February 28 | Luke 9:18-20
- Terry Starr
- Feb 28
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 1
Daily Reading
REFLECTION
Who Do YOU Say That I Am?
By Terry Starr
"Who do YOU say that I am?" With this question, Jesus challenges His disciples into a deeper personal reflection of who He is as the Son of God. Jesus is asking them if they truly understand He is the promised Messiah and invites them to seek a better comprehension of His divine nature by encouraging self-reflection.
This question is pivotal in the Gospel message as Jesus begins to reveal His true identity as the Christ and His mission on earth. It is spoken at a time just after the disciples have witnessed many miracles and wonders. Jesus invites the disciples to declare their personal faith in Him as the Christ. The Messiah. Jesus directs the question of His identity to His disciples, emphasizing the personal nature of their faith. The question challenges the disciples to look beyond what others are saying and consider their own understanding and belief. Do they have the personal conviction of seeking to know who Jesus truly is? With faith in a Holy God who throughout scripture has proclaimed a Savior will come, do the disciples really understand that Jesus IS the promised Messiah? Peter answers passionately: "You are the Christ!"
He poses the same question to you and me. "Who do YOU say that I am?"
WHO IS Jesus to you? We may speak the name of Jesus as The Christ. The Messiah. The Son of God. But do you KNOW Him as your Savior? Does He live in your heart? Do you have a deep personal relationship with Him? Do you spend each day knowing God the Father, Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit are living through you? Do we have the personal conviction of seeking to know Jesus intimately? These questions can be challenging and cause great self-reflection. Are you willing to proclaim this message aloud no matter where you are or who you are with? Do we answer passionately: "You are the Christ!"
Jesus is asking his disciples to profess their faith aloud that He is the Messiah while He still lived among them. For us, we need to not only proclaim our faith that Jesus is the Son of God, but also believe that He came to earth in human form, suffered and died for our sins and ALL sin so that we might have eternal life. This is the Good News of Christ.
With Christ living in our hearts, we are compelled to share God's love and the hope of Jesus with the world. This can be a daunting and uncomfortable challenge. Our country is focused on personal freedom. We are cautious about sharing our views, especially "religious views", with others. We certainly don't want to offend our friends, neighbors, or people at work. We usually don't have time for a long conversation or explanation when we are always in such a hurry. What would we say? We can share God's love with the people around us by showing kindness, grace and mercy. Is that enough? Are we comfortable and bold enough to proclaim
JESUS CHRIST IS LORD!
•Imagine that at every encounter, Jesus is standing beside you.
•Imagine that Jesus is asking you: "Who do YOU say that I am?"
•Imagine that you know the day that Jesus is coming back?
•Imagine that day is tomorrow.
Would you feel more compelled and have a stronger passion about sharing who Jesus is if you knew that He would return tomorrow? Or if you knew that the person you meet only has the chance to know about Jesus by you? Would your desire to share the lifesaving message of Christ become more urgent and acceptable? Jesus wants every person on earth to know He is their Savior. Will you proclaim aloud and boldly? Jesus is the Christ!
This is our mission: To be and make disciples of Jesus Christ.
Luke 9:18-20 'Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “God’s Messiah.” '
Romans 10:9
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
1 John 4:15
If anyone confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.
PRAYER
Dear Lord Jesus,
We pray that our hearts and minds will be open to grow in our personal relationship with you. We commit ourselves to spend more time in your Word, in prayer, and sharing about WHO YOU ARE. We seek to know you better so that we have a deeper understanding of you as the Son of God, the Messiah and the Christ. Please give us opportunities each day to share WHO YOU ARE with others. Help us to proclaim WHO YOU ARE to the world without hesitation and uncertainty but with humbleness and conviction. May your love surround us each day and give us peace.
Through Christ we pray,
Amen
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
TERRY STARR
I am a longtime member of UALC, along with my husband Alan. We raised our four children here and have seven grandchildren who live across the country. I have served in many ministries and service organizations throughout my life. At God's calling, I started a non-profit named Divine Dignity, which gives free hygiene to our neighbors in need while sharing God's love. I retired as an administrator from the UA Schools after 25 years.
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