“Back to the basics: And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord”
Matthew 16:16
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus.
Think back with me, for a moment, to about fifty years ago, to a game show called To Tell the Truth. In its time, it was one of the most popular game shows of all time, along with The Price is Right, Let’s Make a Deal, The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game and Jeopardy.
You probably remember how it goes. The show featured a panel of four celebrities who were asked to correctly identify who were the two imposters and who was telling the truth. The imposters were, of course, allowed to lie, while the central character was sworn “to tell the truth.” Across the years and its many episodes, some of the show’s most notable guests included science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov, psychologist Joyce Brothers, Jimmy Carter’s brother Billy, astronaut Gordon Cooper and Hank Ketcham, creator of Dennis the Menace.
The show was so popular, other countries soon picked up on the idea. The Netherlands called it Which of the Three, Brazil called it Believe Who You Want, Turkey called it Three Liars and Ukraine called it Imposters.
But no matter what the show, it would always end with the words, “Will the real ‘so-and-so’ please stand up?”
So it was in the words of Matthew chapter 16. I’ll start at verse 13: “Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter replied, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’” (Matthew 16:13-16).
It was a critical time in Jesus’ ministry. He had preached for many months. He was well known throughout all of Israel. His fame had spread far and wide.
And the people loved Him! They had seen His miracles and heard His teachings. Word spread from village to village like fire: “Have you heard about this Man named Jesus?” And along the dusty roads of Galilee, people wondered who He really was.
And the Pharisees and the Sadducees had heard of Jesus too. But they didn’t like what they heard. He was, after all, a threat to their interests, a nuisance. And something had to be done--and the sooner, the better. The shadow of the cross began to loom ahead.
So surrounded by those who liked Him, but didn’t understand Him, and by those who wanted nothing to do with Him, Jesus did an unusual thing. He left the territory of Israel and took His disciples far to the north, to a place called Caesarea Philippi. What would happen there would change the course of history.
He had never put them on the spot like this before. He had never directly asked them, “Who do you say I am?”
He knew full well that His own nation, Israel, would soon reject Him and crucify Him. So now, He must know, were those who followed Him truly with Him or were they against Him? Would they be willing to preach and teach in His name? So He asked, “Who do people say I am?”
It must have been quite a sight. Here was a homeless, penniless Galilean carpenter, surrounded by twelve ordinary men. And as He spoke, He stood in a place called Caesarea Philippi, a town littered with pagan temples and foreign gods. And this bearded, itinerant preacher asked, “Who do people say I am?”
And like school children who were sure they knew the right answer, they eagerly replied, “Some say You’re John the Baptist (at least, that’s what Herod says), while others say You’re Elijah (the Jews expected him to return at anytime), while still others say You’re Jeremiah or one of the prophets (some kind of divine spokesman sent by God).”
And those were good answers, very good answers. Outstanding as a matter of fact! Just like John the Baptist, He preached repentance. And just like Elijah and Jeremiah, He fearlessly preached the Word of the Lord.
But none of those answers were the right answers, because none of them hit the nail on the head. So He asked once more: “But what about you? Who do you say I am?”
Now the Bible doesn’t say, but it must have gotten pretty quiet. They knew Jesus was a great Teacher and, time after time, He performed incredible, unexplainable miracles.
But this question was like no other question He had ever asked before. It was all or nothing. Everything was at stake. Everything that had ever happened before or would ever happen came to rest on those words: “Who do you say I am?”
And there was only one who was brave enough and strong enough to say it. And in one of the most important defining moments of all time, it was Peter who burst out and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).
And it’s a good thing he did, because that’s exactly what the Bible says. John wrote in his first epistle: “We are in Him who is true--even in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life” (I John 5:20). Paul wrote to the Romans: “Christ is God over all, forever praised!” (Romans 9:5). And the angels sang over the fields of Bethlehem, “Today, in the city of David, a Savior has been born. He is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).
And that’s what these words from the Apostles’ Creed are all about: “I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.”
