You are the Christ, the Son of God! (Mark 8:27-30)

[Stephan Choe]

January 23, 2025

Mark 1:1 reads: “This is the beginning of the good news about Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God”.

Mark's Gospel therefore says that Jesus is the Messiah (the Savior) and the Son of God.

Today's text, Mark 8:27-29, reads:

 “Jesus went with his disciples to the villages near Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked the disciples: <Who do people think I am?

They said to him: <Some for John the Baptist, others for Elijah, still others for one of the prophets.>

Then he asked them, <But whom do you say that I am?> Simon Peter answered him, <You are the Christ (i.e. the Messiah)!” (27-29).

This event is at the center of Mark's Gospel and is also the focus of the entire account. Before this section, Mark's Gospel has reported that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God, and presents one miracle after another as proof of this.

After this section, Mark reports that Jesus is heading to Jerusalem to die for our sins and rise from the dead.

So: the first half of Mark's Gospel shows us that God is real in the midst of people, and the second half shows that God redeems us from sin through Jesus Christ.

Verse 27 says: “Jesus and his disciples left Galilee and went up to the villages near Caesarea Philippi.

Caesarea Philippi is located 40 km north of the Sea of Galilee and at the foot of Mount Hermon. One of the largest springs feeding the Jordan River is located here. This abundant water supply made the area very fertile and attractive for religious cults.

Caesarea Philippi was a pagan city where Herod the Great built a temple to worship Caesar as a god.

There was also a large temple to the idol Pan over wilderness, shepherds, flocks, and the great outdoors. Pan was half man and half goat and played the flute. In addition to Pan, there were numerous other gods and goddesses.

In Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked his disciples his first question, “Who do people in general think I am?”

This was a question about the general opinion of the people. With this question, Jesus wanted to help his disciples to have a personal conviction about Jesus despite people's opinions.

So they answered: “Some think you are Elijah risen from the dead; others think you are John the Baptist risen from the dead; and still others think you are some prophet.”

In the first century, there was a strong belief in reincarnation. After Herod had killed John the Baptist in prison, the rumor spread that John the Baptist had returned in the form of Jesus. The messages of Jesus were similar to the messages of John the Baptist who preached, “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.” For Jesus' first sermon was: “Repent and believe in the gospel!”

This rumor was so strong that Herod himself began to believe it (Mark 6:14-16).

The second opinion of the people about the person of Jesus was that Jesus was the returned “Elijah”. For Jesus rebuked the people for their sin and idolatry and performed miracles like Elijah calling down fire from heaven.

The disciples echoed the third opinion of the people, “Others say that you are some kind of prophet.” The people thought that if Jesus was neither John the Baptist nor Elijah, he must be another prophet.

In the Bible, we find other people's opinions about Jesus.

- Mark 3 tells us that Jesus' own brothers thought he was crazy (Mark 3:21). 

- In Mark 3 we are again told that the religious leaders thought he was possessed by demons (Mark 3:22). 

-Jesus' home people thought Jesus was an average person like them (Mark 6:1-3).

The world today considers Jesus to be one of the founders of world religions. There are world religions Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and other religions and superstitions.

 Buddhists say that people would go through a long cycle of death and rebirth. According to their teachings, if you are completely free from desires and feelings, you will be redeemed from this cycle of rebirths and reach nirvana. If you have no more desires and feelings, you could find happiness and reach nirvana, the eternal perfect world. Nirvana is called “극락” in Korean (meaning roughly “paradise”). Nirvana means the world of salvation where is free from the long cycle of repeated rebirth as any living being or human being. But if you are not perfect, you will be born again as some animal or man.   Hindus teach, people would go through a long cycle of death and rebirth like the Buddhists.

Hindus worship many gods, including one greatest god. Similar to Buddhism, according to Hindu teachings, people would go through a long cycle of death and rebirth. You can also be reborn as an animal. They believe in Nirvana also, if you are completely free from desires and feelings.

Muslims believe in a single God. They present God as unattainable for humans. They recognize Jesus only as a prophet, but not as the Son of God or God incarnate.

