In the latter part of Mark 8, the disciples had just been with Jesus in Bethsaida. They had watched as Jesus took a blind man to the
outskirts of the town and restored his sight. But this was not the first miracle that they had witnessed—not by a long shot. They had
already seen Jesus do many amazing and wonderful things. They had already come into contact with the reality of who Jesus surely
was. Up until that moment, however, Jesus had not directly pressed them on their belief. That was about to change.
Immediately following the healing of the blind man, Jesus and his disciples headed toward Caesarea Philippi and the surrounding villages. While en route, Jesus initiated an important conversation with his disciples. After querying them about the opinions of people in general regarding his identity, Jesus asked them a pointed question, “But who do you say that I am?” It is no surprise that it was Peter who spoke on behalf of the group, saying,“You are the Christ.”
Peter was absolutely correct, of course. Yet neither he nor any of the others had yet grasped what was the true mission of the Christ. Nor had they understood at that time what following the Christ would mean. Although Jesus had told them directly about his ultimate purpose (three distinct times in Mark’s gospel, in fact), it would be some time before the disciples came to grips with what it all meant.
So, this Christ we follow—who is he?
--Ricky