“[You are] the Christ of God.” Luke 9:20
Many people think of religion the same way they think about clothing brands. Everyone has a preference, but it doesn’t really matter because at the end of the day, a shirt is a shirt.
Millions of people find it very difficult to see why any of this matters: “You say Jesus is the Christ. Muslims say he is a prophet. A Hindu regards him as part of the pantheon. But we’re all God’s children. Whatever your religion, surely what matters is that you live a good life.”
Well, not according to Jesus. He makes it very clear that confessing Him as the Christ is what really matters. He tells his disciples about the day when he is coming in glory, “For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words… of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes” (Mark 8:38).
Jesus is saying, “You may feel you can do better than trusting in my sacrifice. You may choose to hold back from submitting to my lordship. You may feel free to abandon my teaching. But the day will come when, having chosen to stand at a distance from me, you will find that I am standing at a distance from you.”
What hangs on making the confession: “Jesus is the Christ”? Your eternity hangs on it. Everyone has an opinion about Jesus, but through all the voices, hear the risen Lord Jesus Christ asking you a question today: “Who do you say that I am?”
Are you ready to answer God’s ultimate question for you, by bowing before Jesus and saying, “You are the Christ of God”?
