Who do you Say that I Am?
Pastor Jefferson M. Williams
Matthew 16:13-16; I Cor 15:1-3
Chenoa Baptist Church
04-20-2025 (Easter!)
Who is this Man?
He never wrote a book. But more books have been written about Him than any other person.
He never wrote a song. But more music has been composed in His name than any other person.
He never traveled more than two hundred miles from His home but today you can find His followers on every continent.
He never attended college. But more colleges and universities, including Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, and Yale were founded in His name.
He never held political office. But He wields more power than all the kings of the world combined.
Who is this man?
He only taught for three years. But His teaching has lasted over 2,000 years.
He never owned a watch or a calendar. But every time you date a check you are reminded that this man’s life became a dividing line in history.
No one knows what He looked like. But He had been the subject of more art than any other person in history.
John Ortberg writes, “It is in His name that desperate people pray, grateful people worship, and angry people swear.”
Who is this man?!
Jesus loved questions.
Scripture records 180 questions that Jesus asked and I am going to make a bold statement this morning. I believe the question that Matthew records in the sixteenth chapter of his Gospel is the most important question Jesus asked. I’m willing to go one step further. I believe it is the most important question EVER asked!
It is THE question that everyone must answer. You can not remain neutral. You can not sit on the fence. It is the question that can change your direction - “Who do you say that I am?” (Matt 16:15)
Turn to Matthew 16.
Let’s pray.
What’s the Word on the Street?
In the preceding chapters of Matthew 14-15, Jesus is on the move. He is teaching, preaching, healing, doing miracles, and challenging the religious. He is steadily moving north.
The context for this morning’s passage is as north as you can get. Caesarea Philippi was the northernmost territory in Israel. It was a Gentile center for pagan worship and most inhabitants considered the emperor a “god.”
Located at the foot of snow-covered Mt. Hermon, this area was a beautiful place to rest and pray. It was at Caesarea Philippi that he asked his disciples two questions that change the course of history.
“When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, ‘Who do the people say the Son of Man is?” (Matthew 16:13) ?
Luke tells us He was praying before He asked this question. (Luke 9:18)
Jesus identifies Himself as the “Son of Man,” a term for the Messiah from the book of Daniel. He is not interested in an opinion poll. Do they like me?
This question was designed to set up the next, more important, question. He wants to know - what’s the word on the street about me?
Everyone had an opinion about Jesus. If you would go to the market, people would be talking about Jesus. If you went to the synagogue, you would hear heated discussions about the wandering rabbi from Galilee.
In fact, the religious leaders had decided that He was demon-possessed (Matthew 3:22). Even His mother and siblings thought He had lost His mind (Matthew 3:31) Some said He was a saint, and others said He was a demon.
Some loved Him, some feared Him, and still, others hated Him so much that they wanted to kill Him. No one was neutral.
Unfortunately, most people were very confused about who Jesus was.
“ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah, and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets” (Matthew 16:14)
The disciples have been out among the people. They have heard the whispers. Three theories emerged about who Jesus was.
First, one of the disciples reports that some people think He is John the Baptist. John was a national hero who stood up to the Pharisees. But this is a really strange theory since John the Baptist was a contemporary of Jesus. In fact, they were cousins. They lived at the same time and ministered in the same areas.
John was beheaded for confronting Herod because of his adulterous relationship. Some people thought that the spirit of John the Baptist had somehow entered Jesus.
In fact, Herod Antipas thought this very thing. (Matt 14:2) John preached with power that pointed to the coming of the Lamb. But Jesus was that Lamb “that takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29).
Second, the rumor was going around that Jesus was Elijah. In a strange way, at least this made more sense. Elijah didn’t die but was caught up to heaven in a whirlwind on a chariot of fire. (2 Kings 2) He also performed supernatural acts of healing, even raising people from the dead! (I Kings 17)
Malachi had predicted that Elijah would return and announce the coming of the Messiah (Malachi 4:5) But this prophesy pointed to John the Baptist’s ministry, not Jesus.
Third, many were saying that Jesus was Jeremiah coming back to life. Jeremiah was known as the “weeping prophet” because of his compassion (Jeremiah 9:1) They both were examples of patient endurance in the face of unfair suffering.
As people watched Jesus love the unlovable, care for the marginalized, and weep over people far from God they couldn’t help connecting the two. Jesus could also have been one of the other prophets.
Do you notice what all three of these theories have in common? The people identified Jesus with figures in the past instead of acknowledging that Jesus was unique. After all that Jesus had said and done, He couldn’t have just been an ordinary man.
Napoleon was quoted as saying, “I know men and Jesus Christ is no mere man.”
The crowd was confused. But Jesus was really more interested in what His disciples thought so He asked a second question. This is the question that I want to focus on this morning.
“But what about you?’ he asked. Who do you say that I am?’” (Matthew 16:15)
The Greek of this sentence is very strong. “You” is at the head of the sentence for emphasis and then in the body of the sentence again. It was an intensely personal question, directed right at the disciples that required a personal answer.
Time for the DTR
In every relationship there comes a time for what’s called the “DTR” talk- “define the relationship.” This is an awkward conversation when the couple has to define what they mean to each other. Are they just friends? More? Is she “the one?” Here’s one thing that’s for sure.
Before you propose you need to know this information. That’s one of the reasons I asked Maxine to marry me in a hot air balloon. If she said no, I could always throw her overboard!
For three years, this group followed Jesus and watched Him. They saw Him up close and personal. They saw His miracles and heard Him pray. Now it was time for their final exam.
Peter speaks for the group and gives the answer that changed their direction geographically. After this event, Jesus resolutely heads south toward Jerusalem and to the cross. This question also changed the course of history.
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” (Matthew 16:16)
Peter’s Confession
Peter spoke for the group and his words still echo through history. Jesus was not John the Baptist, Elijah, or Jeremiah. He was the promised Messiah or “Anointed One” on which all the Old Testament hopes had been placed.
Peter calls Him the “Christ” -the Greek word for Messiah. This was not Jesus’ last name but a title that described Jesus’ mission of salvation.
He also calls Him “the Son of the Living God.” Jesus was no mere man. He was the unique God-Man. Although Peter’s confession was correct it was not complete. All the disciples had been raised with an expectation of Christ. The only problem is they completely misunderstood who Christ would be.
They were looking for a great military leader like George Washington, a great political leader like Abraham Lincoln, and a great reformer like Martin Luther King Jr. all rolled up into one person. Instead, the Messiah came and many people missed Him completely.
He was a Carpenter (Mt 13:55) instead of a Conqueror. One of the sources I read said that when the Messiah came the “hills would run red with blood.” But Jesus did not mass an army or initiate a military campaign. In fact, Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would be a normal guy who wouldn’t stand out in a crowd. (Isaiah 53:2)
He was a Healer (Mt 14:14) instead of a political hero. Instead of being a political hero that would overthrow Rome, he was a homeless healer who made blind people see, deaf people hear, lame people walk, and dead people, well, not dead!
But this should not have surprised anyone who knew that Isaiah had prophesied that the Messiah would do these very things. (Isaiah 35:5)
He was an “Illegitimate” child of peasants instead of a child of imperial birth. Don’t think for a second that people did not know the rumors that swirled around the young couple from Nazareth. Jesus grew up having to deal with whispers and cruel looks from those who thought he was a product of a sinful situation.
Everyone knew that Mary couldn’t be a virgin. How could such a kid be Israel’s King? Unless the prophecies of Isaiah that said the Messiah would be born of a virgin were true. (Isaiah 7:14)
He was a Suffering Servant instead of a Sovereign King who would overthrow Rome. Most Jews could not handle the thought of the Messiah being massacred. But as students of the Scriptures, they should have known the prophetic words of Isaiah about the suffering Messiah. (Isaiah 53:3-5)
He was a Teacher who loved sinners instead of a rabbi who loved traditions. Jesus was so different from the other religious figures of His time. The religious leaders cared more for God’s rules than God’s heart. They were heartless rule-keepers who thought their actions secured their right standing with God. Those who did not adhere to all their rules were deemed “sinners” and worthy of their judgment.
Jesus constantly broke the rules by cavorting with sinners. He ate with tax collectors. He hung out with the riff-raff. He prayed with prostitutes. He was the strangest rabbi people had ever met. And the “sinners” loved Him. They flocked to Him. Jesus understood that lost people matter to God.
The Pharisees could not believe that the Messiah would sit in the company of sinners, especially Gentiles. But didn’t they remember that Isaiah wrote that the Messiah would minister to all the nations? (Isaiah 42:1) They missed the point and many of them missed their chance.
The Main Thing
What is the point?
One of the best pieces of preaching advice I ever received was to keep the main thing the main thing.
“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance…” (I Corinthians 15:3a)
Right now, I fear our church culture has lost the plot of the story. Instead of the main thing, we argue endlessly over trivial issues.
What is the Gospel? What is the main thing?
The Gospel is the Main Thing
“…that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…” (I Corinthians 15:3b-4)
Paul quotes an early Christian creed that the Corinthians would have been very familiar with by this time.
What’s the main thing about Christianity? Three things.
* Christ died for our sins according to the Scripture.
What Scriptures? The Old Testament clearly foretold the death of the Messiah, the savior.
Nearly 700 years before the cross, Isaiah wrote:
"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all… For he bore the sin of many…” (Isaiah 53:5-6, 12)
Paul would later write to the Romans:
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly… But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:6,8)
Christ died for you, in your place, to pay the penalty for your sins.
The righteous dying for the unrighteous, in our place.
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Cor 5:21)
What does the mean? It means you don’t have to live in guilt and shame. It means that every sin you’ve ever committed can be forgiven and thrown as far as the east is to the west. Yes that sin. You know, the one you can’t forget. The one that makes your face turn red just thinking about it. Gone. Freedom.
It also means that God isn’t mad at you. I used to think that God was standing with His arms crossed, shaking His head, disappointed in me again. I learned that wasn’t God. That was my dad and I assumed God was the same.
God is standing with arms open wide ready to welcome you home and show you the way no matter how far you’ve wandered.
Two year old Boden Allen disappeared from his home in Seligman, Arizona last Monday, The country surrounding his home is known to have mountain lions. Body’s parents were distraught and hundreds of volunteers joined the search.
16 hours later, seven miles away a rancher named Scotty Dunton noticed his dog Buford walking towards him with a little blonde-hair toddler. Buford had protected him and shepherded him to safety.
God will do the same. We all get lost sometimes. He’s not waiting on you to clean up your act. Just head home. He’ll do the rest.
Do you believe that Jesus died for our sins according to the Scriptures? In just a minute, you have an opportunity to say yes to Jesus.
* that He was buried
Rather than being an afterthought, these four words have tremendous power.
Jesus was 100% human and 100% God. Because He was human He could die.
And He died on that cross. He was taken down by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, his body washed and anointed with spices, and then wrapped tightly with linen cloth.
He was then laid in a tomb and a two-ton stone rolled across the entrance.
He wasn’t mostly dead. He was dead.
This is important because people started spreading a rumor that Jesus hadn’t died. He had swooned. He had passed out under the weight of the pain and when He was placed in the cold air of the tomb He revived again. And then, somehow, he moved the stone and walked out.
He was really dead.
Jesus predicted this when the Pharisees asked him for a sign:
“A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matthew 12:38-40)
What does this mean?
It means when you shake your fist at heaven and say, “You don’t know how I feel!” Jesus whispers back, “O child, I know exactly how you feel. I’ve been tired, lonely, frustrated, angry, lost, betrayed, sad, grieving, in pain.” From stubbing your toe to stumbling in the dark, Jesus experienced our experience. He walked our road. He had pimples as a teenager and had headaches as an adult. He laughed, cried, slept and ate. He was 100% human. We know this because he died. His heart stopped.
John tells us that Jesus, “Bowed His head and gave up His spirit.’ (John 19:30)
This is important because you have to be dead to experience resurrection!
* that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.
This is the guts of the Gospel. This is the core of our belief. This is the main thing of the main thing.
The Christian faith stands and falls on the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave.
Jesus Himself predicted His resurrection:
“From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” (Matthew 16:21)
He was resurrected according to the Scriptures. He appeared to the disciples. He showed poor, doubting Thomas the nail prints in His hands. He cooked a fish breakfast for Peter. Over 500 people saw him at time.
Literally, the grave couldn’t hold Him!
I heard of an Easter service where two churches decided to do the service together. One would do the worship part and the other preaching part.
The pastor of the other church stood up and began the Easter sermon with these words, “We all know that Jesus didn’t actually rise from the dead. That’s impossible. But it is a beautiful metaphor for new life that we celebrate at Easter.”
