Dear Friends,
We hope this week's devotional will encourage you in your spiritual walk. We give thanks to Rev. Richard Giesken, Associate Lecturer in Biblical Studies and Missiology, for writing this devotional.
You are welcome to share this and include it in your church newsletters if you wish; we just ask that you please give credit to NTC and the author. Thank you!
Mark 8: 27-38
27 Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that I am?’ 28 And they answered him, ‘John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.’ 29 He asked them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered him, ‘You are the Messiah.’ 30 And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.
31 Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’
34 He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. 36 For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? 37 Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? 38 Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.’
Devotional
Who do people around you say that Jesus is? Everyone seems to have an opinion—some see him as a teacher of morality, a historical figure, or a spiritual guide among others. In a diverse world, Jesus often becomes just one option among many. For many of our neighbours, the answer may seem irrelevant, as their indifference often stems from an unawareness of its true, deeper significance.
While the question might be met with indifference by our neighbours, it carries deep significance for those who bind their lives to Jesus. Who I say Jesus is shapes who I am. Is Jesus merely a theology, a philosophy, an ideal, a fix-it man for all my problems, an economic talisman, or an ideal too high to attain? Or is Jesus the living, present Lord, who calls us to follow him in every aspect of life, challenging us to live with humility, love, and sacrificial service? While Peter gives the “right” answer when he declared Jesus as the Messiah, I’m not sure he fully understood the implications. Peter’s answer didn’t mean he understood the hypostatic union, nor did it mean he grasped Jesus as the second person of the Trinity. His answer was shaped by his expectations of Jesus. I wonder what his answer was on the day of Pentecost, or when he bowed to pressure not to sit at the Gentiles’ table in Galatia, or in those final days, sitting in a prison in Rome, awaiting his own execution.
As you reflect on your answer this week, I’d like to invite you to take time to step away from the busyness of life, just as Jesus did with his disciples. In that quiet space, sit with Jesus and his question for a while. What are the implications of your answer for your life? Does it challenge you to explore the question more deeply? Does it bring you to a crossroads between serving your own needs or the needs of others? Do you have in mind the concerns of God, or merely human concerns?
Prayer
Dear Jesus, I believe I know who you are—my Lord and my Saviour—but I know that you are far more than I can fully comprehend. There are depths of your being that will always elude me. Yet, I yield to you my ignorance and my arrogance. I desire to follow you closely, to learn more about who you are, and to let that knowledge transform who I am. Maranatha, come, Lord Jesus. Amen.
Grace and peace,
Richard Giesken (Associate Lecturer in Biblical Studies and Missiology)