(20)  He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Peter answering said, The Christ of God.

Luke 9:20

Explanation:

Jesus asks the contrasting question after asking them what the world thought of Jesus.  Peter declared that Jesus was the Christ, the Greek term for the Messiah.  He coupled this word for Christ with the Word for God.  He said “Christon Tou Theos.” This was not the first time that Peter believed this.  It was clearly a seminal moment.  In a parallel passage we learn that Jesus renamed Simon to Peter at this moment.  He had declared something particularly important.  Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the Son of God.

Application:

The most basic thing a disciple of Jesus must believe to be a disciple of Jesus is that Jesus is who He said He was.  The world does not acknowledge Jesus as God.  They may acknowledge Him as even from God, but this not enough.  Jesus left no room to be declared simply “from God”, though He was from God.  More than just being sent by God, Jesus was God in the flesh.  This was Peter’s declaration, and it was on this especially important point that the assembly of Jesus would be built. 

Response:

• Did you declare the true identity of Jesus to someone yesterday?  Let us do that today.  Who needs to know?