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Sharon Reformed Presbyterian Church · Sermon study sheet

Who is Jesus?

Bryan Schneider · March 18, 2023

Mark 8:27-30

sharonrpc.org/sermons/who-is-jesus

Summary

  • At the hinge of Mark's Gospel, Jesus asks first what the crowds say and then presses his disciples personally: 'Who do you say I am?'
  • Popular answers honor Jesus as a teacher or prophet but still fall short of Peter's Spirit-given confession that Jesus is the Christ.
  • Christ means the promised Anointed One who fulfills the offices of prophet, priest, and king anticipated throughout Scripture.
  • Jesus asks this question amid the idols of Caesarea Philippi, confronting every attempt to treat him as one religious option among many.
  • Modern people and churches still remake Jesus into moral, political, spiritual, permissive, or legalistic images that fit their preferences.
  • Saving faith receives the Jesus offered in Scripture rather than a Christ of personal or cultural invention.
  • Confessing Jesus as Christ includes bowing to him as Lord, trusting his saving work, obeying him, and following him at personal cost.

Reflection and discussion

  • Why are the crowd's answers about Jesus respectful but still inadequate?
  • What does Peter confess by calling Jesus the Christ?
  • How do the offices of prophet, priest, and king help explain who Jesus is and what he does?
  • Which cultural or personal preference most tempts me to remake Jesus in my own image?
  • Is my view of Jesus being corrected by Scripture, even when his words make me uncomfortable?
  • Do I confess Jesus only as Savior, or also bow to him as Lord and King?
  • How does my daily obedience reveal what I truly believe about Jesus?

Key terms

Christ
The Greek title meaning Anointed One, corresponding to Messiah and naming Jesus as God's promised prophet, priest, and king.
Messiah
The promised deliverer and ruler anticipated in the Old Testament and fulfilled in Jesus.
Prophet
The anointed office by which Christ reveals God's will and speaks God's final saving word.
Priest
The anointed office by which the sinless Christ offers himself, makes propitiation, and represents his people before God.
King
The anointed office by which Christ rules, defends, and subdues a people to himself.
Saving faith
Receiving and resting on the real Christ as Scripture offers him, with trust that acts in discipleship.

Notes and prayer