Text: Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” (Matthew 16:13b).
Jesus asked his disciples who other people thought he was. He was curious as to what kind of answer or answers he would receive. Then after he asked who other people thought he was Jesus became very specific and asked the disciples, “Who do you say I am?” (Matthew 16:15).
Has anyone ever asked you the question, “Who are you?” In other words, how would you identify yourself? How could you convince people that you are who you really say you are?
At first, you might give them your name. But then your name could be a very common name like Jim Jones or Susie Brown or John Smith. You might go on and elaborate about your family and where you live. Perhaps you would talk about your place of employment or even mention some of the people who know you.
You tell the person who asked you to identify yourself that you belong to a certain church located just down the street. Maybe your father was pastor of the church or on one of the church boards. Maybe your mother was known in the community for her civic duties so you throw that in for good measure.
If you are stopped by a police officer the first thing he or she asks for is your driver license. This is a pretty good source for identification because it has information about you and it also has your picture. All this is great, but the point being that it does not really tell who you are. Perhaps you do not even know who you are.
Mary knew that she was going to be blessed with a baby because “The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.’” (Luke 1:28, 31-33).
Jesus entered this world through an earthly mother but a Heavenly Father. It was true that Joseph was a bit taken back when he found out Mary was pregnant, but then an angel appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:20-21).
Joseph was present the night Jesus was born in the stable in Bethlehem. He witnessed the visit of the Magi and the gifts of gold, incense and myrrh. After the Magi left, Joseph had another dream instructing him to “…take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him” (Matthew 2:13).
Then in another dream, “…the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in Egypt and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead” (Matthew 2:19-20).
Joseph was instructed in another dream “…to go the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: ‘He will be called a Nazarene’” (Matthew 2:22-23).
Mary and Joseph had no doubt in their minds that their baby boy was special. They raised him like any other child was raised, but being God incarnate or God in the flesh they noticed he did some things that an ordinary child usually does not do. Children usually did not stay in the temple and converse with the educated and knowledgeable priests.
Scripture says, “And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. When they had finished the days, as they returned, the boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem…they found Him in the temple sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. All who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers” (Luke 2:42, 43, 46, 47).
When questioned by Mary and Joseph, Jesus responded, “Why were you searching for me? Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49). This passage indicates that Jesus is aware that He is the Son of God. It was not His intention to be disrespectful to his parents. Jesus respected His Heavenly Father, but he also respected his earthly parents.
Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist and then was led out into the desert to be tempted by Satan. This was all part of God’s plan. After forty day of fasting, Jesus was really hungry. This was part of the plan to show that He was human. I don’t believe any of us could go forty days without eating. We complain when we miss a meal.
If we could fast forty days, we would probably do anything to get something to eat. This was Satan’s way of thinking. Jesus is so hungry that He will do anything I ask Him to do. Again, this temptation is part of being human. If Jesus had never had the opportunity to disobey, He would not have suffered the human trait of temptation.
In other words, He would not have known what human being suffer. Could Jesus have avoided this fasting and this temptation? Yes, but then He would not have suffered everything that we suffer. Jesus shows us that if we will place all of our faith and trust in the Father, He will provide for all of our needs.
As Jesus began His ministry, He picked twelve ordinary men who He knew could become powerful witnesses for Him if He gave than a chance. He knew the nature of these men, what they did for a living, and the characteristics or traits of each one.
Jesus picked five fishermen, Simon Peter, James, John, Andrew, and Philip; one tax collector, Matthew; and, six of unknown occupations; Nathaniel, Thomas, James, Thaddeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot.
These were very faithful disciples whose lives would be changed by the power of the Heavenly Father. When Jesus called these men, they did not hesitate, but instead left what they were doing and followed Him.
Jesus taught them and many other followers about the blessings in life and what these blessings would bring them. He taught about anger, lust, divorce, and about vows made by people. Jesus taught them that not all people are going to like you or agree with you, but they need to show forth his love by loving everyone.
Jesus taught them about prayer with the words; “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your father who is unseen” (Matthew 6:6).
He taught his followers about worry and how senseless it is to worry. Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?” (Matthew 6:25).
Jesus taught people to “Ask, and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8).
Each person will be rewarded if they depend on and trust the Father. When the going gets tough we need to keep on asking, seeking, and knocking because the Father hears and knows our needs. We will receive greater than what we request.
