Who do you say Jesus is?
In this Word for the Week, recorded on Mynydd Illtud in the Breacon Beacons range in South Wales, we walk through Mark 8:27-38:
Peter’s confession at pagan Caesarea Philippi,
Jesus’s first prediction of his suffering, and
the call to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow him.
You will find out why the setting matters, why Jesus silenced the news that he was the Christ, what “Get behind me” may really mean, and what a cross meant to the people who first heard those words.
Wales has plenty of people who can say the right words.
This passage shows up the importance of what we do once we understand what the right words mean.
Scripture: Mark 8:27-38
Related verses: Mark 1:17, Daniel 7:13-14
Hit Subscribe for a regular Word for the Week from rural Wales!
Info Retention Quiz
1. Where does the scene in Mark 8:27 take place?
A. Jerusalem
B. Capernaum
C. Caesarea Philippi
D. Bethany
2. Which pagan deity was associated with the shrine at Caesarea Philippi?
A. Zeus
B. Pan
C. Apollo
D. Baal
3. What is the difference between Jesus’s two questions?
A. They are identical questions asked twice
B. The first is about miracles, the second about prophecy
C. The first asks for public opinion, the second presses the disciples with an emphatic “you”
D. The first is asked of the crowd and the second of Herod
4. How did Peter answer the second question?
A. “You are Elijah”
B. “You are John the Baptist”
C. “You are the Christ”
D. “You are one of the prophets”
5. Why did Jesus tell the disciples to keep his identity quiet?
A. He was afraid of the Pharisees
B. In that setting “Christ” suggested conquest and armed rebellion
C. He did not want Peter to be recognised
D. The disciples were not yet baptised
6. What does “Get behind me” echo?
A. The Sermon on the Mount
B. The call to Peter in Mark 1:17
C. The Transfiguration
D. The Last Supper
7. Which title does Jesus prefer for himself in this passage?
A. Son of David
B. Lord of Hosts
C. Son of Man
D. King of Israel
8. What would first-century listeners have pictured when they heard “take up your cross”?
A. A piece of jewellery
B. A symbol of the Roman army
C. The road to execution
D. A temple offering
9. What do the four contrasts in the passage all resolve at?
A. The temple
B. The resurrection appearance
C. The cross
D. The Mount of Olives
10. According to the talk, what survived in many Welsh chapels while following Jesus drained away?
A. The buildings and the singing
B. The sermons and the Greek
C. The congregations and the schools
D. The Sunday collections only
Answers
C
B
C
C
B
B
C
C
C
A