mark 8:27-30 :: peter declares that Jesus is the Messiah

there are many opinions today on just who Jesus is, and many of them are way off base…

Jesus asked His disciples about people’s interpretations of His identity, and they were able to give Him a good variety of possibilities. All were positive, but short of the mark. they were complementary, but they didn’t begin to encompass His role or title or position in the world. all were descriptors for men being used in God’s service, but not of God Himself. they were odd manifestations of dead men (although elijah hasn’t died yet even today, is has been removed from our view of reality and is dead to us for all intents and purposes) and not any more near the truth than any other imagined guess.

Jesus’ authority is divine, and so is His person. He isn’t a man with neat God-like abilities. He wasn’t just a prophet or a teacher.

peter’s claim of messiahship for Jesus is where the truth is finally struck. the titles of Messiah and Christ – being the Annointed One of God- encompasses the reality of who Jesus is much more deeply than attributing human titles and ideals to Him. granted that david was anointed in God’s sight as king of israel, but we do not refer to as Messiah…although it is the same word being used (Mashiyach) we understand the difference. the saving role of Messiah that we see in Jesus’ life contains the full meaning of the title as being beyond human royalty, and moving into the realm of God. because that is who He is…fully God and yet man, but sinless.

This description was sacred, and would cause riots and upheavals and Jesus wasn’t coming this time to overturn man’s governmental systems in order to rule in their stead. He did come to turn us on our heads, and to give us the true rule of life, but not in the political sense that people then understood. so, Jesus tells peter to keep this on the down low, so gears were not set into motion that would be irreversable, and untimely. it was not time to rule as a political king, but to rule through other ways. but that is a topic for another post…

Jesus didn’t want the riotous uprising to create His kingship. His coronation would take place later surrounded by roman soldiers, various enemies and a few very frightened followers on a hill.