Who Do You Say I Am Like

Ancient Manuscript: Gospel of Thomas

Saying:  13

My Reflection on Verse:

Jesus asked who you think I am like.  Imagine having that question asked to you.  Who would you say Jesus was?  Would you acknowledge Jesus as the Savior?  Would you be like the disciples who didn’t fully understand who Jesus was?

The disciples had walked with Jesus.  They had lived with Jesus.  They had learned from Jesus.  Yet, they truly didn’t understand what Jesus would be for them.  They accepted that he was the Messiah.  Yet, they didn’t understand what Jesus would do for them.

We have the knowledge of the past.  We know what happened that day Jesus went to the cross.  Yet, do we truly know who Jesus is to us.  Do we know that Jesus is the salvation that we need?  Have we accepted that Jesus is our Messiah?

It is important to remember that Jesus came for each and every one of us.  Jesus came for those that have passed.  Jesus came for those to come.  Jesus is the Messiah of the world.  Yet, how many of us do not understand this.  How many of us miss the saving power of Jesus’s death and resurrection?

The disciples would soon learn all that we know.  They would learn that their teacher would die to make them free.  They would learn that Jesus was not only a man but the Messiah.  They learned Jesus would free them from their sins.

In this moment there were two things that we learn that dispelled beliefs at the time this manuscript was written.   First Jesus was not an angel.  Many people at this time thought that Jesus was an Angel in human form.  This was challenged by this question.  What we and others learn is that Jesus is not an Angel.  Secondly, Jesus was not just a human philosopher.  People at the time had a hard time accepting that Jesus was both human and God.  This goes right to the heart of those that thought this.  Jesus was not just human but was part of the trinity of God.

We also have to ask the question about why Thomas was pulled to the side to be told special things.  I think this is like many of us that are given gifts by God.  He believed that he was not wise enough or important enough to answer the question.  We need to understand that Jesus picked him to receive this special moment because of this humbleness.  We need to remember that we are also like Thomas.  We will only receive gifts from Jesus if we approach it humbly.

Questions

Who do you say Jesus is?  Have you accepted that Jesus is both Human and God?  Have you accepted that Jesus is the Messiah?  Have you given your life over to God?  Are you willing to accept the gifts that God wants to bestow on you?