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TL;DR:
Peter's confession that Jesus is "God's Messiah" challenges us to consider what we truly believe about Christ. Recognizing Jesus as the Messiah means embracing His divine authority, mission, and majesty. The Transfiguration confirmed Peter's declaration and offered hope of future glory. Genuine belief in Jesus as Savior, Messiah, and Son of God should produce courageous commitment and transformed living.
What can we learn from Peter's declaration that Jesus was the "Anointed One"?
18 Once, when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say I am?"
19 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."
20 "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"
Peter answered, "God's Messiah."
Some Italians believed Benito Mussolini had the right answers for moving their country forward. Because they believed so deeply in Mussolini, many Italians threw their lives unreservedly into helping him achieve his dreams.
For more than 20 years, Mussolini was the virtual dictator of Italy. He took on the title Il Duce, meaning "the Leader." In 1929, Pope Pius XI referred to Mussolini as "the man whom Providence has sent us," reflecting the optimism surrounding the Lateran Treaty.
The people's faith in Mussolini proved to be a false hope. He did not do all that he claimed he would do. Because Mussolini was not what his loyal followers believed him to be, his dreams came crashing down in the ruin of World War II.
Thinking about those who followed Hitler, Mussolini, Idi Amin, and other brutal political leaders makes us shudder. People have believed so strongly in such leaders that they have unquestioningly dedicated their lives to advancing those leaders' ambitions.
But it also ought to cause us—who claim to believe, with Peter, that Jesus is the Christ ("the Anointed One") of God—to reflect on our level of commitment and willingness to sacrifice.
Some dedicated Italian Christians in the 1930s were convinced that Jesus Christ, not Mussolini, had the ultimate answers for our world. They even wrote a song about "Christ, our Duce." They paid a steep price for courageously proclaiming who their supreme Leader was. Some spent time in prison for their witness. A few even died as a direct result of their deep conviction that Jesus, and Jesus alone, was the one anointed by God.
Their belief that Jesus of Nazareth was the long-awaited Messiah led them to throw their lives into helping Him fulfill His desires for the world. Because of this commitment, rooted in their belief in Jesus, Italian Protestants emerged from the years of Fascism stronger than before.
I sometimes wonder if our belief in Jesus as the Anointed or Chosen One is as profound as we say it is. Do we really understand what it means for Jesus to be the Christ in terms of His divine majesty? Do we understand that if we actually believe the words of the songs we sing in church, our lifestyles will be markedly different from those of the non-Christians around us?
If we were formally charged in a court of law with being believers in Jesus as the Promised Messiah, would our way of life provide enough evidence to secure a conviction? Or would we have trouble convincing the court that we really did believe in Jesus as God's Anointed One?
Dedicated Christians who truly believe that Jesus is the Christ of God must strike fear in Hell itself. If believers in political figures can bring about change in the structure of our world, shouldn't believers in Jesus Christ be able to do at least as much?
Perhaps we don't stop often enough to let the wonder of Jesus of Nazareth being the promised Messiah sink in. Jesus was more than the imagined fulfillment of a couple of vague prophecies. He is the Messiah—the Christ who fulfills the prophetic promises.
One confirmation came about a week after Peter had acknowledged Jesus as the Christ (the Anointed One). We've come to call this historical event the Transfiguration. Shortly thereafter, a storm would engulf the men who had witnessed that glorious occasion, but even in that storm, the memory of the Transfiguration would serve as a revelation of hope. For us today, it also points toward the glory awaiting believers—a glory that will be ours because Jesus was, and is, truly the Anointed One of God.
I wrote this devotional blog when Barbara and I were serving as missionaries in Italy. It is one of a series of 52 brief devotionals published in The Standard, a weekly take-home publication in the Faith Connections curriculum for adult Sunday school classes published by The Foundry.
— Howard Culbertson, hculbert@snu.edu
Christians believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God and the Messiah (the Christ) prophesied in the Old Testament. They believe Jesus was born of a virgin through a miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit. Christians believe that Jesus lived a sinless life, performed miracles, and taught about the kingdom of God. He ultimately died on a cross to atone for humanity's sins.
According to the New Testament, Jesus was crucified, died, and was buried. Three days later, He rose from the dead. His resurrection demonstrated His victory over sin and death. Jesus' resurrection is central to the Christian faith and is celebrated on Easter Sunday.
Christians also believe that through faith in Jesus Christ, people can be forgiven of their sins, reconciled with God, and have eternal life. Jesus is considered the Savior. As the mediator between humanity and God, He offers salvation to all who believe in Him.
People think of Jesus in very different ways. These include: