Who Is Jesus? — One Question, Two Moments of Understanding

The Gospels revolve around one central question: Who is Jesus? This question is explored through two closely connected moments in the lives of the disciples.

First, Jesus asks his disciples what people think about him and then presses them personally: “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answers, “You are the Christ.” This is a genuine statement of faith, but it is not yet a complete understanding. This becomes clear when Jesus immediately speaks about suffering and death, and Peter objects. Peter accepts the title “Christ,” but he does not yet accept the path that comes with it.

Soon after this confession comes the event on the mountain, often called the Transfiguration. While it is usually described as Jesus being physically transformed, it can also be understood in a simpler and meaningful way. The change does not take place in Jesus, but in the disciples. For a brief moment, their way of seeing Jesus is opened. They are given an inner vision in which they recognize him not merely as a teacher or miracle worker, but as the center of God’s saving purpose.

The appearance of Moses and Elijah supports this understanding. Rather than being a literal return from the past, they represent the Law and the Prophets. Their presence shows that Israel’s Scriptures point toward Jesus and find their fulfillment in him. Peter’s confused response—wanting to build shelters—reveals that he is overwhelmed and has not yet grasped the full meaning of what he is experiencing, a common reaction in moments of deep spiritual insight.

After this experience, Jesus instructs the disciples not to speak about what they have seen until after the resurrection. This makes sense if the event is understood as a personal revelation rather than a public display. Only after Jesus’ death and resurrection will the disciples be able to understand its meaning and share it clearly with others.

Seen together, Peter’s confession and the mountain vision are two stages of the same journey. First comes recognizing who Jesus is in words; then comes seeing what that confession truly means. Jesus does not change—the disciples do. Through these two moments, the Gospels invite every reader to face the same question: Who is Jesus—not only in what we say, but in how deeply we understand him?

Who Is Jesus? — From a Question to a Conviction

1. The Natural Question of Identity

When we meet a new person, the first question we naturally ask is, “Who is he?”

This question is not mere curiosity. It shapes how seriously we take the person, how we relate to him, and how we interpret his words and actions.

In the same way, when Jesus emerged as a widely known public figure, people began asking the same question about him. Jesus was not just another teacher. His words and actions carried an unusual authority, and this made the question of his identity unavoidable.

2. Different Opinions About Jesus

As Jesus’ reputation grew, different answers circulated. Some regarded him as a prophet, others as a continuation of earlier prophetic figures, and still others as a gifted religious teacher. There was no single, settled opinion about who Jesus was.

3. “Who Do You Say That I Am?” — Peter’s Answer

It is in this context that Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” After hearing their replies, he asked a more pointed question:

“But who do you say that I am?”

Peter answered, “You are the Christ.”

This was not a casual statement. It expressed the belief that Jesus was the long-expected Messiah whom God would send for the deliverance of the people.

4. Messianic Hope and the Disciples’ Understanding

For the disciples, the idea of the Messiah was closely linked with hope, power, and success. The Messiah was expected to act decisively on God’s behalf and bring restoration. Their recognition of Jesus as Messiah was shaped by these expectations.

5. Jesus’ Own Emphasis: God and the Kingdom

Significantly, Jesus discouraged the disciples from publicizing this belief. He told them not to speak openly about him as the Messiah.

From an observer’s standpoint, this suggests that Jesus did not want his mission to be defined by popular messianic titles. His teaching consistently focused on God, God’s reign, and the transformation of human life, not on promoting claims about his own status.

6. The Cross: Disappointment and the Fear of a False Messiah

When Jesus was crucified, the disciples’ belief collapsed. This reaction had a clear historical background.

In that period, several individuals who were believed to be messianic figures were executed by Roman authority. In every such case, they were remembered as false messiahs, and their movements quickly faded.

Jesus’ death looked no different. From the disciples’ point of view, it now seemed possible that Jesus too had been a failed or false Messiah. This realization brought deep disappointment, fear, and confusion. The hope that sustained them appeared to have been decisively crushed.

7. Resurrection: The Reversal of Judgment

The situation changed radically when the disciples became convinced that Jesus was alive again.

The belief that God had raised the very one whom Rome had crucified was, for them, decisive evidence that Jesus was not a false Messiah. None of the earlier messianic claimants had been vindicated in this way. The resurrection was understood as God’s reversal of a human judgment.

As a result, the conviction that Jesus is the Messiah returned—not as naïve hope, but as a belief shaped by failure, suffering, and reversal.

8. “On This Rock” — The Foundation of Christianity

It is this renewed conviction that marks the beginning of Christianity.

The Gospels record Jesus saying, in response to Peter’s confession, “On this rock I will build my community.” From a historical perspective, the “rock” is not Peter as an individual, but the belief that Jesus himself is the Christ.

9. From a Question to a Movement

Historically speaking, Christianity did not arise merely from Jesus’ ethical teaching about love, forgiveness, and the kingdom of God. It emerged from a decisive answer to the question:

“Who is Jesus?”

A question about identity became a conviction, that conviction formed a community, and that community grew into a global religious movement.