“What about you?” [Jesus] asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”

— Mark 8:29

When we meet people and get to know them a bit, it’s not unusual to ask each other about work or hobbies or other interests. We look for information to learn about others and to see what we might have in common.

It would be rare, though, to hear a question like this one that Jesus asked: “Who do you say I am?” And yet this is one of Jesus’ most important questions because it focuses on his identity and purpose.

Jesus asks this question of each of us too. And it is not an easy question. It takes deep thought and reflection because our response will reveal how we go about our everyday life and in whom (or what) we believe and have faith.

Peter answered Jesus by saying, “You are the Messiah”—that is, the Christ, the Son of God, who came to save us from sin and death. And if we say the same, we declare that our faith and life are grounded in Jesus Christ. This affects how we pray, how we interact with others—how we live our whole lives. It also directs us to find peace and security in the Lord who loves us and has this world in his hands.

If we merely think that maybe Jesus is the Messiah, that will affect our lives too, and our foundation will feel less secure. Hopefully it will prompt us to ask Jesus himself, “How do you want me to live?”

As we begin this month of reflecting on Jesus’ questions, who do you say Jesus is?

Jesus, give us the courage today to say that you are the Lord and Savior and to show in our lives that we believe it. Amen.