J.C. Ryle's Devotional Thoughts on the Gospel of Luke, section 54, Peter's Confession of Christ, Luke chapter 9, verses 18 through 22. And it came to pass, as he was alone praying, his disciples were with him. And he asked them, saying, Whom say the people that I am? They answering said, John the Baptist, but some say Elias, and others say that one of the old prophets is risen again. He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Peter, answering, said, The Christ of God. And he straightly charged them, and commanded them to tell no man that thing, saying, The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and the chief priests, and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.

Let us notice in this passage the variety of opinions about our Lord Jesus Christ which prevailed during his earthly ministry. We're told that some said he was John the Baptist, some that he was Elijah, and some that one of the old prophets had risen again.

One common remark applies to all these opinions. All were agreed that our Lord's doctrine was not like that of the scribes and Pharisees. All saw in him a bold witness against the evil that was in the world.

Yet it never surprised us to find the same variety of opinions about Christ and his gospel in our own times. God's truth disturbs the spiritual laziness of men. It obliges them to think. It makes them begin to talk and reason and speculate and invent theories to account for its spread in some quarters and its rejection in others. Thousands in every age of the church spend their lives in this way and never come to the point of drawing near to God. They satisfy themselves with a miserable round of gossip about this preacher's sermons or that writer's opinions. They think this man goes too far and that man does not go far enough. Some doctrines they approve and others they disapprove. Some teachers they call sound and others they call unsound. They cannot quite make up their own minds what is true or what is right.

Year rolls on after year and finds them in the same state, talking, criticizing, fault-finding, speculating, but never getting any further. They are hovering like a moth around religion. but never settling down like the bee to feed on its treasures. They never boldly lay hold of Christ. They never set themselves heartily to the great business of serving God. They never take up the cross and become thorough Christians. And at last, after all their talking, they die in their sins, unprepared to meet God.

Let us not be content with a religion of this kind. It will not save us to talk and speculate and exchange opinions about the gospel. The Christianity that saves is personally grasped, personally experienced, personally felt, and personally possessed. There is not the slightest excuse for stopping short in talk, opinion, and speculation.

The Jews of our Lord's time might have found out, if they had been honest inquirers, that Jesus of Nazareth was neither John the Baptist, nor Elijah, nor an old prophet, but the Christ of God. The speculative professor of our own day might easily satisfy himself on every point which is needful to salvation, if he would really, candidly, and humbly seek the teaching of the Spirit.

The words of our Lord are weighty and solemn. If any man will do God's will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it is from God. John 7, verse 17. Honest, practical obedience is one of the keys of the gate of knowledge.

Let us notice, secondly, in this passage, the singular knowledge and faith displayed by the Apostle Peter. We read that when our Lord said to his disciples, whom do you say that I am? Peter answered, the Christ of God. This was a noble confession, and one of which, in these days, we can hardly realize the full value. To estimate it aright, we should place ourselves in the position of our Lord's disciples. We should call to mind that the great and wise and learned of their own nation saw no beauty in their master, and would not receive him as the Messiah. We should recollect that they saw no royal dignity about our Lord, no crown, no army, no earthly dominion. They saw nothing but a poor man who often had no place to lay his head. And yet it was at this time and under these circumstances that Peter boldly declares his belief that Jesus is the Christ of God.

Truly, this was a great faith. It was mingled, no doubt, with much of ignorance and imperfection, but such as it was, it was a faith that stood alone. He who had it was a remarkable man, and far in advance of the age in which he lived. We should pray frequently that God would raise up more Christians of the stamp of the Apostle Peter. Erring and unstable and ignorant of his own heart, as he sometimes proved, that blessed Apostle was in some respects one in a thousand. He had faith and zeal and love to Christ's cause when almost all Israel was unbelieving and cold. We need more men of this sort. We need men who are not afraid to stand alone and to cleave to Christ when the many are against him. Such men, like Peter, may err sadly at times, but in the long run of life will do more good than any. Knowledge, no doubt, is an excellent thing, but knowledge without zeal and warmth will never do much for the world.

Let us notice thirdly in this passage, our Lord's prediction of his own coming death. We read that he said, the son of man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and scribes and be slain and be raised the third day. These words, as we read them now, sound simple and plain, but beneath the surface of them lie two truths which ought to be carefully remembered. For one thing, our Lord's prediction shows that his death upon the cross was a voluntary act of his own free will. He was not delivered up to Pilate and crucified because he could not help it and had no power to crush his enemies. His death was the result of the eternal counsels of the Blessed Trinity. He had undertaken to suffer for man's sin, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God. He had engaged to bear our sins as our substitute and surety, and he bore them winningly in his own person on the cruel tree. He saw Calvary and the cross before him all the days of his ministry. He went up to them willingly, knowingly, and with full consent that he might pay our sin debts in his own blood. His death was not the death of a mere weak man who could not escape, but the death of one who was fully God and had undertaken to be punished in our stead.

For another thing, our Lord's prediction shows us the blinding effect of prejudice on men's minds. As clear and plain as his words now seem to us, his disciples did not understand them. They heard as though they heard not. They could not understand that Messiah was to be cut off. They could not receive the doctrine that their own master must die. And hence, when his death really took place, they were astonished and confounded. As often as he had told them of it, they had never realised it as a fact. Let us watch and pray against prejudice. Many a zealous man has been grievously misled by it, and has pierced himself through with many sorrows. Let us beware of allowing traditions, old preconceived notions, unsound interpretations, or baseless theories in religion to find root in our hearts. There is but one test of truth. What do the scriptures say? Before this, let every prejudice go down.