Who Do You Say That I Am?
Matthew 16:13-17
We come this morning to a key passage in the Gospel of Matthew. In a sense, this passage is what so much of the Gospel has been leading to. It’s the passage that sets in motion all the events in the rest of the Gospel. Matthew began his Gospel by telling us that he was writing “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham” (Matt. 1:1). As we have shown, Matthew presents Jesus as the Christ, the promised Messiah who is Savior, Lord, and King. Everything in Matthew’s narrative confirms that Jesus is the Christ. From His genealogy, His birth, His baptism, His temptation by the devil, His miracles, His teaching, His authority over disease, demons, and even death, and His fulfillment of prophecy—everything has pointed to Jesus as the Christ. But up to this point in Matthew’s narrative, no one has said it out loud.
Jesus has been called many things by various people in Matthew’s narrative. The angel told Joseph to call Him “Jesus” (Matt. 1:21). The magi called Him “King of the Jews” (Matt. 2:2). God the Father spoke at Jesus’ baptism and said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17). The devil and demons recognized Jesus as “Son of God” (Matt. 4:3, 6; 8:29). Some scribes and Pharisees referred to Him as “teacher” (Matt. 8:19; 9:11; 12:38). The people of Nazareth called Him “the carpenter’s son” (Matt. 13:55). Several have called Him “Lord” (Matt. 8:2, 6, 21, 25; 9:28; 13:51; 14:28, 30; 15:22-27). After Jesus walked on the water, those in the boat worshiped Him saying, “Truly You are the Son of God” (Matt. 14:33). A few have wondered if He was the “Son of David,” a Messianic term (Matt. 9:27; 12:23; 15:22). Jesus has called Himself the “Son of Man” (Matt. 8:20; 9:6; 10:23; 11:19; 12:8, 32, 40; 13:37, 41). But until now, no person has confessed with their mouth that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah and King. Jesus Himself was reluctant to use the title “Christ”, probably due to popular misunderstandings of messianic hopes. In popular thought, the Messiah had largely become a nationalistic figure, “a warrior from David’s line, empowered by God to drive the Romans out of Israel”[1] and restore their kingdom and glory. If Jesus had called Himself “the Christ,” the title would at once have wrongly inflamed the political aspirations of the people. Jesus came to “save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21) not to be a political ruler.
Now finally, in Matthew 16:16 Simon Peter, speaking for the disciples, confesses, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Peter utters this powerful confession at an important juncture in Jesus’ earthly ministry. Jesus has been preaching for many months. He is well-known to the people of Israel, and His fame has spread far and wide. Many common people have flocked to Him, seeing His miracles and hearing His teaching. Along the dusty roads of Galilee, men and women discussed Him and wondered who He really was. Most importantly, the religious leaders have heard about Jesus, and they don’t like what they’ve heard. They were increasing their opposition to Jesus, accusing Him of breaking the Sabbath and casting out demons by the power of the devil. Even though Jesus had performed many miraculous signs, the Pharisees and Sadducees had just demanded from Him “a sign from heaven” (Matt. 16:1). But their request was a pretense. They tested Jesus to discredit Him. They weren’t interested in believing in Jesus at all. So, Jesus refused to play their game. Instead, He told them they would only be given “the sign of Jonah” (Matt. 16:4), referring to His death and resurrection on the third day (Matt. 12:40). The shadow of the cross looms over Jesus and eclipses everything He says and does.
Jesus then left them and took His disciples to the other side of the lake, warning them on the way about the hypocritical teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Matthew 16:13 then tells us that “Jesus came to the area of Caesarea Philippi…” This city was about twenty-five miles north of the Sea of Galilee at the foot of Mount Hermon. It was largely populated by Gentiles. This region would give Jesus and His disciples a respite from the press of the Jewish crowds and the opposition of the religious leaders.
