Who Do You Say Jesus Is?
What It Really Means to Follow Him
It is easy to say the right things about Jesus. It is much harder to actually follow Him. This tension sits at the heart of Matthew 16, where Peter makes a bold confession about who Jesus is and then, just moments later, completely misses what that confession requires of Him.
Peter Got the Answer Right But Missed the Point
When Jesus asked His disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter answered correctly. He said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus confirmed that this was not Peter's own insight. The Father had revealed it to Him.
But here is the sobering reality. You can have the right answer about who Jesus is and still not understand what kind of Messiah He is or what it means to follow Him.
Peter's confession was accurate. His understanding of Jesus' mission was completely wrong.
What Happens When Jesus Explains the Cross
In Matthew 16:21, immediately after Peter's confession, Jesus began to show His disciples what being the Messiah actually meant. He told them He must go to Jerusalem, suffer, be killed, and rise on the third day.
Peter's response? He pulled Jesus aside and rebuked Him. "God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You." (Matthew 16:22, ESV)
Peter wanted the kingdom without the cross. He wanted resurrection without death. He wanted glory without self-giving. He wanted victory without sacrifice.
And if we are honest, many of us think the same way.
Why Did Jesus Call Peter "Satan"?
Jesus responded to Peter with words that are jarring: "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man." (Matthew 16:23, ESV)
This was not a random insult. Jesus used that word deliberately. Peter was thinking exactly the way the enemy thinks, in worldly terms, seeking the crown while avoiding the cross.
This mirrors the temptations Jesus faced in the desert. Satan tried to get Jesus to bypass the cross and take an easier path. Peter, without realizing it, was doing the same thing.
The road to the crown runs through the cross. That is the way of Jesus, and there is no shortcut.
How Much of Your Life Is Consumed With Worldly Thinking?
It is worth sitting with that question. How much of daily life is shaped by the pursuit of security, comfort, money, and personal kingdoms rather than surrender to Christ?
Jesus did not leave room for ambiguity here. He said clearly:
"If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?" (Matthew 16:24-26, ESV)
This is not a call to seek suffering for its own sake. It is a call to stop building your own little empire and start living for something that actually lasts.
What Does It Mean to Deny Yourself and Take Up Your Cross?
Denying yourself is not always about dramatic gestures. Most of the time, it shows up in small, daily choices. How you treat people at the store. How you respond to a difficult coworker. Whether you show up to serve when it costs you something.
Paul captures this identity in Galatians 2:20:
"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." (Galatians 2:20, ESV)
This is the baptismal life. To be united with Christ means dying to self and being raised with Him. That is not a one-time event. It is a daily orientation.
You Cannot Do This on Your Own
The good news is that Jesus does not send you out to carry your cross alone. He carried His first. He goes before you.
So, when believers gather at the Table, they are not just remembering a historical event. They are being strengthened for the journey WITH God. And his grace is what makes self-denial possible! It is not something you manufacture through willpower but HIS power!
Acts 1:8 reminds us that Jesus promised His disciples “power” when the Holy Spirit came upon them. That word for “power” in the Greek is the root of the word "dynamite." Following Jesus is not a quiet, comfortable arrangement. It is a life-altering, world-shaking reality!
The Question That Changes Everything
The question Jesus asked His disciples is still being asked today. Who do you say He is?
If the answer is that “Jesus is Lord”, then that answer has to shape everything. Not just what you say on Sunday, but how you live Monday through Saturday. Knowing about Jesus and truly knowing Jesus as Lord are two very different things.
As Paul writes in Romans 12:2:
"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." (Romans 12:2, ESV)
The renewal of the mind is the antidote to Peter's mistake. It is the ongoing work of setting your thoughts on divine things rather than worldly ones.
Life Application
This week, identify one specific area of your life where you have been thinking like Peter, wanting the blessing without the surrender, wanting the crown without the cross. It might be a relationship, a financial decision, a habit, or an attitude toward someone who is difficult to love.
Choose one concrete act of self-denial in that area. Not because suffering is the goal, but because laying something down is how you pick up your cross and follow Jesus.
Ask yourself these questions as you reflect:
- Am I confessing Jesus as Lord while still resisting His way in a specific area of my life?
- Where am I setting my mind on human things rather than divine things?
- What would it look like this week to lose my life for Christ's sake in a practical, tangible way?
- Do I truly know Jesus, or do I simply know about Him?
The life Jesus calls us to is not smaller than the one we are holding onto. It is infinitely larger. Lay the old life down, and find out what it means to truly live!
Grace and peace,
Travis +