And the Answer Is…? [7-13-25]

July 13, 2025

Luke 9:18-26

“And the Answer Is…?”

We ended last week with this affirmation from Charles Spurgeon:

“Salvation is, in short, deliverance from sin, deliverance from the guilt of it, from the punishment of it, from the power of it."

The affirmation was driven by a question. Herod asked, when hearing about Jesus, “Who is this man?” Salvation hangs on the answer to that question. “Who is Jesus?”

Here’s Luke 9:18-22:

Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” And they answered, “John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.” Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”

And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”

The question moves from Herod to the disciples. And there it sits. “Who do you say that I am?” That is life’s most important question. Who is Jesus?

Now, something to remember. The disciples never questioned Jesus’ miracle power. They never debated it or doubted it. They never said he was a magician. They never accused him of using trickeration. Those whom Jesus healed…those raised from the dead…the people freed from demons…their testimonies were available to anyone who asked. There was nothing fake or phony about what Jesus did. That’s why people followed him. That’s why the woman anonymously reached out to touch his robe to be healed. She knew it was the real deal. People clamored after Jesus because of the signs. They followed because he multiplied loaves and fishes. That’s why they followed. They never questioned those things.

Today’s passage goes deeper. It gets to the heart of the matter. “Who do you say Jesus is?” That is life’s most important question. We’re at about the halfway point of Jesus’ public ministry. This is about at the end of his Galilean journey. He’s now about to head toward Jerusalem. It seems to be an important time to ask this more important question. “Who do you say I am?”

What is Luke telling the story of? Salvation history. His gospel traces the trajectory of salvation history. Here, in chapter nine, we are rounding the corner to Jerusalem. And what awaits Jesus in Jerusalem? Right…Jesus will face trials and death. Both of which, rather than representing failure, instead lead to his resurrection. The culmination of our salvation history.

Make no mistake. Jesus asked the question. Those who were there passed it on to Luke. Luke’s context isn’t to pull us back in time to when the disciples still didn’t have a clear understanding our salvation history. Luke doesn’t want us to put ourselves in their sandals, as it were. Luke’s context for this most important question was the first eight chapters of his gospel. He has been walking us through our salvation history. Throughout, there have been clear statements about who Jesus is and what he came to do. Therefore, we’ve been lead to the place where, hearing the question, Luke has equipped us to give the life-saving answer. “Who do you say that I am?”

Who do you say Jesus is? Here’s something you might want to write down:

ETERNAL HEAVEN OR ETERNAL HELL DEPENDS ON THE ANSWER.

Here’s the thing…and it includes an interesting side note…this is not a complex question. It’s not difficult to answer. You don’t even have to be the smartest person in the world to know that answer.

“Who do you say Jesus is?”

I love the answer YoungHoon Kim gives. Who is YoungHoon Kim, you might ask? He’s a South Korean with the highest recorded IQ. Wanting to avoid notoriety, I didn’t enter my name in the competition. He has an IQ of 276. He says that he believes Jesus Christ is God…the Way and the Truth and the Life.

Here we are, considerably lower in the IQ department, sharing the same belief. Not a complex question at all. With Peter, we answer, “The Christ of God.”

What’s the first question Jesus asks his disciples? “Who do the crowds say that I am?” The word translated as crowds can mean a great multitude, specifically, a confused multitude of people. {As general rule, as crowd numbers go up, IQ average goes down. Look at the “No Kings” rallies back in June…yikes!} Jesus is after what the disciples are sensing from the large numbers of people following him. And the answers he gets are all in line with their recognition that no normal human being could do what the people have seen Jesus doing. Of all they didn’t know or understand, the one thing they knew for sure is Jesus didn’t do what he did by human power.

Remember…no one questioned Jesus’ power to do miracles. They never debated it. There was no skepticism. They saw the signs and wonders. They followed them to their logical conclusion. Jesus possessed power beyond human ability. No one questioned his power.

But the conclusions of the crowds fell short of the reality of salvation 

history. That turn happens next, when Jesus foretells of his death. After Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Christ, Jesus lays out exactly what that means. Everything else pales in comparison to his suffering, death, and resurrection.

