mandag 20. mars 2017

A step on the journey: To discover who Jesus is

NORSK
It is important that the headline is read correctly. It does not say ‘one’ step, but ‘a’ on the journey. To discover who Jesus is not one step, but many steps and I must take one step at a time. 

Personally I have taken quite a few steps and expect that there will be many more before I finally meet Jesus face to face.

Peter is a good example of such a development. He walked with Jesus both before and after the ascension of Jesus, and for Peter it was a journey with ongoing new revelations of who Jesus is. Peter knew a great deal about Jesus before he and the other disciples were challenged to answer the question: “Who do you say I am?” I do not know if Peter realized the scope of the confession he gave:

“You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Matt 16:16
It can hardly be said briefer and more accurate. Anyway, Peter's confession made a strong impact on Jesus. Like his Father, Jesus loves to hear confession. It becomes evident in several of the stories recorded in the Bible, and Paul summarizes it in an important verse:
Trusting with the heart leads to righteousness, and confessing with the mouth leads to salvation.
Rom 10:10 
In a salvation-historical perspective, it may be a bit premature to say that Peter was saved through this confession, but his confession was sufficient for Jesus to launch his teaching about the necessity for him to go up to Jerusalem to lay the foundation for salvation.
 

Geographically, this was a relatively short trip. Spiritually, it was a long and challenging journey for the disciples in general, and for Peter in particular, but it is a very exciting journey.
 

‘Manna’ for today:
To confess who Jesus is, is an important step on the journey.
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