Lent Day 25: Peter

Pause

Thank God the ways you have seen Him at work recently in your life as well as in the life of your family and church. Be specific with your praise.

Read & Journal

Read Matthew 16:13-20. Use these journal prompts to meditate on what you’ve read:

• What do you learn about Jesus’ character from His interactions with Peter? What does this passage reveal about Jesus’ mission or purpose?

• Brokenness can be physical or spiritual. How do you see Jesus entering into brokenness in today’s verses?

• How would you answer Jesus’ question today? Why?

Ponder

The disciples had been walking with Jesus for a while. They’d seen miracles and sat under Jesus’ teaching. They’d seen things they understood and a few things they didn’t. And now, Jesus turns to them and asks who people say that He is. The disciples run through all the going theories: John the Baptist reincarnated, the second coming of Elijah, Jeremiah or another prophet. Clearly, the people recognized that Jesus’ words and acts were marked by the authority and power of God, but they weren’t quite ready to declare Him the Messiah.

But Jesus probed deeper: Who do YOU say that I am? No longer was Jesus focused on the theories and speculation of the public, nor was He seeking to hear what the disciples thought or surmised. After they had walked alongside Him, after they had sat under His teaching, after they had seen the miracles and heard the rebukes to the religious leaders and seen Jesus do things that no one else could do—who did they say He was?

Jesus presented His disciples with a turning point. Now was the time to recognize Him as the Messiah or to stay behind. “You are the Christ—the Messiah—the Son of the Living God” was the answer, a bold declaration of faith, one that Jesus points out couldn’t have come from human reasoning but only from God Himself (v. 17).

Scripture tells us that before we come to faith in Christ, we are separated from Him, enslaved to sin and broken in every sense of the word. We are not whole. We are separate, alone, and disconnected. But in Peter’s declaration are the words of life. When we turn to Christ, when we believe He truly is who He says He is and can do what He has promised, it’s as if all the broken pieces form a whole. We are fully known and fully loved. We are joined in fellowship with Christ and other believers. We are part of the church, the ekklesia (v. 18), the gathering of those who submit to God’s rule in their lives.

Today is a day of decision. Who do YOU say that He is? After you’ve sat under His teaching, after you’ve walked beside Him, after you’ve seen Him do things in your life that no one else could do—who do YOU say that He is? And how will that answer change the way you live your life today?