Luke 9:18–27: Confessing Jesus

August 5, 2026

The Ten Signposts of the Bible
CAMDE—400—CALY
Creation. Abraham. Moses. David. Elijah. 400. Christ. Apostles. Letters. Yet-to-Come. 

What is your view of Jesus? That question never gets old, and the answers are many: Was he a great teacher, a moral leader, a revolutionary, a legend? Some might honestly say, I’m not really sure who Jesus is. 

Jesus asked his disciples that same question. Luke says this happened one day, “as he was praying alone,” though the disciples were nearby. Let’s consider their weighty conversation.

As the disciples listened to Jesus’ teaching, they also mingled with the crowds to gauge how well people understood his message. It would have been important to know how people were responding. The crowds had many opinions, so Jesus asked, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” (Luke 9:18). 

The answer depended on whom you asked. Some said Jesus was John the Baptist, returned to life. Others said he was Elijah who, according to Malachi, would return in the last days (Mal. 4:5). Still others thought Jesus was one of the prophets who had risen from the dead.

Then Jesus went further, asking his disciples a personal and searching question: “But who do you say that I am?” (Luke 9:20). In the end, what others say does not matter; what matters is what we personally believe. Each of us will be accountable. Final judgment will not happen as a group, but one by one. 

Peter spoke first and said, “The Christ of God” (Luke 9:20). Literally, this means “the Anointed One.” In Hebrew, it is translated “Messiah.” In Greek, “Christ.” This great confession was not a natural conclusion, and it never is. When we come to acknowledge Jesus as God’s Son, the Anointed One who came to bear the penalty for our sin, it is a work of God. So it was with Peter. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus responded, “For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 16:17). When we understand who Jesus is and trust in him, it is always a work of God. 

At this point in Luke, we are still in the year of popularity. Many people are coming to see Jesus, but not because he is “the Christ of God.” Some sought help from the miracle-worker, the healer, the one who cast out demons. Others wanted a revolutionary leader to deliver them from the bondage of Rome. But Jesus came to deliver us all from the bondage of sin. So he “strictly charged and commanded [his disciples] to tell this to no one, saying, ‘The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised’” (Luke 9:21–22). 

This is the first time in Luke’s Gospel that Jesus clearly explains what lies ahead and what it really means to be the Messiah: rejection, death, and then a glorious resurrection. Once again, we are in the year of popularity, and people are flocking to Jesus. The disciples were riding a wave, and Peter did not want to hear anything about suffering. He took Jesus aside, away from the other disciples, “and began to rebuke him, saying, ‘Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.’ But [Jesus] turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man’” (Matt. 16:22–23). 

What a turn of events! One moment Peter is confessing Jesus as the Christ, something God the Father revealed to him. The next minute, his mind is not set on “the things of God, but on the things of man.” Let’s be real here: we can all relate, can’t we? 

Jesus turned his conversation with Peter into a deeply penetrating teaching moment. The disciples had mainly seen the excitement of the crowds—and they were with the One who was creating it. But everything was about to change. 

Jesus said to all the disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it” (Luke 9:23–24). The disciples were familiar with the image of a condemned criminal carrying the crossbeam to the place of execution. The Romans required the condemned to carry it through town to strike fear into onlookers and to show public submission to the sentence. 

Today, people wear crosses as an accessory to enhance their appearance. But as Bible scholar Trent Butler points out, “You cannot wear this cross. You must bear it.”^[1] I don’t know about you, but that statement hits me hard. The believer has been crucified with Christ; we die to ourselves, and Christ lives in us (Gal. 2:19–20). We are called to live that way every day. Carrying our cross means self-denial—not focusing on what pleases us, but keeping our attention on Jesus and what he has called us to do.

Jesus ended his conversation with these candid words, “For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?  For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels” (Luke 9:25–26).

We’ll start there next time.  

Read and reflect on Luke 9:18–27: How would you answer Jesus' question today: "Who do you say that I am?"

Talking to God: Ask God to help you evaluate the evidence in your daily life that supports that answer. 

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