Who Is Jesus?
This is an audio recording of Who Is Jesus? the Day 26 entry in Today for Seafarers (Vol. 1) devotional by Jason Zuidema.
Listen to the audio by Sheila Margerrison or read the text below:
“He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. ‘Get behind me, Satan!’ he said. ‘You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.’
Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.’”
Many people have tried to make Christ into what they think he should be. They might think of him as merely a great prophet, a wise teacher, a gifted leader, or a good friend—but nothing more. But what Jesus says about himself is much different from what some people say about him.
What does it mean that Jesus came as the suffering Messiah? It means that we have a problem. We are separated from peace with God because of our sin. We have no way of bringing that relationship back to a state of peace. By ourselves we have no way of getting out from under the judgment of God. We need a mediator, a Savior: the Messiah appointed by God to take our sin away and restore us to a right relationship with God.
It also means that Christ is the one true Messiah. He came to this earth and died on a cross to take our sin away and restore the peace and fellowship we need with God.
Most of all, it means that if we believe in Christ as the kingly yet suffering Messiah, we can enjoy a restored relationship and fellowship with God.
There are two great ways for hearing more of the truth about God, who he is, and what his Son came to do for us. In the Bible we have the words of God telling the story of how Jesus came to this world to restore what had been broken. And in prayer we can communicate with the one God who sent his Son so that we could be free of our sin.
For Further Thought
Who is Jesus to you?
How do you speak about Jesus with the other crew members on your ship?
How do different conceptions of Jesus affect our prayers to him?
Prayer
Lord, help me to see your true worth. Bring others into my life who will help me know your value, so that I may treasure you above all things. Amen.
