Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.” “But what about you? He asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “God’s Messiah.” (Luke 9:18-20)
One of my classmates in PT (Physical Therapy) school aced every test. We were surprised she didn’t pass her clinicals. She knew information but not people. The Spanish language has two different words for the English word, know – saber and conocer. Saber means to know information about. Conocer means to know intimately.
While studying Luke we’ve discovered Jesus eludes his identity. Many Bible scholars who claim to know Jesus label this the Messianic secret. Do these Bible scholars know Jesus intimately or do they only know about Jesus? I can’t answer that question because I don’t know their hearts.
Jesus still refers to himself as the Son of Man. Why? What is the deeper meaning? I’m not sure there is a deep meaning. God is the Father of man, so God’s son is the Son of man. If you’re reading this devotional, you probably already know Jesus is the Messiah and are applauding Peter and saying, “Finally, at least one of the apostles knows who Jesus is.”
But think about it. Can Jesus’ apostles know Him intimately before they know He loves them so much He’s willing to die a torturous death for them? Can they know him intimately before He gives them His gift of hope of eternal life? We don’t know Jesus by realizing He is the Messiah. He wants us to ask, “Who is this Son of Man?” and dig deeper. He wants us to pray, study our Bibles, listen to Him, and love Him back. Only then will we begin to know Jesus intimately. It’s a lifelong process ending in heaven.
Father God, I thank you and sing praises for your precious gift of Jesus. Help me dig deeper into your word and understand it, so I can know Jesus intimately. Help me to listen and know His love, do His work, and love him back. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
I feel that I know about Jesus and I am trying harder to know him more intimately. I pray, I read my Bible, I love him but I need to work harder at studying the Bible and listening.
You study the Bible every day and I’m thankful you’re doing it with me. Listening is the hardest part. As I read your comment it occurred to me I should ask Him to speak to me more.