13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ. Matthew 16: 13-20 ESV
Matthew 16: 13-20
…37You yourselves know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee with the baptism that John proclaimed: 38how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with Him. 39We are witnesses of all that He did, both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. And although they put Him to death by hanging Him on a tree,…
…40God raised Him up on the third day and caused Him to be seen— 41not by all the people, but by the witnesses God had chosen beforehand, by us who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead. 42And He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that He is the One appointed by God to judge the living and the dead.… Acts 10: 37-42
Who do people say that the Son of Man is - Jesus is referring to Himself in Messianic terms, speaking of His human nature. He uses this term to describe Himself almost 70 times in the gospels. It is also a term used when addressing the prophet Ezekiel, but Jesus's use of this term would take His Jewish listeners back to the book of Daniel, and a clearly Messianic claim. Later, His human nature becomes a point of contention for some heretics that wanted to teach that Jesus never actually added a human nature to His deity. It was actually an attack against the true gospel, for it is man that sinned and fell out of communion with God, so it required a God/Man to live the perfect life we did not, and die in our place. Jesus is the only person in all of history that could meet both requirements, that of a human nature and that nature which is infinite and one in essence with God.
…13In my vision in the night I continued to watch, and I saw One like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence. 14And He was given dominion, glory, and kingship, that the people of every nation and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. Daniel 7: 13-14
1Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2By this you will know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and which is already in the world at this time.… 1 John 4: 1-3
6And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the very commandment you have heard from the beginning, that you must walk in love. 7For many deceivers have gone out into the world, refusing to confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8Watch yourselves, so that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be fully rewarded.… 2 John 1: 6-8
Some say John the Baptist - We saw this earlier with Herod, he thought Jesus may be a reincarnation or specter of John, come back to haunt Herod, who had John killed. John was actually the one who the prophets Isaiah and Malachi foretold. Isaiah gives a picture of his ministry in calling men to repentance, "make a straight highway."
…2“Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her forced labor has been completed; her iniquity has been pardoned. For she has received from the hand of the LORD double for all her sins.” 3A voice of one calling: “Prepare the way for the LORD in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert. 4Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill made low; the uneven ground will become smooth, and the rugged land a plain.… Isaiah 40: 2-4
1“Behold, I will send My messenger, who will prepare the way before Me. Then the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple—the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight—see, He is coming,” says the LORD of Hosts. 2But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He will be like a refiner’s fire, like a launderer’s soap. 3And He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver. Then they will present offerings to the LORD in righteousness.… Malachi 3: 1-3
13At that time Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” 15“Let it be so now,” Jesus replied. “It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness in this way.” Then John permitted Him.…
…16As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. Suddenly the heavens were opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and resting on Him. 17And a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!” Matthew 3: 13-17
Others say Elijah - Malachi's prophecy about John refers to him as Elijah in 4:6, a forerunner to the Messiah, someone preaching repentance and pointing to Jesus Christ. It's interesting to note that Satan will mimic this later, the antichrist will have a prophet that points to him as well. Jesus has already explained who John the Baptist was to His disciples. So people are following, impressed with the miracles, yet not understanding Who this is. Some others offered up Jeremiah as a possibility, or one of the other prophets, as coming back from the dead.
…5Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome Day of the LORD. 6And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers. Otherwise, I will come and strike the land with a curse.” Malachi 4: 5-6
…13For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. 14And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. 15He who has ears, let him hear.… Matthew 11:13-15
But Who do you say that I am - This is the question of all questions, Who is Christ? It is possible to use the name and yet be speaking of another Christ. This is not a question you want to get wrong, and for the worldling, me before I was born again, there are many things here that we put a high value on, but they don't bear eternal ramifications like this. Was Jesus just a prophet, the reincarnation of some dead guy, was he like Buddha or Mohammad? He said He was the way, the truth and the life, that no one could come to the Father except by Him. He is saying He is the only way to be right with God. Was Jesus lying then? He performed miracles, as even His enemies attested to that, so was He a magician as some have suggested? When the disciples get nervous later about His departure, He tells them, "if you have seen Me, you have seen the Father." Now that is down right blasphemous if He is not God. Jesus even used the OT name for God, referring to Himself when dealing with the Pharisees. I think Who Jesus is, is fundamental to everything, He is the point of all OT hope, the One promised in the garden, the scapegoat, the Lamb of God, the ram in the thicket, the tabernacle, the temple, these were all shadows pointing to Him. If He was not promised then history would have ended in the garden, and if He did not make it to the cross then history would have ended at his first visit. Everyone who believes now, believes looking back at that most glorious moment in history, that He died for me.
…57Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and You have seen Abraham?” 58“Truly, truly, I tell you,” Jesus declared, “before Abraham was born, I am!” 59At this, they picked up stones to throw at Him. But Jesus was hidden and went out of the temple area.… John 8: 57-59
Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" - You are Christ or Christos, meaning the anointed One, the Messiah.
