29 “But you,” he asked them,“who do you say that I am? ”

Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” 30 And he strictly warned them to tell no one about him.

-- Mark 8:29-30

The Messiah (Mark 8:29-30)

This week at NorthStar, we concluded our "Questions God Asks" series as we looked at Jesus' question to his disciples, "Who do you say that I am?"This is a crucial question not only for the disciples but for us today. Every one of us must do something with Jesus Christ. It is so critical because our allegiance to Jesus Christ is personal. This means that faith in Jesus Christ cannot be acquired by proximity, family of origin, or social circles. For example, your grandparents, community, wife, husband, and friends cannot answer this question on your behalf. You must answer Jesus' question for yourself. I've heard it said this way:

God does not have grandkids. He only has sons and daughters.

Another way to think about this is exercising. If I go to the gym everyday for an hour but all I do is watch another workout, I will never get stronger. Just because I'm present in the gym does not mean that I will reap the benefits of the exercise. Similarly, just because we show up at church does not mean that we have an appropriate answer to Jesus' question. Our proximity to Christian activity does not answer this questions for us.

Our faith is not about proximity; it's personal.

At the end of verse 29, Peter nails the answer to Jesus' question. He responds:

Jesus is the Messiah.

The term "Messiah" (χριστός, christos) is not common in our Western vernacular. If you noticed our English translation, "Messiah" is of the Greek word "CHRISTos." Our Lord is Jesus Christ. Christ is not his last name; it is a title.

Christ(χριστός, Christos): the anticipated DELIVERER, the ANOINTED ONE, the MESSIAH

The Old Testament (even from the book of Genesis) is building anticipation for the coming of a messiah, a deliverer, for the one anointed by God himself to make all things new. Therefore, Peter's answer to who Jesus is is correct. He is the one for whom our hearts and our world was made!Today, may we place our faith in Jesus the Christ, Jesus the Messiah, Jesus the deliverer, Jesus the anointed one.