With the retirement of Brett Favre, discussions about who is the greatest quarterback in the history of the National Football League have heated up. My vote is for Joe Montana.

We love to argue about who and what is best. Who was the best president? What is the best vacation spot? What was the greatest Super Bowl commercial?

The Bible shows us Jesus was a great teacher. Was he the greatest teacher? Christians would say yes. Even many nonbelievers would agree.

Was he the greatest healer? Christians would say there is no doubt about it. Even the Pharisees of Jesus’ day had difficulty denying his power.

Was he the greatest servant the world has known? Believers would attest to this. And even many non-Christians probably would place Jesus on a very short list of great servants.

But unless there is more to Jesus than teaching, healing, and serving, any discussion about his greatness is on the same level as, “Who is the greatest quarterback or president?” Is there something more to Jesus? Definitely! He is the promised Messiah—and that raises him to a different level!

The Messiah Is Greater than Prophets
And because Jesus is the Messiah, he is greater than any prophet of old or religious leader today. The people of Jesus’ day were willing to put him on the level of their great prophets. Most men would have been honored, but Jesus was not satisfied with that analysis. He is more than a great prophet. As Peter boldly declares, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).

Jesus does not deny this statement, he affirms it by saying God revealed it to Peter. Those who say Jesus never intended to portray himself as the Messiah simply are denying the clear statements of Scripture. Jesus accepts Peter’s confession as truth. And because it is true, Jesus is greater than any prophet of the past—and greater than any religious leader of today. As Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

The Messiah Is Head of the Church
As the Messiah, Jesus introduces a “new way” to God: the church. The church is built on this foundational fact: Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God. If the church is built on this foundation, is it really a new way or the fulfillment of God’s plan?

The church is God’s way of sharing his plan for salvation with the whole world, and not just the Jews. As the Messiah, Jesus is the Lamb of God who took away the sin of the world (John 1:29). The church is the body of believers who have accepted this fact about Jesus. They trust his sacrifice as their means of salvation.

Jesus says he will build “his” church (Matthew 16:18). The church is his, not ours. Jesus is the founder and the head of the church (Colossians 1:18). If we are the church Jesus desires us to be, then we will be an unstoppable force for good in our world. There is nothing Satan can do to stop us. Christ’s church is going strong. The only thing that seems to slow it down is our apathy and pride.

The Messiah Is Lord of His Followers
As the Messiah and head of the church, Christ expects and desires our submission to his lordship. In our lesson text, Peter has not yet matured to that level of faith. As Jesus begins to unveil the plan that calls for his suffering and death, Peter takes him aside and shares a “better” plan with him. In reality, Peter does not have a plan at all, but declares he is not going to let Jesus’ plan play out. “Never, Lord!” (Matthew 16:22) is not a statement of submission. Peter declares Jesus is the Messiah, but he is not ready to serve him as Lord.

Babe Ruth was batting late in his career; Babe Pinelli was umpiring behind the plate. Ruth swung at and missed two pitches. With two strikes on him, Ruth really dug in for the next pitch. The pitcher delivered it, Ruth let it pass, and the umpire cried out, “Strike three!”

Ruth got in Pinelli’s face, saying, “There are 40,000 people here who know that last one was a ball, tomato head.” Pinelli looked around the stadium and then at Ruth before replying, “Maybe so, but mine is the only opinion that counts. The batter’s out!”

Peter needed to learn that God’s opinion is the only one that counts. We need to learn that same lesson. Too often we say (or think), “Never, Lord, I have a better plan.” “Never, Lord, that doesn’t make sense to me.” “Never, Lord, that’s just too hard.” Consequently, we serve in places and ways that are not fulfilling. We miss blessings that God wants to share with us. Often we do not obey simply because we cannot explain what we know God wants us to do. If Jesus is the Messiah and the head of the church, then he is our Lord and needs to be obeyed.

Jesus is a great teacher, a great healer, and a great servant. Most importantly, Jesus is the promised Messiah. That makes him the Christ, the Son of the living God, the head of the church, and my personal Lord and Savior.

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* All Scripture quotations are from the New International Version, unless otherwise indicated.