1 /Jesus
Who Does He Think He Is?
Looking Ahead
CORE TRUTH VERSE: “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.’” (Matthew 28:18)
BIBLE STUDY: Mark 8:27-30
READING: Jesus, the Unrivaled Ruler of the Universe
Core Truth
What authority does Jesus claim for himself?
Jesus declares the most astonishing thing that anyone could say about oneself: he announces that his Father has given him all authority over the entire universe. Abraham Kuyper succinctly and famously said, “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is sovereign over all, does not cry, ‘Mine!’”1
- What key thoughts from the Core Truth stand out to you and why?
- What questions or issues does the Core Truth raise for you?
Inductive Bible Study
Since the disciples had observed Jesus heal, forgive sin, still storms and cast out demons for two years, the question of Jesus’ identity had been on their minds. Yet it was Jesus who asked them the question “Who do you say I am?”Read Mark 8:27-30.
- Jesus first engaged the disciples with the general question, “ Who do people say I am?” How did the general public seem to view Jesus?
- Why do you think Jesus asked the disciples about “the buzz on the streets” before putting the question directly to them?
- What are some of the different views people have of Jesus today?
- Think about the different responses to this question about Jesus’ identity. What’s the significance of these different answers? Why is the identity of Jesus so crucial?
- Then Jesus turned the question on his own followers: “Who do you say I am?” Peter, speaking for the twelve, answered, “ You are the Messiah (the Christ).” In Matthew, Peter’s response adds, “the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). What is it that Peter has grasped about Jesus?
- By calling the question to his followers, Jesus raises the same question for us: Who do you say that Jesus is?
Reading: Jesus, the Unrivaled Ruler of the Universe
The late journalist Sydney J. Harris was asked a discerning question by a parent regarding the authority of teachers: “How is it that some teachers are able to control their classes with a very light rein, and have no disciplinary troubles, while others must shout and plead and threaten and still get nowhere with the troublemakers?”
Harris replied that the authority of a teacher has far less to do with teaching techniques or lesson plans, but with the “authenticity” of the teacher. Genuine authority is the result of the “realness, presence, aura, that can impress and influence even a six-year old. . . . A person is either himself or not himself; is either