Page 46 - Lenten Devotional 2023

Sunday, March 26

Image of God Scripture: Matthew 16: 13-17
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do

people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah,
and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I
am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus

answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this
to you, but my Father in heaven.

Reflection
Back in 1995 there was a popular song, What If God Was One of Us?, by Joan Osborn. She
posed this question as a reflection on the humanness of Jesus. Jesus did something

similar in Matthew 25 as the one who was thirsty, hungry, a stranger, sick and in prison.
Jesus comes to us in our humanness but Jesus also comes to us in God’s glory, the
Messiah, Son of the living God. We can be grateful that in both his humanity and

divinity God comes to us.

Image of God Reflection

We are understood by God even though we do not understand. Moreover, since we are
created in the image of God our purpose is to be "Godlike" in our interactions with

God's creation which includes how we relate to others, believers as well as
nonbelievers. Thus, that purpose means to me that we are welcoming and of aid to
others.
~Les Carlson (21 yrs with First Lutheran)

To me this passage means that God in his awesome omnipotence created us in his own

image, providing us with both his unconditional grace and love, yet also the
opportunity and responsibility of living out that gift in the world we live in.
~Beverly DeGeorge (10 yrs with First Lutheran)