Who Do You Say That I Am? Easter 2025

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)