Ryan Hall
Call me what you will, but I like watching people lose big on gameshows. It is far more enjoyable than watching them leave with a free car! The biggest gameshow loss happened on NBC’s “The Wall.” A father-daughter team worked to amass an unknown bank of cash, but then the daughter was offered a $230,000 guaranteed payout, which she took. Then the father came on stage and gently informed her that, if she had rejected the deal, they would have left with $2.6 million dollars. They both collapsed in grief and regret—and I loved every minute of it.
But when it comes to eternity, I don’t want anyone to feel the crushing realization that they lost heaven. Today I want you to know that your eternity depends on how you answer one question. Let’s call it the million-dollar question, though far more than money is at stake. The question is found in verse 27: Who is Jesus?
How can we decide who Jesus is? The first thing we see in today’s text is, Jesus ID’d himself with miracles. I have some forms of ID with me to prove who I am. This is a driver’s license, here is a credit card, and this is my passport. My wife is also here, and I’ll ask her to give a thumbs up if I am truly Ryan Hall. Look at that, I check out! What forms of ID did Jesus offer? His miracles were authoritative proof of his identity.
So far in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus cast out demons, healed many sick people, calmed the storm, raised Jairus’ daughter, fed the 5,000, walked on water, fed the 4,000 and in our text, he heals another blind man. These incredible signs offer us convincing proof of Jesus’ identity. What’s your answer to the million-dollar question? Who is Jesus?
The second thing we see in the text is the variety of possible answers. Back then, some thought Jesus was John the Baptist, which must have been awkward, because John had already been beheaded. I’ve never been mistaken for a headless dead guy, but apparently, Jesus was dealing with that…headache…pun intended. Others guessed Jesus was Elijah, one of the first prophets in the OT. That made more sense, because it was prophesied that Elijah would return and restore things before the Messiah could come. Others guessed Jesus might be a different prophet from the past. These were, of course, all wrong answers to the million-dollar question.
Jesus then personalized the question, and I want you to pretend that Jesus is looking you in the eyes at this very moment and asking for your final answer. He said, “Who do YOU say that I am?” Today, some say, “He was a great moral teacher.” Others say, “He was a powerful religious leader.” And still others would actively reject or passively neglect Jesus as the Messiah.
A man from my church was in the hospital and asked the nurse, “Do you know Jesus?”
She replied, “I’m a Buddhist, and I don’t know anything about Jesus.” He spent the next few days telling her that Jesus is more than a famous religious teacher like Buddha.
Often people say nice things about Jesus that are not true. Morgan Freeman said, “Did Jesus exist? I don’t know. I see him as a symbol more than a person.”
And some people mock Christ. Christopher Hitchens said, “Jesus is Santa Claus for adults.” Who do you say he is?
The third thing we see in the passage is the true identity of Jesus. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Thankfully, Peter gave the right answer. In addition to Peter, others witnessed about Jesus in the Gospel of Mark. John the Baptist, God the Father, the Holy Spirit, and demons all went on record that Jesus was the Son of God and Messiah.
What exactly does, “Messiah” or “Christ” mean? It means Jesus is the anointed ruler of heaven and earth, and the promised savior from the Old Testament. Isaiah 22:22 talks of God giving the Key of David to a leader. Revelation 3:7 says Jesus now holds the Key of David. And Matthew says Jesus gave the keys of the Kingdom to Peter (and thus the church). Therefore, when you hear the gospel through the messengers of Christ, the door of heaven swings wide open before you; either you enter or you don’t, and whatever is decided here is final there.
Because Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, he is the only one who can turn the key and grant you access to the Kingdom of God forever.
So, what is your final answer to the million-dollar question? Who do you say Jesus is?
Ryan Hall is senior pastor of Anchor Palos in the Chicago suburbs and founder of SermonMapping.com, online courses for better preaching.