Discern who Jesus is for you

Discernment; Jesus repeatedly emphasized it during his ministry, sometimes admonishing those who did not have it, at other times applauding those who did. At one occasion, Jesus rebuked the disciples for not understanding, or discerning, the point of his miraculous feeding of the four thousand. Although Jesus had just finished feeding a multitude, the disciples were concerned that they had no bread for themselves: “Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened?  Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember?  When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” “Twelve,” they replied. “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” They answered, “Seven.” He said to them, “Do you still not understand?” (Mark 8:17–21).Jesus scolded the disciples for not remembering and understanding, or discerning, to what this miracle pointed. Though they witnessed the miracle and ate of the bread, they still did not understand just who Jesus was and what he was going to accomplish. Their lack of discernment was a clear sign of spiritual immaturity.Who is Jesus to you? We read about, Thomas, the disciple of Christ, who refused to believe Jesus rose from the dead, without seeing Him. When Jesus encountered Thomas, he responded by worshipping Christ and said, “My Lord and my God!’ Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20: 26-29). The living Christ continues to transform lives all over the world by His love and grace.Jesus who calls us His friends, gives people back their self-respect by forgiving their sins. Accepting the outcasts, Jesus gives them back a love for life. Who is Jesus for you?