I was taught that the lowest form of knowledge is assumption. Unfortunately, this is the realm that most people occupy. I was in a French-speaking country long time ago. Everybody spoke to me in French, yet I couldn’t put a statement together in their language. They simply thought anyone around must be speaking French. Painstakingly, I had to gesture to them of my ignorance. Jesus wanted to put paid to assumptions, so He asked the disciples what the people thought about Him. Doing this was not because He was in doubt of Himself. Also, it was not because He needed the endorsement of people. He asked to test the knowledge of the people who were the closest to Him. The first lesson from here is this: You have nothing to worry about if the people in your constituency know exactly who you are and what you stand for.

Remember this: everyday people are either correcting or confirming the image they have about you. Your ultimate goal should be to portray the image of Christ to the world so that they might glorify God in you.

The answer the disciples gave to this question varied greatly. Some said He was Elijah; others, Jeremiah. The rest were not as specific but grouped Him as one of the prophets. Generally, they were just guessing and relating with Him on the basis of assumption. Don’t be surprised that a vast majority of the people that come in contact with you do not know you; they are only assuming. Many times, it will be up to you to give the correct image of who you are; otherwise people will keep assuming about you. Giving correct image of yourself is not only by your speech. The way you dress, where you are found, and where you stand on issues tell a lot about you. Remember this: everyday people are either correcting or confirming the image they have about you. Your ultimate goal should be to portray the image of Christ to the world so that they might glorify God in you.