the most important question

Matthew 16:13-16

I wonder why the region of Caesarea Philippi is significant in this story. It seems somewhat irrelevant except to maybe tie the incident to a location to give it credibility. The key words are: who, Son of Man, Messiah, Son of the Living God. There are to significant questions: Who do people say the Son of Man is? and Who do you say I am? It is interesting to me that the first question is impersonal - Jesus asks who other people say he is but even in asking that, he talks about himself in the third person: the Son of Man. When it gets to the critical question it becomes very personal: but what about you, who do you say I am?
This is the most important question of anyone's life. The eternal destiny of each person depends on their answer to this question. And saying the right answer isn't enough. It's not a test of knowledge but a test of faith. I must not only have the knowledge of who Jesus is I must believe in and live by who I know Jesus to be. Sometimes this scares me because I tend to have a pretty intellectual faith. I get excited by books like The Case for Faith and The Case for Christ. I love listening to preachers who have amazing insights into the Word and carry themes and connections through entire books of the Bible. I enjoy deep Bible studies in small groups where my mind is engaged. I can celebrate that because it is how God has wired me, but I know that I have to have more than an intellectual faith. It must not just make a difference in the way I think but in the way I live: in my actions, my interactions and my attitudes. I know who Jesus is. I could pass a written, multiple choice or true/false exam. But that's not the point.