The Planet’s Most Momentous Event

During His earthly ministry, did Jesus know the word on the street? Was He aware of what people thought about Him and said about Him?

Absolutely. In fact, He would call people out for their thoughts while He was engaging them. So at Caesarea Philippi when Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do people say I am?” (Mark 8:27 NLT), He was giving them a test.

And why do teachers give tests? It’s to see if their students are learning the material. The disciples had seen Jesus perform miracles. They had seen Him walk on water, heal leprosy, drive out demons, and even raise the dead. But did they really understand who He was yet?

Apparently not, because they replied, “Some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the other prophets” (verse 28 NLT).

That wasn’t the right answer. But Simon Peter, known for his outspokenness, got it. He said, “You are the Messiah” (verse 29 NLT). Matthew’s version of this story has Peter saying, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (16:16 nlt).

Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being” (verse 17 NLT).

Peter understood that Jesus wasn’t Elijah. He wasn’t John the Baptist. And He wasn’t even a mere prophet. He was and is the very Son of God.

Jesus wasn’t a mere man or just one of the prophets. He was God, coming to us in human flesh. As Jesus entered our world, He was God with skin on, walking among us.

The birth of Jesus Christ was the most momentous event that has ever occurred in the history of the planet. The eternal God literally became a fetus and was born of a woman in order to be the Savior of the world.