He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Luke 9:20

In Luke 9:18-22, Jesus, alone with his disciples, asks them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” This is not a pop quiz. This is not a trick question. Luke’s gospel up to this point shows Jesus healing, casting out demons, calming a storm, feeding a crowd, and raising the dead. The crowds think he might be John the Baptist, Elijah, or another ancient prophet arisen- all good guesses, but none the proper title.

The disciples see Jesus as a force to be reckoned with, but who did they reckon he was? Jesus needs the disciples to know, and for them to know that they know, his proper designation, and what is coming.

Peter the Rock says, “Messiah of God.”

He’s right, but Peter and his fellow disciples miss the meaning of this title. They lean toward the idea of a political leader who would rid them of the Roman oppressors, not the servant who would suffer, be killed, and rise from the dead so we can be freed from death.

We call him many things: babe in the manger, Son of God, Son of Man. Proper tags do not keep us from misjudging, either. The key is to focus on what Jesus means in our lives. It means that the Son of God is our brother, making us God’s Children, too! Even more- we do not have to sit at the kids’ table. Jesus invites us to sit with him, as he shares life and good things with us now and in heaven. Deborah Harvill-Ash #Titles #LentWord