And that’s the point. Remember the trajectory of our salvation history. Everything leads to the cross and the empty tomb. Everything. And that’s the central issue of the story. People have to come to the reality of who Jesus Christ is. That is the pressing point in chapter nine. The answer to the question Jesus asks, “Who do you say that I am?” is of utmost importance.

Years ago, Tabletalk Magazine, the monthly devotional magazine of Ligonier Ministries, ran an article titled, “The Myth of Influence.” The point was, too many people buy into the concept of influence. It’s as if the most important thing Christians do is influence the culture. Somehow, if we can speak their language…certain kinds of music…hip, happening pastors…cool lingo and reference points…the right worship space and high tech gizmos… 

think about the influence we can have. Like an old song from the 1970s 

put it:

Step inside! Hello! We've a most amazing showYou'll enjoy it all we knowStep inside! Step inside!

Nobody was ever saved by anybody’s influence. I don’t care however creative or clever. Influence doesn’t save. The power of the church in the world isn’t influence. The power of the church in the world is the gospel. It’s the gospel. It’s the gospel that saves. Not influence. Of course, we should always strive to live righteous lives as a sign of the power of Christ in us. But we’re not trying to influence people. We’re trying to convert people. We’re not about trying to make people feel good. Or help them become good citizens. Or help them enjoy prosperity or live their best life ever. What saves is the gospel. What saves is people recognizing who Jesus Christ is and an honest evaluation of their broken lives and their need for a Savior. We don’t need to influence society. We need more people who are unashamed of the gospel.

Here's how Luke 9:23-26 puts it:

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”

Can you hear it? Sometimes, being devoted followers of Jesus Christ isn’t always peaches and cream. You have to put to death self-centered purposes. You have to renounce the wickedness of the world. Life ain’t always going to be easy. And people aren’t always going to like you or agree with you. You cannot be a people-pleaser and a follower of Jesus Christ. The two cannot be reconciled. Taking up your cross and following Jesus means being shamed. It means being subjected to the howling mob. But that’s okay. Because Jesus is the Christ of God. You know the answer to the question of who Jesus is.

No matter what the world says about who Jesus is, you know who he is because the Bible is crystal clear. We reject conventional wisdom. We’re not out to win popularity contests. We’re not trying to be the cleverest influencers. We’re simply sharing the truth of who Jesus is. Some will believe. Some won’t. Those who do will have hearts awakened to eternal life. What a joy it is to sacrificially live out of that truth. No matter what you experience or go through in life; regardless of how people treat you or what they say to you, your life will resonate with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. How beautiful is that?

You’ve listened to Jesus. You’ve answered his question. Circumstances don’t control you. The gospel message of salvation in Christ and Christ alone guides and directs you. You have unstoppable and immeasurable joy because you know you are going to be with Jesus in heaven. How good is that? All the time goodness…

We all know there is no easy way in life. Jesus couldn’t have made it more clearer than in verse 23:

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

A simple life? An easy life? A comfortable life? A prosperous life? By whose standards? By what measure? To what end? I love what one man says:

“My sincere hope is for more men to experience a bout with hardship early in their adulthood. Strong men are forged through the crucible of pain and discipline.”

This is advice given especially to godly men. How do we influence culture? When a Christian man marries a Christian woman and they start a family. Families need strong men of God. There are no easy paths or solutions. Deny yourself, pick up your cross and follow Jesus. Struggle is an important part of life.

Here’s the glorious conclusion to today’s passage. Remember the question Jesus asked…who do you say I am? Remember the challenge Jesus laid down…pick up your cross. Our greatest joy is at the intersection of those two points.

First, God’s greatest pleasure in His children is found in His desire and will 

that we come to faith in Jesus Christ and be saved. That is preeminent. Have we been transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God’s glorious light? That’s the preeminent point.

Next, here’s where the order of things in chapter nine comes into play. It’s only after giving the right answer to Jesus’ question that we then move on to our purpose in life. Prosperity or happiness cannot bear the weight of that purpose. Listen to how John 3:16 states the real Gospel:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

“Who do you say that I am?” And there’s your answer. That’s the message we share with courage and conviction. That is the promise we model as we live kind, compassionate, caring lives here in our little corner of God’s world. When you know you are going to spend eternity in the presence of your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, it becomes a blessing to pick up your cross and follow him in this life. And together, the people of God said:

SOLI DEO GLORIA…

To the Glory of God Alone