They replied, 

"Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets."

"But what about you?"

he asked. 

"Who do you say I am?"

Mark 8:28-29 NIV

I wonder if Jesus unpacked the nuances of why they thought he was John - the cool guy who lived his own extreme lifestyle and attracted heaps of followers, or Elijah who destroyed the Baal priests and called fire from heaven (probs not the Elijah who got scared and depressed afterwards tho)

Jesus was not worried at all about what people, the crowd, thought of him.

Jesus was interested in what those closest to him really believed.

Because his plan was that they were going to be the start of the church and change the world.

And what they believed about Jesus was critical.

Just as it is for us today.

That question helps us cut through the unimportant, what the crowd think, because today Jesus is interested in our answer to that question:

"Who do you say I am?"

The answer changes everything 

#gospelofmark

#wordsofJesus

#questions