…2But in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe. 3The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His nature, upholding all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. 4So He became as far superior to the angels as the name He has inherited is excellent beyond theirs.…
…5For to which of the angels did God ever say: “You are My Son; today I have become Your Father”? Or again: “I will be His Father, and He will be My Son”? 6And again, when God brings His firstborn into the world, He says: “Let all God’s angels worship Him.” 7Now about the angels He says: “He makes His angels winds, His servants flames of fire.”… Hebrews 1: 2-7
…14And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. 15If anyone confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16And we have come to know and believe the love that God has for us. God is love; whoever abides in love abides in God, and God in him.… 1 John 4: 14-16
MacArthur - Christ is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew Messiah, God’s predicted and long-awaited deliverer of Israel, the supreme “Anointed One,” the coming High Priest, King, Prophet, and Savior. Without hesitation Peter declared Jesus to be the Messiah, whereas the multitudes of Jews believed Him to be only the Messiah’s precursor. On first meeting Jesus, Andrew had excitedly proclaimed Him to be the Messiah, and Nathaniel had called Him “the Son of God … the King of Israel” (Jn 1:41, 49). The disciples knew that John the Baptist had borne witness that Jesus “is the Son of God” (Jn 1:34), and the longer they stayed with Jesus, the more evidence they had of His divine nature, power, and authority. Like their fellow Jews, however, they had been taught to expect a conquering and reigning Messiah who would deliver God’s people from their enemies and establish forever His righteous kingdom on earth. And when Jesus refused to use His miraculous power for His own benefit or to oppose the Roman oppressors, the disciples wondered if they were right about Jesus’ identity His humility, meekness, and subservience were in total contrast to their preconceived views of the Messiah. That the Messiah would be ridiculed with impunity, not to mention persecuted and executed, was inconceivable. When Jesus spoke of His going away and coming back, Thomas doubtlessly echoed the consternation of all the disciples when he said, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” (John 14:5). - J Mac from Precept Austin
Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father Who is in heaven - Someone once said, "Jesus often sounded like a Calvinist", but Calvin came long after Jesus, he just reformed the church back to the teachings of Christ and the disciples. You need more than just to know His name, you need to know Who He is, and for that you must be born again.
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for you, 5who through faith are shielded by God’s power for the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.… 1 Peter 1: 3-5
…43“Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus replied. 44“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. 45It is written in the Prophets: ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from Him comes to Me—… John 6: 43-45
Broadus makes a good point - None but the Father knows the Son. (Mt 11:27.) To lift them out of all the perplexed conceptions due to their education and environment, and fix them in the conviction that one without sceptre or army or even home, is the Messiah, required revelation from the Father (comp. John 6:44 = “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day."). - Precept Austin
You are Peter - Petros in the Greek, a stone, smaller than the feminine word Petra which is a massive rock.
On this rock I will build My church - I agree with the writers below in that they have wisely taken the whole counsel on this point, which is important because so many, the whole Roman Catholic Church, get this wrong today. Even looking at the context, one must acknowledge that before Jesus says this comes the answer to His question, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter's response itself, that Jesus is the Christ and Son of the Living God, these are foundational statements.
And upon this rock I will build My church - My church emphasizes the church belongs to Jesus Who built, sustains it, protects it and will one day remove it from this godless globe at the rapture. The church is a unique entity distinct from the nation of Israel. The Church did not replace Israel. God is not finished with the nation of Israel as even an honest view of history reveals, for in May, 1948 Israel again became a nation after almost 2000 years. How can anyone honestly say God is finished with Israel? The church began at Pentecost with the coming of the Holy Spirit. The church was not present in the Old Testament. The Septuagint uses the word ekklesia in the Old Testament to describe an assembly but not the church as described in the New Testament. - Precept Austin
Guzik comments that "Peter, by His own testimony, did not see himself as the rock on which the church was founded. He wrote that we are living stones, but Jesus is the cornerstone. We could say that Peter was the “first believer”; that he was the “first rock” among “many rocks.” Peter explains upon Whom the church will be built...
And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For this is contained in Scripture: “BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A CHOICE STONE, A PRECIOUS CORNER stone, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.” 7 This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve, “THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE VERY CORNER stone,” 8and, “A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE”; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed. (1 Peter 2:4-8+, compare Acts 4:10-12+)
Peter himself explains that Jesus is the Corner Stone, not Peter! Peter says that Jesus is the foundation. There is a sense in which the apostles played a foundational role in the building of the church, but the role of primacy is reserved for Christ alone, not assigned to Peter. Paul affirms that Jesus is the Cornerstone...
Ephesians 2:19-20+ So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone,
Arnold Fruchtenbaum explains that "The simple point of Greek grammar is: You cannot modify a masculine by a feminine. A feminine noun can never modify a masculine noun. The word for Peter, petros, is a masculine noun and means “a small stone or pebble.” Yeshua said, “You are Peter—Petros. You are a small stone—a small pebble—just like the small stones or pebbles in this stream shooting forth from the base of the cliff-rock, which overshadowed the town of Caesarea Philippi.” On the other hand, when He talked about this rock, the Greek term He used was petra. Petra is a feminine noun which means “a massive cliff-rock,” just like the one overshadowing Caesarea Philippi. So, Peter is a small stone, which make terrible foundations. You do not build a building on a foundation of small stones. But a house could be built on a solid, massive, huge cliff-rock, because that would be a firm foundation. So Yeshua said to Peter, you are Peter [petros, masculine noun, meaning a small stone], and upon this rock [Petra, feminine noun, meaning a huge, massive cliff-rock] I will build my church. In other words: “Peter, you are a petros, a small stone like the ones in the river that are broken off this cliff. But upon the petra, from which you were broken off, I will build My Church.” - Precept Austin
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