If someone asked you the question; “Who is Jesus?” what would you say? Would you say that Jesus was a prophet who lived a long time ago? Would you say that He is the Son of God who came to save mankind?
Would you say that He is your Lord and Savior who came upon the earth to teach mankind the art of living? Would you say He shed His blood to pay the price of the disobedience of all people? Would you say He is the means by which each one of us has the opportunity to enter into His eternal kingdom?
You could give many responses to the question of “Who is Jesus?” The disciples said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets” (Matthew 16:14). Peter gave a good response when he said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).
Jesus gave some very specific answers as to who he was. For example: Jesus said, “I am”:
1. The Bread (John 6:35)
2. The Light (John 8:12)
3. The Door (John 10:9)
4. The Good Shepherd (John 10:11)
5. The Resurrection (John 11:25)
6. The Way (John 14:16)
7. The True Vine (John 15:1)
The words Jesus used to identify Himself were unique. In other words, they could not be used to identify anyone else. All of these words were common words, and could be understood by the people. People knew the meaning of bread, light, door, shepherd, resurrection, way, and vine. What they did not know was the divine or heavenly, or godly meaning of these words.
And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35). He was trying to get the people to understand that the common ordinary bread they ate was good and was important to sustain their physical life and prevent them from becoming physically hungry, but it was more important for them to sustain their spiritual life and to curb their spiritual hunger.
When people are hungry for earthly food, they also tend to be ugly. Because they are hungry, they are tired and difficult to associate with. In other words, they need food to boost their strength and make them feel satisfied. The food they eat contains vitamins, minerals, and sugars that give them energy.
The same thing happens on a spiritual note. People who do not include God’s Word in their daily diet tend to become spiritually weak and rundown. If people do not have a right relationship with Jesus, they become spiritually drained. Nothing seems to go right in their lives. Their focus is worldly and not spiritually. Their spiritual battery has run down. They are hungry for the bread of life.
Jesus makes it easy for people never to become spiritually drained. He said, “He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). I don’t know about you, but as for me, I never want to be spiritually hungry nor spiritually thirsty.
Jesus identified Himself as the Bread of life.
He then went on to say, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12). Everyone knows what light is and I believe that most people would rather be in the light than in the dark. During some of our past hurricanes, power lines have been knocked down by tree branches or high winds and we were left in the dark. Since we had no electrical power in the house, nothing electrical would work. We had to get out the kerosene lamps, flashlights, and candles to change the darkness to light. Not only that, but we also did not have any air conditioning which made things even worse.
When Jesus said, “I am the light of the world” he was talking about the light that would bring the world out of evil darkness. The world was in evil darkness after the first sin of disobedience occurred. Prior to that, Man and God had a wonderful relationship. Everything that God created was perfect. After each day of creation, God stood back and commented that all was good.
When sin entered the world God had a plan to redeem the world and bring the people back into a right relationship with Him. That plan was to send His Son Jesus into the world that the world through Him might be redeemed. Jesus said, “He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12).
There are people today who are walking in the darkness of evil. There are people who look to themselves instead of looking to Jesus. These are worldly people and look only at worldly ways. The Light is shining into the face of every person, but some do not choose to see it. Some people want to live life according to the standards of the world. They do not understand they are responsible to God the Father, through God the Son, and through guidance of God the Holy Spirit.
Jesus said, “Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19).
Jesus identified Himself as the “Light of the world”.
You and I can help others see the “Light of the world” by relating to them who Jesus is and what He has done for us. We can be a witness to the “Light of the world”.
Jesus continued to identify himself when he said “I am the door” (John 10:10). With evil in the world and man having a sinful nature, Jesus is saying that there is a better life. There is a life that will give you happiness through all eternity. That life is just beyond the other side of the door. The Father’s plan was to give people the opportunity to enter through this door. People would not be forced to enter through this door. The choice would be and still is theirs.
Then Jesus goes on to connect the door with the good shepherd. Jesus said, “I am the Good Shepherd” (John 10:11). Now we have protection when we go through the door Jesus talks about. Jesus used the terms “shepherd and sheep” because these were words people of his day could understand.
As we know, the shepherd would lead his sheep into some type of enclosure at night and then the shepherd would remain at the opening of the enclosure to protect his sheep.
