Who is most important right now?

And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.”

Mark 8:29

The most important person in the world is NOT the president of the Unites States. It is not the head of the United Nations. It is not the leader of the WHO or any regulating body among human beings. It isn’t Bill Gates, Elon Musk, or Jeff Bezos who are powerful because of their immense wealth. And, it is not, as the rumors circulating in the craziness of COVID say, some shadowy financier in a hush hush deep state secretly manipulating world economies and governments.

Who is the most important person in the world? That question can be answered once we deal with this question Jesus asks in Mark 8:29. Let me rephrase it just a bit: Who is Jesus? You see, there were various guesses about His identity even as He walked this earth, and they were noble, but just off the mark. Some people thought that He was a resurrected John the Baptist. Others reasoned He was some other prophet come back to Israel from the past. But His disciples knew His identity. Jesus is “the Christ”, literally “the Anointed One”, that is, the Messiah sent to deliver Israel and save the world. That made Jesus the fulfillment of all that God had promised. And His saving work would go far beyond Israel,  to go worldwide as people truly believed the truth about who Jesus is.

The world looks for a Savior. It always has, and will continue to do so. Today, the myopic, misplaced hopes for salvation (and sadly I hear even Christians voice this) stop at politicians, financial bailouts, or medical science with the “Vaccine” being the mythical holy grail of hope sought by many. Don’t get me wrong... I want to see treatments and cures come to this pandemic. I pray for it daily. But what humanity really needs is the One Who offers permanent hope and the deepest help. He gives us the solution for the deadliest pandemic that has raged among humans from the very beginnings of human society. The world needs Jesus... the Christ... the Savior of the world... the Healer of lives! His identity, when embraced by faith, transforms lives and brings permanent healing and peace. Who is Jesus? He is Lord, Savior, Healer, Helper, Sustainer, Keeper, Deliverer, and Friend!