Jesus the Messiah
Truth Taught- Peter gives his great confession of the Person of Jesus showing that God had opened his eyes to see everything clearly.
Before we begin this very important passage where Peter and the other disciples show us that God has, in fact, opened their eyes to who Jesus really is, namely the Messiah, I want to make sure we understand what the title Messiah means.
There are hundreds of prophetic passages in the Old Testament that refer to a coming Messiah who would deliver His people…
Isaiah 61:1–3 (ESV)
61 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.
Ancient Israel thought their Messiah would come with military might to deliver them from decades of captivity to earthly kings and pagan nations. This way of thinking is selfish and it disregards what God was already doing. They were in rebellion and sin and it was God who had sent them into captivity. It was their own sin that placed them under God’s judgement. The answer to their captivity was not that God would send some Hero to rescue them but that they would repent.
The New Testament reveals a much better deliverance provided by Jesus the Messiah—a deliverance from the power and penalty of sin not an earthly oppressor…
Luke 4:16–19 (ESV)
16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. 17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Here, it is clear that Jesus is telling everyone that He is the fulfillment of the Messiah prophecies. He is claiming to be the Messiah.
Messiah means anointed One and King. The King was anointed by God and so we see Jesus is the Promised Messiah King who would deliver His people. He would not deliver them from the Romans but from their sin. Because Jesus delivers from sin, He can also be the Savior of all people who believe, not just the Jews, He is our Savior as well.
The Messiah was promised by God all the way back in Genesis with the Abrahamic Covenant that through Abraham all the families of the earth would be blessed. We saw that Jesus also fulfilled this prophecy.
All the families of the earth will be blessed by the One who was to come, namely, the Seed of Abraham which is the fulfillment of the Covenant. How are the families blessed? By being in a right relationship with God through the work of Jesus the Messiah then we are included in the family of God and the Promised Seed of Abraham has fulfilled His role to bring about blessing to the families of the earth.
Galatians 3:7–9 (ESV)
7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
Galatians 3:29 (ESV)
29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.
The disciples were with Jesus this entire time and did not get it. Here is the sad reality of human frailty and human sin. We see the disciple’s lack of understanding and lack of spiritual sight. We rightly then conclude that it is not miracles that opens the eyes of the blind but God and He alone. We will further see this reality today.
The unclean woman knew it (Mark 5:25-34)
The Syrophoenician woman knew it (7:24-30)
The Gentile Deaf-mute knew it (7:31-37)
Then we have the declarations of Jesus’ deity as the Son of God and Messiah…
Jesus, Himself knew He was the Messiah…as we already have seen
Mark’s Declaration
Mark 1:1 (ESV)
1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
God the Father’s Declaration
Mark 1:9–11 (ESV)
9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
Even demons declare who Jesus is
Mark 1:24–25 (ESV)
24 “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!”
Mark 3:11–12 (ESV)
11 And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” 12 And he strictly ordered them not to make him known.
Mark 5:6–7 (ESV)
6 And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. 7 And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.”
The Gospel writer has given us ample evidence as to the identity of Jesus. Yet, His own disciples seem to be slow to realize who He really is. Now is the time their eyes begin to work. Their ears are no longer deaf they begin to hear. Their hearts, no longer hard but functioning. All their senses have been resuscitated and they see.
Please Stand…
Mark 8:27–30 (ESV)
27 And 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 told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” 29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” 30 And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.
1. Who Do People Say That I Am? (8:27-28)
27 And 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 told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.”
Who do the people believe that I am, Jesus asks His disciples. What’s the verdict? What’s the consensus? What’s the judgement? Our Lord has been around the people for quite some time now teaching them and preaching the good news of the Kingdom of God and the people must come to an assessment of the Person of Jesus Christ.
This was true in that day with Jesus walking through the villages and towns and it is true today. People must choose.
The people were well aware of the hundreds of predictions concerning the Messiah. They knew their Bibles. They see what Jesus is doing and have witnessed the signs He has accomplished in their midst and now they must decide. Who is this Man, Jesus?
What do the crowds say about Me?
The disciples begin to echo popular opinion, things they have heard about Jesus.
28 And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.”
Mark 6:14–16 (ESV)
14 King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some said, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” 15 But others said, “He is Elijah.” And others said, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” 16 But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.”