Now we want to learn about Jesus' second question and the disciples' answers. Jesus had accompanied his disciples for almost three years so that they could realize and confess Jesus' identity as the Son of God and Messiah.

Jesus asked the disciples who they thought Jesus was. This was a question of personal conviction. Jesus wanted his disciples to have and confess a firm conviction of the Messiahship of Jesus and his divinity, regardless of the opinions of people in the world.

Peter replied: “You are the Christ!” According to the Gospel of Matthew, his answer was: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!”

Anyone who, like Peter, believes and confesses Jesus as the Christ and Son of God is saved and is a child of God. If you tell other people about this confession, other people can believe in it, be saved and become children of God.

Mark's Gospel 1:1 “This is the good news of Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God” is therefore the summary of the entire book of Mark. As evidence of Jesus' Messiahship and God’s sonship, Mark reports throughout his book on his divine power, authority, glory, grace, truth, and mercy. This is how readers of Mark's Gospel can recognize Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God! This is the content of the Gospel of Mark.

Who is Jesus for you?

We can answer this question either according to the opinions of the world or according to the Bible.

When we recognize and confess Jesus as Christ the Savior and Son of God, we are freed from all sins and become children of God. We then have eternal life, receive the Holy Spirit and enter the kingdom of heaven after our physical death. There we have a new identity as God's children.

When we have our new identity in Christ, we are free from our worldly identity. And we have shed our old identity as a self-centered person, and we have become a new creation through Jesus Christ. My old identity is gone, and I am a child of God. That is my new identity. Each of us has been given a new heart and a new purpose in life. I have been given eternal life and life in abundance.

My answer to the question “Who is Jesus?” determines my identity, my goal of life and my eternity. How I answer this question reveals how I make decisions, what is important to me and why I do or don't do certain things. My answer determines who I submit to.

“Who is Jesus?” Jesus confronts me and you with this question today.

Each of us must answer the question personally: “Who is Jesus for me?”

Who is Jesus for me if one of my family members does not believe in Jesus? Who is Jesus for me if I am angry with a family member? Who is Jesus for me if my neighbors don't believe in Jesus? Who is Jesus for me when I find myself in a life crisis? Who is Jesus for me when the world is in crisis, e.g. economic crisis, violence or war?

This is so important that you cannot be saved without understanding this truth. John says in 1 John 4:13-15:

“13 By this we know that we abide in him, and he in us, that he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. 15 Whoever therefore confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him and he in God.”

We should not only recognize in Jesus a man who was sent by God and who performed miracles and helped people. Rather, we should come to know the only Messiah, God incarnate! Then we can receive eternal life and become children of God!

“Do not tell anyone yet”

Then, in verse 30, Mark reports Jesus' instruction to his 12 disciples: “But Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.”

Why did Jesus tell his disciples to keep the true identity of Jesus to themselves for a while? There are two reasons for this warning.

- To prevent a false hope of a political Messiah.

If the disciples were to announce Jesus' Messiahship now, the people would understand Jesus as a political Messiah. The people hoped for a political Messiah like King David. They hoped that the Messiah would free Israel from Roman rule and establish a worldly, messianic, kingdom. Jesus did not want to raise such false hopes.

- The disciples were to wait until Jesus, as the Christ and Son of God, completely fulfilled his messianic task. To do this, he wanted to take all human sin upon himself, die on the cross, then rise from the dead and ascend to heaven (cf. 1 Cor 15:1-4). This is how Jesus wanted to completely fulfill his mission. The disciples were to wait until then. When Jesus has completely fulfilled his messianic mission, his disciples are to proclaim the whole of the good news so that all who hear and believe in it will be saved.

Jesus knew that his work was not yet complete. It would have been premature for the disciples to go into the world and proclaim the good news (cf. Mt 28:19-20).

But we already know the whole story. Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead three days later. He ascended to the Father and his Holy Spirit came to everyone who believes. We are now to proclaim Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God so that listeners may believe in Jesus, become children of God and have eternal life.

Consequences of the report

What conclusions should we draw from this report? Clearly, we should confess our personal faith in Jesus as Christ and the Son of God. And we should also tell other people about our conviction so that they can also believe in Jesus Christ and become children of God. Amen!