as Messiah Jesus is THE Hero of not just the New Testament but the entire Bible. The Lord says so Himself. He boldly tells Jewish leaders, “The Scriptures point to Me!” (Jn 5:39) and that Moses “wrote about Me” (Jn 5:46).

And just to be clear about the name Christ. Christ is NOT Jesus’ last name. His earthly parents’ names aren’t Joe and Mary Christ. It’s not His name but His title. He’s Jesus Christ, the Anointed One. Jesus Messiah.

Flip Back to the Beginning

So if Pete is Mark’s source, why doesn’t he include what the apostle says in the other Gospels? Matthew quotes Rocky as saying, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16). In Dr. Luke’s account, he declares, “You are the Messiah sent from God” (Lk 9:20).

Before you get too worried that Mark’s pulling his punches, flip back to his opening line of Jesus’ bio. “This is the God News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God” (Mk 1:1). He connects all the divine dots. Jesus. Messiah. Son of God.

Their Little Secret

Back outside Caesarea Philippi, the Lord tells His team that this will be their little secret for the time being. “But Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about Him” (v30). The two other versions of this same story include the very same command (Mt 16: 28; Lk 9:21).

What the what?!? Why doesn’t the Savior want to get the word out? Some folks think this means Jesus never believed He was the sinless Son of God. Yeah, you can drop that thought like a bad habit. This is all about timing.

It’s a Good News embargo.

Not a Radical Revolutionary

There are three important reasons to keep it quiet. First of all, the Jews are desperate to get rid of the boot of Roman rule. The Hebrew people are looking for their Messiah top e a political and military leader.

More than once we see them ready to make Jesus the leader of the revolution (Jn 6:15; 12:12-15). Jesus doesn’t want the people to get the wrong idea about Messiah’s REAL mission. He’s not a radical revolutionary but a suffering Servant (Is 52:13-53:12).

Staying out of the Crosshairs

Second, Christ is wisely trying to stay out of the crosshairs of the local Roman rulers. There’s a lot to do between now and His date with death at Golgotha. They’ll get their hands on Him soon enough. In the meantime, there’s people to heal, demons to exorcise, and disciples to be trained.

An Accurate View of Messiah

Third, Jesus is on the verge of challenging everything they had come to believe about the Messiah. As a matter of fact, that starts in the following conversation (Mk 8:31-32). Just wait until they get to Jerusalem.

The Son of God knows they must see His messianic mission through the lens of His crucifixion and resurrection. He wants them to be accurate in who He is and what He’s done.

If they think Jesus is Messiah now? Just you wait, boys. Just you wait. It won’t be long before the Lord lifts the Good News embargo.

©2018

Jay Jennings