December 21 – Who is He?
15 “But you,” he [Jesus] asked them, “who do you say that I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus responded, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven.
Matthew 16:15-17
Who is He? (December 21)
People throughout history have disagreed about who Jesus is. Some say He was a Prophet. Some a crazy man. Some just a good person. Some say He is the Messiah that the Israelites had been longing for for generation after generation.
However, Jesus Himself let us know who He is in Matthew 16:
15 “But you,” he [Jesus] asked them, “who do you say that I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus responded, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven.
Matthew 16:15-17
The Messiah, the Son of the Living God
I don’t know if you have ever had to wait for a long time for someone to keep a promise, but think about how the people of Israel felt. A year goes by, then a decade, then a hundred years, and a thousand, and still they are waiting for the fulfillment of the promise of a Messiah.
They waited and waited and waited. Finally, Jesus arrived – the Messiah. Son of the Living God come to earth to dwell with us.
Who Do You Say I Am?
Yet, they still did not recognize Him. Except, when He asks Peter “Who do you say I am?”
Peter answers correctly – Jesus is the Messiah!
And what does Jesus say? Peter, you did not learn this from other people. God has revealed it to you.
He was, and is, the Messiah, born to save the world. He was born to live a sinless life, to die for all mankind’s sins, and to triumph over death by coming back from the dead.
Father God Describes Himself
The Lord passed in front of him and proclaimed:
The Lord—the Lord is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth,
Exodus 34:6
In Exodus, the Father God passes in front of Moses and tells Moses who He is: compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, and overflowing with faithful love and truth.
Out of that faithful love and compassionate, God sent a Savior. We can’t save ourselves because we are incapable of living a holy and sinless life. We are stained with sin, but Jesus is the answer.
December 21 Devotional Action Step:
Who is He? Our Messiah. The One who came to save us from our sin.
Who do you say He is? Have you made the decision to believe that He is who He says He is?
“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Acts 16:31
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
If we believe in Jesus our Savior and confess to Him that we are sinners and need His saving grace, we are wrapped in the gracious love of the Lord. We are welcomed as children of God.
Prayer:
Dear God, thank you for sending Your Son to save us from our sin. We acknowledge that You are who You say You are and Jesus is the Messiah! In Jesus’ name, amen.
Access to the other posts in this series and the free printables for this December can be found at the Series Overview page. Come join me as I pursue the peace and joy on the Savior’s birth throughout the month of December!