Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said in reply, “The Christ of God.” He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone. He said, “The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,and be killed and on the third day be raised.” Luke 9:18-22

This is a big moment in the Gospel. Jesus asks his closest followers a question that will change everything: “Who do you say that I am?”

Peter answers, “The Christ of God.” The Messiah.

Peter gets the title right. But Jesus knows that Peter and the others still don’t understand what it means.

They were hoping for a Messiah who would defeat their enemies and restore Israel’s power. So imagine their shock when Jesus tells them that he will suffer, be rejected by his own religious leaders, be killed, and on the third day be raised. That was not the victory they expected.

Jesus came to bring God’s kingdom by welcoming sinners, serving the poor, and giving his life for the world. They were waiting for someone to defeat their enemies. Jesus came to defeat sin and death.

Peter had the right words. Jesus would spend the rest of their journey showing him what those words meant.

And now Jesus asks us the same question: “Who do you say that I am?”

It is easy to say, “You are the Messiah. You are my Savior.” But what does that mean in my life?

Is Jesus someone I turn to only when I need help? Or is he the Lord I trust enough to follow every day of my life? Even when he asks me to forgive someone who hurt me, to serve someone who cannot repay me, or to carry a cross I never would have chosen?

Peter’s answer was right. The rest of his life was learning to live it. The same is true for us.