“WHOM DO MEN SAY THAT I AM?

Matthew 16:13-16

Introduction: While Jesus was alive on the earth, there was great confusion among some people concerning his identity. Even today men are still con­cerned with the identity of this “prophet” from Galilee. We do not know what Jesus looked like. But from several passages in the Bible, it is clear that there was nothing about him physically that set him apart from others (Isaiah 53:2; John 8:59). Many artists have drawn their concepts of what they think Jesus looked like. Most paint a figure that is rather tall, with a peaceful, serene expression, blue eyes, and a rather fragile build. But let’s notice some of the people He was compared with and perhaps we can learn more about his physical appearance and his personality.

I. John the Baptist

A.      Some people thought he was John raised from the dead (v. 14).

1.       Herod believed this. (Mt. 14:1-12)

2.       “Many others” believed it. (Luke 9:7-9)

B.      John was a rugged man.

1.       He ate locusts and wild honey. (Mt. 3:4)

2.       He lived outside of the town and preached. (Mt. 3:5,6)

C.      John was a man who would tell people what they needed to hear.

1.       Mt. 3:7-12 - The Pharisees and Sadducees - he rebuked them.

2.       Mt. 14:4 - John told Herod he was living “unlawfully” with a woman.

D.      Jesus was mistaken for John.

1.      Jesus must have been a physically rugged type of man.

(John 2:13-17) He drove out the moneychangers.

2.      Jesus did not live comfortably. (Mt. 8:20)

3.      Jesus told people what they needed to hear. (Mt. 23:13-23 - List of woes upon Pharisees, scribes.)

TRANSITION:       Some mistook him for John. Others thought he was:

II.           Elias (Elijah)

A.       Some thought he was Elijah the prophet.

1.      Elijah was a very respected man among the Jews.

2.      He did not die, but was “taken up in a chariot of fire.”

3.      The Jews were looking for him to come again. (Malachi 4:5,6)

  John 1:19-21; Elijah came but the Jews did not recognize him.

(Mt. 17:10-13)

B.      Elijah is sometimes known as the “fiery prophet.”

1.      Probably canes from the incident on Mt. Cannel. (1 Kings 18:17-40)

2.       Relate the story.

C.      Also, Elijah was a man who was lonely at times.

1.       He had to flee from Jezebel and Ahab. (1 Kings 19:4-10)

D.      As already pointed out, Jesus could be very “fiery” in his denunciations of those who were guilty of hypocrisy and “vain worship.”

              E.       Jesus also spent a lot of lonely hours. (Jn. 7:53; 8:1; Luke 22:39-46)

He was a man of sorrows. (Isa. 53:3)

TRANSITION:     Several thought Jesus was Elijah.  Still others thought he was:

III.         Jeremiah

A.      Jeremiah is known as the weeping prophet.

1.      In his writings he weeps over the disobedience of his nation.

2.      The book of “Lamentations” is a touching funeral dirge describing the city of Jerusalem as it lay in ruins.

B.      Today, a man who weeps is often considered weak.

1.      Emotions are hidden, and are not shown.

2.      However, it takes a strong man with a sensitive heart to weep for the lost and the dying.

C.      Jeremiah was a man of great compassion.

D.      Jesus also was a man who was sensitive to people’s needs.

1.      The Bible repeats many times concerning Him, “...and he had compassion...”

a.        He had compassion on lepers, and healed them.

b.        He had compassion on the blind, and gave them sight.

c.        Jesus had compassion for Mary and Martha, and he wept with them (John 11: 35). This is one of the most touching passages in the Bible.

2.      Jesus had compassion on Jerusalem. (Mt. 23:37-39)

CONCLUSION:     Jesus was a physically rugged man, being mistaken for John or Elijah. He was a compassionate man, for some thou~t he was Jeremiah. But, he was like no other man before or since, because those who knew him best and were with him the most knew “Thou are the Q’~rist, the Son of the living God!”