Some say You are Elijah…
The reasons some said Jesus was Elijah was because Elijah was taken up into heaven with the promise of a return. Like John the Baptist being the forerunner of Jesus’ first appearance, Elijah will be the forerunner of the Day of the Lord.
Malachi 3:1 (ESV)
“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.
Malachi 4:5 (ESV)
5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.
Some say You are John the Baptist…
Herod was a paranoid and demented ruler. He had beheaded John the Baptist in prison and feared that somehow Jesus was John the Baptist that came back from the dead.
Some say You are one of the Prophets of old…
Deuteronomy 18:15 (ESV)
15 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen—
As great as all these potential figures were, they are greatly inadequate when we see who Jesus really is.
Jesus is no doubt, like these great men of Israel’s history but they all fall infinitely short when we see Jesus for who He truly is.
If Jesus were to ask people today, who do you say that I am? We would have answers that cover the spectrum.
Some say He is a great teacher. Some say He is a great moral example. Some say He is Michael the Arch-Angel.
Think with me for a moment…If Jesus was just a good teacher would you not at least say that what He taught was true? He taught that He is the Son of God. If Jesus was just a great moral example would that also mean you should believe what He said. A good moral example surely would not lie to us. What did Jesus say? I am the Son of God. Finally, Jesus cannot be Michael the Arch-Angel because angels are created beings and Jesus claims to be eternal.
John 8:58 (ESV)
58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”
2. Who Do You Say That I Am (8:29-30)
29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” 30 And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.
Now comes the crucial question that can truly only be answered if God has worked and opened the eyes of the disciples…
When they believe and confess, they are showing that there has been a miracle that has taken place not in healing of a leper or a lame man but healing of a human heart. They have truly seen Jesus for who He is.
Beloved the absolute greatest miracle next to Christ’s resurrection is the opening of the heart to believe the Gospel. When someone truly sees Jesus for who He really is, namely, the Son of God and Messiah then God has worked and a miracle taken place and the person can see everything clearly.
The disciples are now asked to render their judgement…who do you say I am. Their answer did not come through human wisdom or some sort of criticism movement or watching His miracles, it came exclusively from God giving them life.
Matthew 16:15–17 (ESV)
15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
Did you catch where Jesus says that this wonderful truth and affirmation comes from? My Father who is in heaven. God has revealed this truth to Peter and to the others.
The disciples have been with Jesus about a year and it has taken them this long for God to get them ready to have this wonderful truth. The truth that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God is the truth that is to be believed for salvation.
John 20:30–31 (ESV)
30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
To receive eternal life is to believe correctly concerning the Person of Jesus Christ…
Jesus asks us the same question. Who do you say that I am? Our sincere answer is crucial because if we truly can say Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God we must affirm that God the Father has worked in our hearts just as He did in the Apostle Peter’s heart.
The answer to this question is central in the Gospel of Mark.
Here is the first step in the disciple’s understanding. They now affirm who Jesus is.
They understand who Jesus is but they’re yet to understand what the Messiah will do.
30 And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.
They believe Jesus to be the Messiah, the Son of God but they still think He will restore the glory back to Israel through military power. They think He will be a Messiah that will overthrow Rome and defeat their enemies.
However, rather than inflicting suffering on their enemy as a military leader, Jesus will Himself suffer.
Rather than picking up the warrior’s sword our Lord will pick up the servant’s towel. Rather than carrying a shield for battle, He will carry a cross.
Rather than saving us from our enemies, Jesus will save us from our sin.
Jesus will now begin to show His disciples not only who He is but now what He will do.
So, we begin to see the shift in Mark’s focus from who Jesus is to what He will do.
This is why our Lord tells His disciples to not tell anyone because their version of Messiah is still steeped in misunderstanding and confusion.
There is so much more the disciples will see now that their eyes are opened to who Jesus is.
Do you know Jesus? Do you know who He is? Do you know what He has done? In knowing these things has your life forever been altered? Are you His disciple?
Are you ready to confess Christ before others? Peter’s confession of Christ and our confession of Christ is not popular among the masses. We must, however, take courage and be ready to give an account of who Jesus is and what He has done to anyone. It’s not popular and you will make enemies on the way.
Matthew 10:32–33 (ESV)
32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.
I pray you know Christ and He knows you…
Resources:
Mark by RC Ryle
Mark by Edwards
Mark by Lane
Mark by Hughes
Got Questions? On the Messiah
Words of grace
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