“What about you?  Who do you say I am?”  Luke 9:20

 It always comes down to this.

Because it doesn’t matter what the latest opinion poll says,

or what the Gallup Daily approval rating is,

or what the New York Times editorial page prints.

Crowds are uncommitted entities.

They show up for parades and free meals,

but disappear when the words “sacrifice” and “deny self” are used.

Crowds can praise you on Sunday and crucify you by Friday.

So it always comes down to a personal, one-on-one encounter.

Jesus wanted to know if the twelve men who had been with him for two and a half years were going along with the crowd’s appraisal based on rumors or forming their own opinion based on truth.

The question had to be asked….

the question had to be answered.

Still does.