By John Park

There was a multitude of people from different social strata of Judea all huddled around an average looking guy. There was nothing exceptionally impressive about him. In fact, he was nothing more than a carpenter from a small town. Yet the atmosphere of the crowd was tense–mixed emotions of peace and desperation–but pervading all other feelings was hope.

In fact, surrounding this man from Galilee was a multitude of hopes. The sick came with a hope of being healed, the blind with the hope to see, and the deaf with the hope to hear. Then there were those who came with the hope to receive a free meal after rumors had spread that this Jesus could feed five thousand with only five loaves and two fish. There were some public sinners, who came with the hope of being accepted and forgiven by this Jesus who claimed to have the authority to forgive sins. There were teachers of the law, who came with the hope of trapping this heretic who claimed he was the Son of God in his words, teachings, and actions. There were his disciples, who followed with the hope that he would establish an empire where they could be his administrators and hold other positions of power.

Standing at the front of this vast procession heading towards Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked his disciples, �Who do people say I am?�

Who is Jesus that he continues to instill so much hope and inspire generations of people to this day?
The account of the historical Jesus is recorded in four reliable manuscripts preserved from the ancient world of those times. They were backed up by accurate eyewitness accounts, an empty tomb of where Jesus laid, and the dramatic spread of the Christian faith throughout the Roman World by former skeptics.

The disciples replied to Jesus saying, �Some say John the Baptist; others Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.� The teachers of the law claimed Jesus was a blasphemer and a lawbreaker. Indeed there was confusion about Jesus� identity and mission in those times, and today there still is much confusion and an elusive mystery that surrounds the very person of Jesus. Some say he was a magician, a politician, a doctor, a storyteller; others say he was married to Mary Magdalene, or that he did not even exist. Jesus knew all the speculations about his identity and authority going around, and that is probably why he asked his disciples, �Who do people say I am?� There seemed to be no distinct consensus about who Jesus was.

And this continues still. In any given generation, there will never be any clear consensus about who Jesus is. The good thing is, Jesus does not care what people think about him, and he never has. He cares what you believe about him; and this is what he really seeks when he asks, �But what about you? Who do you say I am?