In 1966, John Lennon apologized for his remark that the Beatles were now more famous than Jesus.
He made clear that his intention was not to put down Jesus or Christianity, but, rather, to make a statement about mass culture.
While Lennon may have seemed accurate at the height of Beatlemania, he wasn’t.
Jesus of Nazareth is the most discussed personality who ever walked the face of the earth. He preached, he taught, he healed. He challenged religious authorities. He drew crowds and gained followers, was falsely charged, and executed as an outlaw. Millions upon millions have come to believe that he rose from the dead.
During his earthly ministry, he stirred hearts and minds, and got people speculating about his identity. In the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus asks his disciples: “Who do people say that I am?”
It is a question humanity has been pondering ever since. Scholars will continue to ask questions and posit theories about him (including, even, the argument that he actually didn’t even exist).
But knowing about Jesus and knowing Jesus as savior really are two different things.
In the final analysis, each and every one of us must answer, for ourselves, the question Jesus posed to his closest disciples: Who do you say that I am?
Peter’s answer went like this: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”
He may have said that confidently, but, when Jesus was subsequently arrested, Peter, in the interest of self-preservation, would deny Jesus three times. By the Grace of God, that same Apostle would go on to proclaim Christ as Saviour — as the one who died and rose for the sake of sinners — without a shred of compromise. Peter himself would pay the ultimate price for his faithfulness.
As the lives of the apostles and martyrs shows, proclaiming Christ as Lord can be costly. Even if we do not face persecution for our faith, disapproval and rejection, in some form, are realities for those who follow Jesus. But as Holy Scripture testifies, the reward for claiming Christ as Lord is beyond measure.
So, having said all that: What is your answer to the Jesus question?
