A Masterpiece is described as – a work of art such as a painting, film, or book that is made with great skill Cambridge Dictionary
It is unique and original.
Jesus asked his Disciples one day ” who do people say that I am?”
We know this scripture very well. But have you every asked why should this matter to Jesus? After all, he is The Christ, The Son of God. Why would man’s opinion matter?
Well the truth is, the answer was not for Jesus’ benefit but for man’s. The responses revealed how connected to the Father their hearts were. Because they could see more and understood more.
Jesus was with them everyday. Teaching them and demonstrating the Power of God, as he healed the sick amongst them. He challenged those in authority through his understanding of the word and peoples lives were being transformed and changed, daily. So he asked those who were closest to him, because who would or should understand you more than those who are nearest to you.
But their responses varied:-
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.
Matthew 16 13-17
It’s interesting that their response was from a perspective of popular opinion. Their answers were from what discussions and arguments were trending at the time. Based on what people saw as oppose to what they knew.
Seeing and knowing are not the same thing!
So when Jesus pushes them, by making the question more direct, only one person’s response was correct.
Simon Peter, could only of answered how he did, because The Father gave him a deeper revelation of Jesus, that took his insight beyond the things Jesus did.
When people see you each day, who do they say you are? If you were to ask them the same question would they be able to say who you are beyond just a job description?
I know when you ask people “who are you?” Often times they describe themself in labels. I know I did 🤩
” oh my name is Jenny and I’m just a stay at home mum” or
“I’m Jenny and I’m a Teacher.”
For many of us through different experiences of life we get lost through the labels and opinions of others. We also get lost through the things that we do. Even in our marriages, a spouse can loose who they are through time. So much so, that it’s not until we encounter some kind of trauma or major change we realise how much of ourselves we have lost.
I remember watching this amazing TV program we had in the UK that traced lost masterpieces of art. I found the process fascinating and one day I got the revelation of that being not to dissimilar to us in life.
People would submit there stories and of course the art experts would then choose whose case they would take on and document to make a show in the series. The process was fascinating. They would examine the authenticity of the paint used. The pigements of the paint in line with what was available in oil paints during the time the perspective painter was alive. They looked at brush strokes in comparison to how the Artist painted against their body of work. They knew who their prodigies were and how their best students painted from their known works. They used infra-red and ultra violet light to reveal changes to the painting. They would painstakingly clean it where needed to remove smoke damage and dust and grim. The end results were for some what they wanted to hear – confirmation that they had a genuine lost masterpiece painting that would now be recognised and documented as such. Whilst for others, they were confirmed as fakes or remained unsubstantiated. These results were the difference between a few thousand pounds or hundreds of thousands in some cases. The ultimate defining factor was clear trackable documentation referred to as ‘Provenance’ that provided a proveable timeline and authentication back to the original artist, with a 99-100% possibility that he or she painted it. Therefore, a recognised body of experts for that Artist were in agreement it came from him or her. A lost masterpiece has been found!
We are masterpieces made in the Father’s image. Our provinence is found in the bible, through The Word. When we come back to The Lord we find our Spiritual identity through him. Through The Holy Spirit the layers that we have built up to hide and defend ourself can be stripped away and the new creation of who we are can be revealed.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17
Jesus always knew who he was. The question was did his disciples know?
Do you know who Jesus is? Do you know who you are?
Prayer
Lord help me to know who you truly are today and in so doing understand who I am as your child? Amen
The Abundance of Rain 