People were appalled and several decided to walk out of the service.
Listen to me. If Jesus isn’t alive right now, I would be playing golf poorly. I certainly would be here.
Tim Keller wrote:
“If Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all that He said; if he didn’t rise from the dead, then why worry about any of what He said? The issue on which everything hangs is not whether or not you like His teaching, but whether or not He rose from the dead!”
When He rose, Jesus turned death from a black hole of hopelessness to an open door of destiny. Death no longer as a stinger for those who place their faith in Christ.
I will see Kimmy again. My dad. Maxine’s mom.
Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and was raised to life on the third day. That’s the Gospel.
At the age of 21, after considering the claims of Christ, I made my decision. Jesus was exactly who He said He was. I called Jesus my “Lord.”
Even Jesus tells Peter that his confession was something that he did not come up with on His own:
“:…Blessed are you Simon, son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in Heaven.” (Matthew 16:17)
It is only by the Holy Spirit opening your spiritual ears you can hear the voice of God calling to you to be saved.(1 Cor 2:10-15). And that still happens today.
Angela White used to be known as “Black Chyna,” an influencer, model, make-up mogul, and reality star. She was famous for being famous. She was also a satanist with a demon tattoo on her arm.
She has had that tattoo removed, had her implants removed, deleted her Only Fans account (porn site) [she earned 240 million dollars from that site that year!], and was baptized in her pool on her birthday.
Instead of trying to keep up with the Kardashians, she now hangs out with the women from her church - her prayer warriors.
Who led her to Christ? Christ did! She said that she was trying to figure out where she went wrong and the Holy Spirit opened her heart to see that Jesus was the answer!
Today is Your Day
Paul wrote this to the church in Rome:
“If you confess with your mouth that ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
To confess Jesus as Lord means to bow your knee as well as your head. It is to admit that you can not do this on your own and you willingly submit to Jesus to be the forgiver and leader of your life.
To believe that God raised Him from the dead is to believe in the impossible. Dead people don’t come back. But Jesus did. To affirm this truth means that nothing is impossible for God to do. ?
That addiction or habit? That situation or person? That insurmountable hill that you keep trying to climb? If God can raise Jesus from the dead, don’t you think He can handle your issues? It is a matter of putting your faith and trust in Him.
The story is told of a man who wowed people by walking a tightrope back and forth across Niagara Falls. As he got to one side, everyone clapped. He had a wheelbarrow waiting and asked the crowd if they believed that he could walk across the Falls with the wheelbarrow. Everyone heartily agreed.
The man then approached a gentleman in the crowd and asked him personally if he thought he could do it. Without hesitation, the man said that he believed. The performer then smiled and politely asked the man to get in the wheelbarrow. The man refused and walked away.
It’s one thing to believe with your head but God wants your heart. So here’s the question for you? It’s a question that could change your direction. Are you a Christian? Did you notice I did not ask you if you:
Go to church.
If your parents were Christians.
If you are a good person.
Have you
*admitted you are a sinner? We are sinners. That means to miss the mark. Romans 3:23 says that “we all fall short of the glory of God.” Isaiah 59:2 tells us that our sin separates us from God. There is a gulf between us that we can not cross. Some people try to build a bridge by doing good deeds. But you can never hop high enough for God’s glory. In reality, you are totally hopeless. More than that, sin has to be paid for and you can’t pay the debt. Romans 6:23: The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life.”
*confessed Christ as your Savior? While we could not reach Him, and we were enemies of God, He reached down to us. “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” This is an amazing gift of grace (Ephesians 2:8-9) that we did not deserve. Jesus died for you in your place to pay the penalty for your sin.
*Surrendered everything to Him? Romans 12:1 tells us the ultimate act of worship is to be a “living sacrifice.” This is a complete surrender of our goals, dreams, and hopes to God. It is an attitude of “God, You have control of me. Use me in whatever way would bring You the most glory.”
John Newton was a terrible man. He worked on a slave ship and kidnapped men, women, and children to take back to England for money. He was a mean-spirited alcoholic and a miserable soul but found himself praying in the middle of a storm for God’s mercy.
Jesus Christ invaded him and opened his eyes. He wrote a song about this:
“Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me - I once was lost but now I’m found was blind but now I see.”
