Recognizing And Accepting Jesus

Luke 9: 18-22

 Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah

¹⁸ Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?”

¹⁹ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.”

²⁰ “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Peter answered, “God’s Messiah.”

²¹ Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone. ²² And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”

We know not what the day will bring as the sun rises and we begin a new day.  But for disciples of Jesus, the promise is suffering in the footsteps of Jesus.  If, as Peter did, we recognize and accept Jesus as God's Messiah, then, it follows, as Jesus predicted, that suffering (of all kinds on all levels) is possible for us, we might even say, guaranteed.  If we have chosen or will choose to be his disciple, then we can expect to bear our cross with him. It's easy to seek to avoid the cross, but, believe it or not, knowing that we are not alone, that he bore it before us and is bearing it with us, makes anything possible.  May we recognize and accept the invitation to a closer friendship with Jesus, even if it means carrying our cross with him.

Bro, Rene