The Son Of God

THE SON OF GOD

a prayer to open

Open my eyes and help me to see you.

Open my heart and help me to know you.

Jesus, my Lord and my God.

One day Jesus left the crowds to pray alone. Only his disciples were with him, and he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”

“Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the other ancient prophets risen from the dead.”

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

Peter replied, “You are the Messiah sent from God!”

Jesus warned his disciples not to tell anyone who he was. “The Son of Man must suffer many terrible things,” he said. “He will be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He will be killed, but on the third day he will be raised from the dead.”

Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed? If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels. I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Kingdom of God.”

About eight days later Jesus took Peter, John, and James up on a mountain to pray. And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was transformed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly, two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared and began talking with Jesus. They were glorious to see. And they were speaking about his exodus from this world, which was about to be fulfilled in Jerusalem.

Peter and the others had fallen asleep. When they woke up, they saw Jesus’ glory and the two men standing with him. As Moses and Elijah were starting to leave, Peter, not even knowing what he was saying, blurted out, “Master, it’s wonderful for us to be here! Let’s make three shelters as memorials—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” But even as he was saying this, a cloud overshadowed them, and terror gripped them as the cloud covered them.

Then a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to him.”

“Who do you say I am?” This is a question Jesus asks each of us. When we decide to follow Jesus, we are saying something about who we believe him to be. Initially we might say he is our rescuer or redeemer. Over time we might say he is our healer and our comforter. Sometimes our actions might say something different from our words. Perhaps our lips say that Jesus is our Lord, but our conduct reflects that money, fame, or lust is. No matter how many times we get off track, Jesus always calls to us and invites us back to follow him.

• Take a moment to reflect on how you would answer Jesus’ question “Who do you say I am?” How do your thoughts and actions align with your belief about who Jesus is?
• What threatens to take your attention and devotion away from Jesus? What daily practices or routines might help you protect against that happening?
• What does today’s passage reveal to you about Jesus?

Father, thank you for saving me and inviting me into a new life with you through Jesus. I don’t ever want to take this gift for granted or lose sight of the lengths you went through to show your love for me. Give me the courage and the words to share what I know to be true about Jesus and how he has transformed my heart and my life. Give me strength to reject anything that pulls me away from you, and remind me that nothing can separate me from your love. Amen.