Passage: Matthew 16:13-16

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Insight:

Jesus knew who He was, but He asked the questions so that His disciples would realize who He was and put their trust in Him. John the Baptist, Elijah and Jeremiah were significant religious leaders, but Jesus is in a different category. What makes Jesus unique?


1) Jesus has more followers than any other religious leader throughout history.

2) Even atheists agree that Jesus is the greatest teacher of all time.

3) Jesus is the only leader who has not sinned.

4) His list of miracles include calming storms, healing the sick and blind, walking on water, casting out demons, and raising dead people to life.

5) His prophetic statements have all proven to be true in incredible detail.

6) Jesus is the only religious leader with an empty tomb- He is risen!

7) He is both fully human and fully God at the same time.

8) He was born through a virgin, Mary, as predicted in the Bible.

9) Jesus claims to be the Messiah, God’s Son.


A Story:

I never read the Bible until college. I took a class on the introduction to the religions of the world my freshman year. It was interesting because the professor was not a Christian, and he attacked the Scripture. But God’s Word is so powerful- it began to change my life in spite of the teaching in the class. I had never really thought about Jesus very much before the class. I liked Christmas for the presents and Easter for the candy and the egg hunt. But when I began to study the different religious leaders, Jesus stood out. There was no one like Him. I began to realize that I needed to make some decisions about what I believe.

Three Options:

The author C.S. Lewis made a profound insight: he pointed out that when someone claims to be the Son of God and the Messiah, there are only three options left for that person. 1) They are a liar because they know it is not true. 2) They are a lunatic because they believe they really are the Savior of the world, but in reality they are not the One. 3) They really are the Lord and Messiah. So, when Jesus claims to be God, he is no longer just a nice guy and a good teacher. We now only have three options to choose from: Lord, liar, or lunatic. There have been many people who claimed to be the Messiah throughout history, but Jesus is unique.

Application Questions:

Have you ever made a decision to put your trust in Jesus?

What is preventing you from making that decision today?

If you already know Jesus as your Savior, then how is that relationship going?

Are there any areas of your life that you are not really following Him?

Which of the 9 characteristics above stands out to you the most?

How can you live with an awe of Jesus during the week?

Deeper: Mark 2:1-12, John 5:39-40, John 6:67-69, John 20:24-31, Revelation 5:9-14.

Passage: Matthew 16:13-16

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Insight:

Jesus knew who He was, but He asked the questions so that His disciples would realize who He was and put their trust in Him. John the Baptist, Elijah and Jeremiah were significant religious leaders, but Jesus is in a different category. What makes Jesus unique?


1) Jesus has more followers than any other religious leader throughout history.

2) Even atheists agree that Jesus is the greatest teacher of all time.

3) Jesus is the only leader who has not sinned.

4) His list of miracles include calming storms, healing the sick and blind, walking on water, casting out demons, and raising dead people to life.

5) His prophetic statements have all proven to be true in incredible detail.

6) Jesus is the only religious leader with an empty tomb- He is risen!

7) He is both fully human and fully God at the same time.

8) He was born through a virgin, Mary, as predicted in the Bible.

9) Jesus claims to be the Messiah, God’s Son.


A Story:

I never read the Bible until college. I took a class on the introduction to the religions of the world my freshman year. It was interesting because the professor was not a Christian, and he attacked the Scripture. But God’s Word is so powerful- it began to change my life in spite of the teaching in the class. I had never really thought about Jesus very much before the class. I liked Christmas for the presents and Easter for the candy and the egg hunt. But when I began to study the different religious leaders, Jesus stood out. There was no one like Him. I began to realize that I needed to make some decisions about what I believe.

Three Options:

The author C.S. Lewis made a profound insight: he pointed out that when someone claims to be the Son of God and the Messiah, there are only three options left for that person. 1) They are a liar because they know it is not true. 2) They are a lunatic because they believe they really are the Savior of the world, but in reality they are not the One. 3) They really are the Lord and Messiah. So, when Jesus claims to be God, he is no longer just a nice guy and a good teacher. We now only have three options to choose from: Lord, liar, or lunatic. There have been many people who claimed to be the Messiah throughout history, but Jesus is unique.

Application Questions:

Have you ever made a decision to put your trust in Jesus?

What is preventing you from making that decision today?

If you already know Jesus as your Savior, then how is that relationship going?

Are there any areas of your life that you are not really following Him?

Which of the 9 characteristics above stands out to you the most?

How can you live with an awe of Jesus during the week?

Deeper: Mark 2:1-12, John 5:39-40, John 6:67-69, John 20:24-31, Revelation 5:9-14.