Jesus is considering us his sheep and he is the shepherd. Just as the shepherd wants to protect his sheep from the wild animals and thieves, Jesus wants to protect us from the evils of the world. Sheep are like some people, they are not very smart, so they have a tendency to wander and get lost. Jesus does not want any of His sheep to be lost, so He gives them security and safety if they will just enter through the door.
There is no other door and no other person or shepherd that can guarantee us the protection in this world and all eternity like “Jesus the Door and Jesus the Shepherd”.
When Lazarus died and Jesus was notified, Scripture tells us “So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days” (John 11:17). Martha was a little bit upset that Jesus had not come sooner, but then she said, “But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You” (John 11:22).
At this point, Jesus identified Himself in another way by saying, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). Jesus was saying that He had the power over life and death. Because Jesus is the Creator of life, He also has power over death.
Jesus said, “He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die” (John 11:25-26). Although Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, this did not mean that Lazarus’ physical life would be forever. Sometime down the road Lazarus would die and be buried just like the rest of us.
All who have died and all who will die in the future will be buried and will await their bodily resurrection. When we repent of our sins, invite Christ into our hearts, believe that He is who He says He is and believe that God the Father did raise Him from the dead have the assurance of Jesus’ words when He said, “Because I live, you will live also” (John 14:19).
We have eternity to spend with Jesus. The Cross of Calvary was only the beginning of what Jesus has in store for us. As long as we are here on earth, Jesus wants us to follow in His footsteps. He wants us to live a life of love and compassion as he did. He wants us to do for others as he has done for us. Jesus wants us to tell others who He is and what He has done for us. He wants us to help gather His sheep into His fold. After all is said and done, we, who have accepted Him as our personal Lord and Savior, will spend eternity with Him in His kingdom and there will be no evil, no tears, no pain, or any of the other things we suffer here on earth.
Jesus identified Himself as “the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). In this earthly life, spirits have been resurrected and made alive. Old lives have been changed. As Paul said to the Ephesians, “We all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others, but God who is rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us…raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:3, 4, 6).
Jesus further identified Himself when he said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). Jesus identified Himself this way because in order for us to understand God, we have to understand Jesus. If we know Jesus, than we will know God.
In our earthly lives, we don’t have to know one of our friend’s mother or father to know that friend. By the same token our friend does not have to know members of our family to know us. We can visually see our friends, communicate with them, and spend time doing things together.
We, as Christians, have a personal relationship with our Lord and Savior because we have invited Jesus to come into our hearts. We read His Word and believe what His word says. We know His background, His birth, His ministry, His death, and His resurrection.
We believe Jesus when He says, “No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). When we take Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior we are also uniting our lives with God the Father. The more we know about Jesus, the more we know God. It takes some people a long time to know God because they say knowing Jesus seems too simple. Once we know the way to God, then we find the truth about God, and ultimately, we discover the life God has in store for us.
Lastly, Jesus identifies Himself by saying, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser” (John 15:1). Jesus talks about grapevines because these plants were very common in His day. He always spoke using everyday words with which people were familiar.
You know that the grapes grow on the vines. It stands to reason that if there were no vines there would be no grapes. Also, we know that any garden must have someone to take care of it or the weeds take over and the fruits and vegetables do not have a chance to grow and become plentiful.
All of us have or have had difficulties in our life. There have been times when things looked very dark and it was difficult for us to see how we could continue down the road. The weeds of life seemed to be smothering us and we thought we were doomed. Then Jesus came into our life to rescue us and soon we noticed that things began to change. Our life seemed to become alive and living. We began to blossom with fruits of joy, happiness, and love.
We were now attached to the vine and that vine is Jesus. The vine was being looked after by the gardener and that gardener is God. We are one of the branches attached to the vine just as all others who have accepted to follow Jesus.
As long as the branch is attached to the vine, the branch will be fruitful and productive. Once the vine becomes separated from the branch it becomes unproductive and withers and dies.
Jesus identified Himself as “the true vine”.
Conclusion:
We can try to identify ourselves many different ways, but the best way is through our relationship with our Lord and Savior.
Jesus identified Himself as:
1. The real Bread of life
2. The only Light for darkness
3. The Door to salvation
4. The only Good Shepherd
5. The true Resurrection
6. The only Way to the Father
7. The Vine connected to the Father
Amen.
