Matthew 16:14
"And they said, Some say that Thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets."
When Jesus's questions have a purpose. He is asking us to think and dig deep. He is the Master of asking questions. It is smart for us to study His questions. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus brought His Disciples to Caesarea Philippi. Where there were LOTS of temples. The Romans worshiped ALL kinds of gods. Multiculturalism was the rule of the day. Much like it is today. In the midst of this confusion, Jesus is a voice of clarity. And, He asks His Disciples "Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?"
In today's verse we read their answers. "And they said, SOME SAY that Thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets." The Jews seeing Christ do such incredible works, could not resolve for themselves who He was. What was inescapable; He was a prophetical person, resembling those of old.
Even today, people find it difficult to say who Jesus is. Is He a teacher of a moral code? If you do more good, are you a better person? Is He a good Man who wants to make you better? The idea that Jesus was a great moral teacher, but not the Son of God, is intellectually dishonest. C.S. Lewis writes about Jesus: “You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”
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