Day 27: Peter gets that Jesus is God’s promised King
In J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring, representatives of elves, dwarves, and men gather for a council to decide what to do with the ring. The man Boromir asks skeptically who Aragorn is, looking at his weather-stained cloak. The half-elven ruler Elrond, who has gathered the council, explains that Aragorn is the true heir to the throne of Gondor. Aragorn is the king everyone’s been waiting for. But not everyone recognizes him. Today, we’ll see that Jesus is God’s long-promised King. But He’s very different from what people expected.
What did Jesus ask His disciples while they were traveling around (v. 27)?
What is the first answer Jesus’ disciples give (v. 28)?
What had happened to John the Baptist? (If you don’t remember, look back at Mark 6:14–29.)
According to Mark 6:14–16, some people thought that Jesus was John the Baptist raised from the dead. But other people had a different idea. What was the second answer Jesus’ disciples gave to His question (v. 28)?
Elijah was a great Old Testament prophet who was taken up into heaven in a chariot of fire (2 Kings 2:11)! At the very end of the Old Testament, God spoke through the prophet Malachi telling His people to remember the law He gave through Moses on Mount Horeb and promising that He would send the prophet Elijah to them again before the “great and dreadful day of the LORD” (Malachi 4:4–5).
What was the third answer the disciples gave to Jesus’ question (v. 28)?
What does Jesus ask the disciples in verse 29?
How does Peter answer (v. 29)?
As we learned on Day 1, the words “Messiah” and “Christ” mean “God’s anointed King.” At the time when Jesus walked this earth, many Jews were longing for God to send the King He’d promised through His prophets. The people were hoping that God’s King would kick the Romans out and make the Jewish people into a powerful nation once again.
How does Jesus respond when Peter says Jesus is the Messiah (v. 30)?
This is not the first time Jesus has told people to keep quiet about Him.Read Mark 1:34. Who does Jesus order to keep quiet about who He is here?
Read Mark 1:43–44. Who does Jesus order to keep quiet here?
Read Mark 7:36. Who does Jesus order to keep quiet here?
Can you think of a time when you’ve told someone to keep a secret, not because you didn’t want anyone else to know ever, but because it wasn’t time for them to know yet? Jesus is God’s promised King. But it wasn’t time for that to be proclaimed just yet. As we’ll see tomorrow, even Jesus’ disciples didn’t understand what kind of King He was.
Imagine what it would be like to meet the greatest king in history or from your favorite story—like Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings. Then thank God that you get to meet an even greater King—King Jesus—and that He loves you so much He was ready to die for you!