If you think about it, it’s been pretty easy going so far. Most any Jew or any Muslim would have no trouble whatsoever saying, “I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.” But this article, the second article, sets us apart from everyone else.
Luther wrote in the words of his Small Catechism: “I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. This is most certainly true.”
And he wrote in the words of his Large Catechism: “For when we had been created by God the Father, and had received from Him all manner of good, the devil came and led us into disobedience, sin, death, and all evil, so that we fell under His wrath and displeasure and were doomed to eternal damnation, as we had merited and deserved. There was no counsel, help, or comfort until this only and eternal Son of God in His unfathomable goodness had compassion upon our misery and wretchedness, and came from heaven to help us…He delivered us poor lost men from the jaws of hell, has won us, made us free, and brought us again into the favor and grace of the Father.”
If I were to ask who was the greatest president in the history of our United States, you might say it was George Washington, while others might say it was Abraham Lincoln or Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Any of those are good answers. They were all great presidents in their own way.
And if I were to ask who was our nation’s greatest general some would say it was George Patton or Winfield Scott or Ulysses S. Grant.
But if I were to ask, “Who is the Savior of the world?” there’s only one name that comes to anyone’s mind. Mohammed never made such a claim, and neither did Confucius, and neither did Buddha. They were nothing more than ordinary men.
But Jesus, and Jesus alone, is the world’s Redeemer. That’s what Peter once said in the book of Acts: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
So it is on Jesus that all of history rests. Either you believe in Him and all that the Bible says about Him or you don’t. It’s either one or the other. There is no middle ground.
Either He was born of a virgin, or He was not. If He was not, then He is not the Son of God and He cannot be our heaven-sent Redeemer.
Either He performed the miracles recorded in the Gospels, or He did not. And if He didn’t make lepers whole, or give sight to the blind or hearing to the deaf, then those who recorded those events are liars, and nothing they said about Jesus can be believed or trusted.
Either He resisted every temptation this sinful world has to offer, or He did not. And either He carried all the sins of mankind, or He did not. If He didn’t, then He’s a sinner just like the rest of us, and His death on the cross meant nothing.
Either He rose from the dead on Easter Day, or He did not. And if He didn’t rise, then He, like the rest of all humanity, is still held captive by the grave and none of us have even a glimmer of a hope of resurrection.
Either Jesus is, as the creed says, “God’s only Son, our Lord,” or He is not. There is no middle ground.
And that’s why these words from the Apostles’ Creed are so important. For at the very center of our Christian faith isn’t a set of ideas or a religious theory or simply a way of life. At the very center is a person. And His name is Jesus Christ.
Two hundred years ago, back in the early 1800s, Czar Nicholas I had a good friend who asked him to provide a job for his son, so he did, appointing him as paymaster for a barracks in the Russian army. But as it turned out, the son soon gambled away nearly all the money that he’d been given.
When word came that auditors were on their way to examine his records, he quickly sat down and calculated just how much he owed, only to discover that there was no way he could ever pay it back. So he made up his mind to take his gun and commit suicide just before the auditors arrived. But before he went to bed the night before, he wrote out a full confession, listing everything he had stolen. Then he added, “A great debt. Who can pay?”
Later that night, the czar himself paid a surprise visit to the barracks. And seeing a light on, he looked into the room and found the young man sound asleep with the letter of confession lying next to him. And after reading the letter and understanding what had happened, he paused for a moment, took out a pen, then wrote one word on the paper and left.
The next day, the young man woke up and reached for his gun. But just as he was about to kill himself, he noticed that someone had written something on the ledger. Under his words, “A great debt. Who can pay?” he saw one word: “Nicholas.”
Surprised and terrified that the czar knew exactly what he had done, he checked his records, and found that the signature was genuine. And later that morning, just as the czar had promised, a messenger came from the palace with the exact amount he owed.
Only the czar could pay. Only the czar did pay.
“I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.” What does this mean? He has redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature…not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood.”
Dear Father, we deserve nothing You give us, for there is no merit, nor worthiness in us. Grant that, by Your grace, we may confess Jesus as our Savior, Redeemer and Lord, for His sake. Amen