Prayer Warrior

Isaiah saw it. The magnificent throne, lofty and exalted, shone with radiance. God Himself was seated on the throne (Is. 6:1). Seraphim, the glorious attending angels of Heaven’s court, stood above the great throne and discussed the holiness of God Almighty and His majestic glory (Is. 6:3). As the angel continued to call out the attributes of God, the presence of God was magnified. The temple Isaiah stood in was shaken to the very foundation and smoke was permeating the room (Is. 6:4). The elegant train of the robe of the Ancient of Days was filling and filling and filling the temple (Is. 6:1).

Caesarea Philippi

“Who do men say that I, the Son of man, am?” Jesus asked after traveling with his disciples from the Sea of Galilee to Caesarea Philippi, 25 miles (Mt. 16:13). Caesarea Philippi is a beautiful, lush region located at the base of Mount Hermon, the likely site of the Transfiguration. The verdant mountain backdrop with many caves was full of waterfalls and springs, one of which is a primary source for the Jordan River.

It was also a center of ancient Syrian Baal worship.  At least 14 temples to honor Baal have been discovered in the region. A nearby cave is said to be the birthplace of the Greek god Pan, so the area was also set aside for worship of Pan. In the same region, Herod the Great built a huge, white marble temple to honor Caesar, his god. The region was outside of Galilee in a non-Jewish area. During the time of Jesus, it was ruled by Philip the Tetrarch, who was the son of Herod the Great.

In this setting, the Miracle-Worker juxtaposed himself against a host of pagan gods and posed His famous query. Without hesitation or consideration, the disciples answered, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets (Mt. 16:14).” This must have been the talk of the town, since others made an identical report to Herod. “Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was happening; and he was greatly perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the prophets of old had risen again (Lk. 9:7-8).”

Even when Jesus walked the planet, questions about His identity abounded, just as they do today. Some decided He was John the Baptist resurrected. Others were sure that He was Elijah. Another group was certain that Jesus must be Jeremiah or one of the other prophets reincarnated.

John

John and Jesus lived during the same time period. On occasions, they were even seen together. John preached repentance, baptized people and proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah (Acts 19:4). He did no miracles during his short life. Yet some insisted that John came back to life and inhabited Jesus’ body and the shape of his ministry of repentance was radically altered. The case was presented adequately enough to make Herod, the one who executed John, want to see Jesus (Lk. 9:9, 23:8). What faith it took to concoct and believe such a scenario. Wouldn’t it be simpler to believe what Jesus said of Himself?

Elijah

Elijah was a powerful man of God who moved in the miraculous realms. He hosted a great demonstration with the prophets of Baal to prove that God Almighty is the one true God (1 Kings 18:20-40). He did not die, but was taken from the earth in a whirlwind. The scribes taught that Elijah would return to earth before the Messiah came (Mt. 17:10, 13; Mk. 9:11). The people were willing to accept that Jesus might be a forerunner who also worked many miracles, but they couldn’t accept that He was the actual Savior. They respected Him as a prophet, but they were so familiar with Him that they could not honor Him as God.

Jeremiah

Jeremiah was called the weeping prophet. He spoke of the future events of his nation before and during the exile to Babylon. For the most part, he was rejected by his countrymen. He prophesied the nation’s demise, and tried to offer hope. He was declared a traitor and spent time in Zedekiah’s dungeon prior to the Babylonian invasion (Jer. 32:1-3). Later, he was thrown into a cistern where he slowly sank in the mud until 30 men were able to pull him out (Jer. 38:6, 10-13). Many prophets of old recorded the events to come and talked of the future Messiah. Most were rejected by their contemporaries. Isn’t it interesting that during His days, Jesus’ contemporaries rejected Him, choosing to believe that He was a reincarnated prophet that their fathers had rejected?

John the Baptist, Elijah and Jeremiah were all recognized preachers and prophets. Some performed miracles. All were familiar to the Jews of Jesus’ day. None claimed to be a Savior. Why would it be easier to believe that Jesus was one of them returned from death than to believe He is simply who He said He was? I believe the truth that is obvious in this story still applies today. In general, people want to make Jesus into something familiar, even if the familiar is somewhat exotic.

Peter’s Confession

Jesus then addressed His disciples again. "But who do you say that I am (Mt. 16:15)?" Peter instantly confessed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God (Mt. 16:16).” Peter was able to recognize Jesus for who He was. Peter made it clear that he believed Jesus to be the Son of God, the Messiah.

Jesus was pleased with Peter’s answer, and He went on to explain that this confession can only be made after a heavenly revelation. People can tell us about Jesus, but the Holy Spirit must reveal Jesus personally to us before we can confess our faith (Jn. 6:37, 44, 65).  Saving faith to believe in Jesus can only come when God reveals Himself personally to an individual. However, the revelation of God’s nature is an ongoing process.

Simple Approach

Moses had a simple approach to God. He prayed to see God’s glory (Ex. 33:18). He was instructed to carve out two stone tablets and climb a mountain (Ex. 34:1). There he called the name of God (Ex. 34:5 NAS).

Moses called God by the name that he knew. Perhaps he called “I Am!” Maybe he cried out for “YHWH.” Moses’ picture of God was not complete, but He approached with what he had. He called on God in the way he understood God. In response, God gave Moses greater revelation of Himself. He revealed to Moses more of His nature. “Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, ‘The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations (Ex. 34:6-7 NAS).’”

Moses’ response, the only one that’s logical, was to fall down and worship (Ex. 34:8). Moses sought God and received a greater revelation of the depths of God. God reveals Himself to those who pursue Him even in their own limited way. Then, new revelation inspires true worship.

What About You?

Often I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface and don’t even know the true nature of God. I can’t say what His primary motivation is. When I ask, He asks me, “Who do you say that I am?” I am forced to confess that I too want God to be familiar, understandable. Beyond a shadow of doubt, I know that Jesus is God. At the same time, I don’t understand God.

Moses gives me hope. Even after 80 years, he still wanted more of God. He approached and called on the name of God. He simply called the name he knew. Then, God revealed more of His being to Moses. Isaiah saw God. “I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple (Is. 6:1).” This is a picture of the train of God’s robe continuing to come into the temple. It just keeps coming. His glory fills the temple and keeps growing. There’s more. There’s always more.

We must call on God in our own limited understanding of Him. Then, He will reveal more of Himself to us. Let’s not focus on what’s missing in our understanding of God. Instead, we focus on what we do know. Honor God by the name you know Him. Continue to seek Him. I’m convinced that He will reveal Himself to us in greater measure, and then we can worship Him with greater magnitude. ♥