Mark 8:27 (NIV)
Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”

Imagine you had magic binoculars. When you put them to your face you could see forever. Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow. Opera glasses.

Jesus did not need them. He can see the vast canvas of our history. Mark tells us “Caesarea Philippi” for a reason–the weight of history.

As Jesus walked over this place he could see the men and nations who would lay their claims to this place. He could tell you not just about the Greeks and their panic god, he could tell you about the Romans and the Muslims who would follow after.

We men want nothing more than glory. That is Caesarea Philippi.

He, on the other hand, volunteers for shame and humiliation, torture and obscurity for me.