Who do men say you are?
“Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (ESV) Matthew 16:13-16
Every Christian’s wish is to please his maker and no one else. In pleasing our maker, our actions and inactions must help the world identify us as unique people. In the world, who are we? Does the world see us as one of them or they see us as people with a higher calling? Our influence on the world must be positive so that we stand out. Christ influence on the world was very positive so even though people did not know His real identity, they equated him to the great prophets they knew and have heard of. The world may not know that we are co-heirs with Christ, but when they speak of us, they should make reference to Christ whom they have heard of.
As Christians journeying in this world, the Bible says “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven – Matthew 5:16”. But what light is being referred to? The preceding verse says it all - you are the light (Matthew 16:14)! The only way for the world to know who we are is to be the light in a dark world.
As Christians, our lives are constantly in the public glare. This is the more reason why we ought to take time to review our status as children of God, in the sight of the people of our time. It beholds on us to do just as Jesus did. Obviously, this isn’t to seek approval from men on what to do but in our case it will be to examine oneself to see if one is still in the faith and doing what is pleasing that qualifies us to be called Christians – 2 Corinthians 13:5.
Please give a deep thought to the saying, “who do men say you are?”. What account will men give of you who claim to be a Christian? Today is all the time you have to transform your world positively. Aim to be that light that everyone speaks positively of and can’t function without.