In Mark’s Gospel, we’re told that that this conversation took place “on the road” (Mark 8:27). Luke tells us that it happened when Jesus had been alone in prayer, and when the disciples came to Him and joined Him (Luke 9:18).[2] Jesus is about to give His disciples their mid-term exam before He moves into a new aspect of His teaching and training for them. After this, Jesus will begin teaching them about His impending death and resurrection (Matt. 16:21; 17:22-23; 20:17-19; 20:28; 26:2). But before He teaches them what He will do, they must believe who He is. Jesus wants to settle once and for all where they stand.[3]
So, Jesus asked His disciples two questions. The first was the warm-up. The second dealt with the crucial matter. The first question to them is…
1. Who do people say that the Son of Man is?
“Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” (Matt. 16:13). Why did Jesus ask this question? I’m sure that Jesus knew precisely what people were saying about Him. I believe He asked this question to prompt His disciples to think deeply, to consider whether what people said about Jesus was true or not. Jesus wants them to focus on the central question of His identity.
He used the title “Son of Man,” His favorite way of speaking about Himself. Jesus referred to Himself as the Son of Man over 80 times in the Gospels. In the Old Testament, the title “son of man” could be used for the prophets (as in Ezekiel) where it referred to the prophet’s humanity. In this sense, Jesus is also a son of man because He became flesh (John 1:14; Heb. 2:14) and came in the likeness of men (Phil. 2:7; Rom. 8:3), being born of a woman (Matt. 1:23; Luke 1:31; Gal. 4:4).
However, “Son of Man” is also a clearly Messianic title in Daniel 7:13-14 where Daniel prophesies saying,
13 “I was watching in the night visions,
And behold, One like the Son of Man,
Coming with the clouds of heaven!
He came to the Ancient of Days,
And they brought Him near before Him.
14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom,
That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
Which shall not pass away,
And His kingdom the one
Which shall not be destroyed.” (Dan. 7:13-14).
Jesus clearly saw Himself as the fulfillment of this “Son of Man” prophecy in Daniel. Remember when Jesus explained the parable of the wheat and tares to His disciples in Matthew 13? Jesus said, “The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness.” (Matt. 13:41). And here in Matthew 16, just a few verses later, Jesus says,
27 “For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. 28 Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” (Matt. 16:27-28).
Thus, Jesus used the title “Son of Man” to refer both to His humiliation and His exaltation, both His humanity and His deity. The Son of Man is the judge of all mankind and the king of heaven.
Did the people understand this? Did they see Jesus for who He is? How did the disciples answer Jesus’ question about peoples’ opinion of Him? Matthew 16:14 says, “So they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’” They were obviously aware of several popular opinions about Jesus. First, they mention John the Baptist. Remember that in Matthew 14, when King Herod, who had executed John the Baptist, heard about Jesus, he thought Jesus could be John raised from the dead because of His miraculous powers. Apparently, this false view of Jesus had spread from Herod’s paranoia to popular opinion.
Another common opinion was that Jesus was “Elijah”, the great prophet during time of the kings of Israel and Judah. Elijah was one of the few prophets in the Old Testament through whom God performed miracles like raising someone from the dead, which Jesus also did. And there was the prophecy of Malachi 4:5 where God promised, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.” In Matthew 17, Jesus will make it clear that John the Baptist was the Elijah who came already (Matt. 7:10-13). Yet still, some people thought Jesus might be Elijah.
Yet others thought that Jesus was the great Old Testament prophet “Jeremiah“. Some of the Jewish people put great stock in a supposed ‘prophecy’ that was recorded in some of their non-biblical writings—a prophecy that Jeremiah would return to them. Still, others thought that Jesus was “one of the prophets“. Perhaps they remembered the promise that God gave to the people of Israel through Moses: “The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear . . .” (Deuteronomy 18:15, 18).
So, some saw in Jesus the fiery preaching of John the Baptist, some the miracle-working power of Elijah, some the restoration of Jeremiah, or the words of a prophet. They couldn’t deny the authority of Jesus’ words or the power of His miracles. Yet, the surprising thing is that no group was openly confessing Jesus as the Christ, the promised Messiah-King.[4] They did not see Him as the Messiah, the promised King and Savior. How could they, when in their view Messiah was to be a splendid conqueror and king?[5] Jesus didn’t fit their expectations of the Messiah.
