Who Do You Say He Is?

 27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”
 28 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”
   29 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”
30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.
Mark 8:27-30

Jesus asked the question to His disciples: "Who do you say that I am?" He already knew their answers, what their thoughts, opinions, and beliefs were. It was no coincidence that Peter was the one who verbally responded. In this group, where it was just Jesus and the disciples, Peter seized this moment thinking he could have a bit of praise & glory, raising himself upwards in the discipleship hierarchy, the competition that existed between the disciples as they jostled for their perception of Jesus' attention. But How did Peter identify with the Lord Jesus when He was confronted by the servant girl and others in the crowd after Jesus was seized? Peter, when faced with the hard choices, and feeling the need for self preservation, and dealing with peer pressure, denied His previously proclaimed Messiah - not once but three times! After fleeing their presence, Peter reflected, and as He saw the Lord Jesus' gaze piercing his soul, and the Lord's voice again asking: "WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM?", Peter agonized and wept bitterly because of his failure to be able to stand in a moment of testing.

So here is the question: When we are "in the world" and in the presence of unbelievers, or when we're around those whom we do not know what they believe, do we proclaim and maintain Jesus as our Messiah, or do we minimize Him, and act like we don't know Him?
We will be challenged, these are days in which being a follower of Jesus will offend many, but that changes nothing. Jesus is the Messiah,and time, culture, and opinions can't change that.
Lord, my prayer is that you will continue to strengthen us as followers of Jesus - as Christians- in the face of adversity and opposition. Let our lives be reflections of Jesus- in everything we do & say, amen.