Jesus moves to the district of Caesarea Philippi with His disciples after His most recent encounter with the Pharisees and Sadducees and His lesson to the disciples warning them of the leaven of the Pharisees. It is here that Jesus has a conversation with them of the utmost importance.
WHO IS JESUS?
Jesus asks His disciples, who have been ministering with him now for many months, two very important questions. The first question deals with what other people think of Him.
Matthew 16:13- Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
It’s important to remember that after the last two encounters Jesus has had with the Pharisees, they began a smear campaign. They claimed that Jesus was able to work miracles by the power of Satan (Matthew 12:24). So at least some said He was evil. But many other opinions existed as well.
Matthew 16:14- And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”
The disciples answer His question by giving a list of what they hear people saying about Jesus. He’s been preaching and working these miracles that had never been seen before. Many had either witnessed or received the benefits of these wonderful works. Everyone else had heard and the opinions began to flow.
Some believed that He was John the Baptist who had been killed by Herod just a few months’ prior, resurrected from the dead. Others believed Him to be a prophet of God such as Jeremiah or someone else. There were some legends at the time that Jeremiah would return and recover the ark of the covenant and alter of incense. Others said Jesus was Elijah.
Elijah was expected to return as a forerunner to the Messiah stemming from a prophecy in Malachi 4:5.
The group that thought He was Elijah were so close, yet so far away. They were right, that someone would come before the Messiah as a forerunner, but that guy was John the Baptist. In Matthew 17:12-13, Jesus explains this fact. Despite all the differences of who people said Jesus was, they all fell short. All these people recognized that Jesus was special. They also believed that He was a messenger of God. But of course, those were wrong answers. And Jesus asked that question to set up a more important question!
Matthew 16:15- Jesus said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
The disciples have been with Jesus for many months now. They have made sacrifices with their own lives and livelihoods to be with Jesus. They have witnessed nearly all His amazing miracles. They have heard the Sermon on the Mount among many other sermons and messages from Jesus. They have been personally rescued in the Sea of Galilee by Jesus as their boat became overwhelmed by a storm. And yet when Jesus calmed the storm they proclaimed, “Who is this that even the wind and the waves obey Him?” (Mark 4:41) All of that has come down to this question that Jesus asks them.
Matthew 16:16- Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Simon Peter, answering on behalf of the disciples, answers perfectly! Peter proclaims that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah that was foretold in the Old Testament scriptures. He is the Son of God! They’ve come so far from questioning who would have the power to stop the wind and waves.
Matthew 16:17- And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
Jesus confirms that Peter is right on the money. He pronounces Peter ‘blessed’ for His understanding. He then calls him “Barjona” which means ‘son of Jonah’ or ‘son of John”. Jesus adds this descriptive name to Simon Peter to make the point that Peter is a son of men, a human.
Jesus doubles down on the point that Simon Peter is just a man by pointing out that nothing in his human condition, “Flesh and Blood” allowed him to come to this understanding! Peter couldn’t come to this grand conclusion because of his amazing intellect, or a strong will, or special status of some kind. He was granted this understanding by the grace of God. He was shown this beautiful truth by “My Father who is in heaven” as Jesus states in this verse.
WHO DO YOU SAY JESUS IS?
In 2017, research by the Barna group showed that 93% of Americans believe that Jesus was a real person who walked the earth. Of those people, only 43 % believe that Jesus was God walking among humans during His time on earth. 31% believe He was “sent by God to uniquely reveal His purpose on earth”, 9% believe He was simply the best person ever to live and the final 8% believe He was a great teacher and good person buy was not at all divine.
2000 years later, the same types of descriptions were being given of Jesus as what everyone around the disciples were saying in Matthew 16! The importance of who you say Jesus is cannot be understated! It might be the most important question you ever have to answer.
WHO DOES THE BIBLE SAY JESUS IS?
The Bible clearly explains who Jesus is.
John 1:14- And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 14:6- Jesus said to them, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father except through me.”
John 10:30- “I and the Father are one.”
1 Timothy 2:5- For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.
John 3:16-17- For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
Revelation 22:13- I am the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end.
Those are just a few of many, many verses in the New Testament proclaiming who Jesus is. The Old Testament described who he is as well!
Isaiah 7:14“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.
Isaiah 53 is an entire chapter describing the death of Jesus on the cross, hundreds of years before the crucifixion. Jesus is foretold many times in the Old Testament.
CONCLUSION
“Who do you say that I am?” is a monumental question to answer. This moment that Peter and the disciples had was a turning point in their lives. The confession that “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God” changed the trajectory they were on. Eleven of the twelve disciples plus later the Apostle Paul would become the foundation stones of the church with Christ as the cornerstone that would endure until today and will continue to until Christ returns.
Peter and disciples will go on to struggle with a full understanding. But with this confession the foundation has been set. On Christ, the solid rock, they stood.
So, who do you say Jesus is? Do you believe He is the Christ, the Son of God? I would encourage you to consider this very important question. And if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)