Mark 8:27-33 – A Brilliant Confession and a Terrible Rebuke
As Jesus and His disciples travel down the road, He asks them who the people have been saying He is. This is an easy question for the disciples to answer as they list off all the different theories about who Jesus is. But then the conversation turns embarrassingly personal as Jesus asks them who they think He is. You can almost imagine an awkward pause and the disciples looking at their feet or at each other, but suddenly Peter, without hesitation, speaks. He boldly says that Jesus is the Christ or Messiah, the Promised One that God said would come one day to save His people. The Holy Spirit has been working in Peter’s heart as well as the hearts of the other disciples and bringing them to see who Jesus is, and Peter, who usually says the wrong thing in almost every situation, for once gets it right.
The disciples are not to tell others about their new understanding of who Jesus is. Why? Because they barely understand themselves what kind of Messiah He is, so they can’t possibly explain it to anyone else yet. Jesus then begins to explain that He is not the kind of Messiah that will lead a war against the Roman Empire, but a Messiah who must suffer, die, and be raised from the dead in order to save His people. Peter, who only moments before has made such a wonderful confession, immediately acts as though he knows better than Jesus and is severely rebuked.
Questions
- Who did Peter say Jesus was?
- What kind of Messiah was Jesus going to be?
Prayer Points
- Pray for the preaching and hearing of God’s Word tomorrow.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.