Understanding the person of Jesus requires personal experience. The Apostles of Jesus had been with Jesus for a while yet could not tell who exactly He is, except Peter.
In the first reading we see the testament of Peter referring to Jesus as the Son of God. Jesus asked, “Who do people say I am?’ And they told him. ‘John the Baptist,’ they said ‘others Elijah; others again, one of the prophets.’ ‘But you,’ he asked ‘who do you say I am?’ Peter spoke up and said to him, ‘You are the Christ.’ And he gave them strict orders not to tell anyone about him” (Mark 8:27-33).
Though Peter’s answer is the correct answer, it’s important to ponder what that actually means. This is especially evident by the fact that as soon as Jesus began to explain His mission as the Christ, Peter could not accept it.
There may be times, when we no longer recognise the person of Jesus in our lives due to our painful experiences. However, Jesus remains our Lord and redeemer. Jesus is still asking you and I today, who do you say that I am? The answer is left for us to give.
Sometimes we can fall into the fallacy of thinking that Jesus is only an inspirational figure Who teaches us how we should live. And though that is true, Jesus is so much more. He is the one and only way to Heaven.
Without His death and resurrection we cannot attain Heaven. He is the one and only Saviour. The Lamb Who was slain for our sins. The one and only source of eternal redemption. The exclusive bridge between Heaven and humanity. And though you might understand this intellectually to a certain extent, your faith in this fact must enter deeply into your soul so that you can believe it and embrace His gift of eternal salvation within the deepest core of your being. This takes a radical understanding, acceptance and embrace if we are to truly receive the gift of Jesus’ life.
If we do not know who Jesus is, our services to Him would be mere lip service. We need to create a good relationship with Jesus and our fellow human beings. Where we could extend our love, peace and joy to everyone. Jesus is the Son of the living God and our saviour who has come to save us. Believe in Him and you shall find peace. Peace be with you.
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