[Jesus] said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”  Matthew 16:15

Matthew 15:13-20 recounts an important conversation Jesus had with his disciples. He asks them who people usually say he is. Then Jesus directs the same question to the disciples: “Who do you say that I am?” He is pointing out that the disciples need to think for themselves. With Peter’s answer, he goes further: All who follow Jesus can have their thoughts renewed by divine revelation.

 Often we look to other people for guidance rather than turning to God. As a teenager, I attended Christian conferences where I met lots of young adults. I looked up to them as children look up to older siblings. They became examples for me. One day, though, God showed me that I couldn’t go on simply acting as I had seen others act. If I did, my first trial would show that my foundations were not right.  In each of our spiritual lives, we come to the point that we must look at what Christ means for us, personally. If the disciples had depended on what other people said, even good religious folks, they might not have seen who Jesus was. Like Peter, each of us can turn our eyes to God to see God’s revelation for us, individually. Living according to this revelation is what the Bible calls “walking by the Spirit.” (See Rom. 8:13, Gal. 5:16, 25.)

God, show us how to walk in the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Amen.