By Greg Daum
Guest Writer
Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that 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?” Jesus asked. Who do you say that I am?”
— Luke 9:18-20
Do you really want to know what people think of you? I suppose that it is natural for us to wonder what people think of us. But I am learning that it can be a dangerous question to ask … especially if you receive an honest answer.
Jesus asked the question once to his followers and the answer that came back to him (paraphrased) was, “Well, all sorts of people seem to have an opinion about who you are. The answers vary anywhere from a modern day man who lives in the desert, to an individual who had died many years ago but who has now come back to life.” (I have always wondered how Jesus felt about being compared to a dead man who had come back to life.)
I suppose that not much has changed in the last 2,000 years. There are still a wide variety of opinions about who Jesus was and is. It seems to me that a brief glance at the major faiths of the world would offer us a different view about who Jesus was.
But the real question is not, “Who do others say Jesus is.” The question is, “Who do YOU say that he is?” At least that is the question that Jesus follows up with in response to the disciples answer.
It is a good question, isn’t it? Max Lucado once wrote, “What do you do with a man such as Jesus? He called himself God, but never marshaled an army. He was regarded as a king, but his only crown was of thorns.”
What is a person to say about such a man? And what do you do with him? Your answer to that question begins and ends with your answer to the question, “Who do you say that he is?”
Out of all the theological truths of the Bible, it seems to me that in the end, it is the only question that really seems to matter.
Although others may disagree, I want to suggest that:
If you come to Pepperdine and receive a $120,000 education, but fail to answer this question, you may have missed the very reason why God brought you here to Pepperdine.
If you travel abroad and spend a year overseas in Heidelberg, Florence or London but fail to answer this question, then you may have missed what could have been the start of the most beautiful adventure of your life.
If you successfully pass Religion 101, 102 and 301, but do not come to a conclusion regarding this question, you may have missed the reason why these classes were offered to you in the first place.
If you faithfully attended Convocation every week for the last four years, but do not come to a conclusion regarding who Jesus is, then you may have missed the very reason for which these Convocations were initially purposed.
If you graduate with a 4.0 and land an incredible job afterwards but fail to answer this question correctly, you have missed what is worth all of the diplomas and riches in the world.
If you meet the individual of your dreams here at Pepperdine (it does happen I am told) but choose not to answer this question, then you may have missed the very person that you should have met.
If your education here at Pepperdine springboards you into an excellent graduate school, but you are unable to answer this question, then you may have missed the very reason why God brought you here to study in the first place.
It seems to me that a person can afford to make many wrong choices in life and still end being happy. I may be living proof of this. You can choose the wrong college to attend and find success. You can choose the wrong major, the wrong career, the wrong internship and still find contentment. You can even choose the wrong company to work for, the wrong car to drive around, the wrong neighborhood to live in, the wrong in-laws to be related to and survive. But the question regarding who Jesus is must be answered. And it should be answered correctly because it seems to me that a lot is riding on it.
My youth minister once told me that C.S. Lewis came to the conclusion that Jesus had to have been either a legend, a liar, a lunatic or Lord. The option of good moral teacher was out of the question for Lewis because of the claims that Jesus made about himself being equal to God. Maybe Jesus cannot be reduced down to only one of four options as some people would have us to believe. Maybe you will come to another conclusion all together. But I appreciate the effort made by a person who at least tries to figure out who Jesus could be and then comes to a conclusion.
In the end C.S. Lewis, like the disciple Peter, concluded that Jesus must be exactly who he claimed to be: the Lord. My hope for each of the students here at Pepperdine is to, at the very least, come to a conclusion about who Christ is before their educational endeavors come to a completion.
Would I like you to conclude that Jesus is the Christ? Of course. But please attempt to come to some conclusion … even if it is different from those around you.
As our affirmation statement in the front of our catalogue states, “That truth, having nothing to fear from investigation, should be pursued relentlessly …” And the question, “Who do you say that he is?” is the greatest truth of all and well worth investigating.
— Greg Daum is a visiting lecturer at Seaver College and teaches speech and religion. You can e-mail him at gregory.daum@pepperdine.edu.
February 06, 2003