All these opinions assume that Jesus is merely a man. They are a lot like the opinions that people today have about Jesus. Many today see Jesus as one of the truly impressive men of history, a man of extraordinary spiritual insight, a remarkable teacher or philosopher, or a great moral example—someone to be admired, but certainly not to be worshiped as God.
Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” (Matt. 16:13). It prompted them to think deeply about Jesus and who He really is. It’s still a good question today. If you want to discover the spiritual condition of someone, find out what they believe about Jesus. You can say, “You know, I’m a follower of Jesus; do you mind if I ask you a question about Him?” Then ask them, “Who do people say that Jesus is? What is your opinion of Him?” The answer to that question reveals the heart. And it will set him or her to thinking about the greatest theme of all: “Who is Jesus?” It is the question that reveals a person’s eternal destiny.
Having stimulated the disciple’s thinking about Himself, Jesus then asks His disciples personally…
2. Who do you say I am?
Look at Matthew 16:15, “He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’” In the original language the “you” is emphatic and plural. More literally, Jesus says to them, “But you all, who do you say that I am?” It’s fine to consider other people’s opinions, but ultimately it really doesn’t matter what other people believe. Jesus is asking the disciples what they say.
This is the most important question in the world. Your entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven depends on your answer. And ultimately, everyone must answer. You do not enter the Kingdom of God because of what your culture believes about Jesus, what your church believes about Jesus, or your parents, or your closest friends. You enter the Kingdom of Heaven based on what you believe about Jesus. Who do you say Jesus is?
In Matthew 16:16, Peter speaks up for the disciples and gives the great confession, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus asked them as a group, but one of them, Simon Peter, gave the answer. It was by the Holy Spirit’s leading that just one man—just one individual—answer this question for the group, and express this confession in a personal way.[6]
There are two indispensable elements of Peter’s confession. First, Peter confesses that Jesus is “the Christ.” Like Jesus’ question, Peter’s answer also emphasized the word “you”. Peter says, “You are the Christ.” The title “Christ” is simply the Greek equivalent of “Messiah”. Both mean “The Anointed One.” Many times in the Old Testament, we see the practice of anointing, or symbolically pouring oil over someone or something. In Exodus and Leviticus God gave instructions for anointing the tabernacle and those who served there as priests (Exo. 28:41; 29:7; 40:15; Lev. 8:10-12). Some were anointed as prophets (1 Kings 19:16). Kings were anointed to their office (1 Sam. 10:1; 1 Sam. 16:13; 2 Sam. 2:4, 7; 1 Kings 1:39; Ps. 89:20).
In the prophets and the Psalms, the term “anointed” often referred to the promised king whom the Lord would anoint to deliver His people (Ps. 2:2; 18:50; 45:7; 132:17; Isa. 61:1; Dan. 9:24; Hab. 3:13). For example, Isaiah 61:1 says,
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me,
Because the LORD has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
In Luke 4, Jesus read that passage and said, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21).
So, when Peter confessed, “You are the Christ,” he was saying that Jesus is the promised Messiah-King who would save His people and reign over them forever. He is not just “a Christ”, another prophet, priest, or king anointed to serve God—He is “the Christ”. He is the fulfillment of the Old Testament promises. We will see in the verses that follow that neither Peter nor the other disciples clearly understood all that it meant for Jesus to be the Christ. But He understood enough to believe Jesus is the One whom God promised to send.
The second element in Peter’s confession is “You are … the Son of the living God.” The Greek literally reads: “You are the Christ, the Son of the God, the living One.”[7] “Son” reflects the idea of oneness in essence, because a son is one in nature with his father. To say that Jesus is the Son of God is to affirm that Jesus is divine. He has the same essence or nature as God the Father.
Unique to Matthew’s account of this confession is the that Peter call Jesus “the Son of the living God.” “The living God” was a common Old Testament name for Yahweh, the Lord God (Duet. 5:26; Jos. 3:10; 1Sam. 17:26, 36; 2Kings 19:4, 16; Psa. 42:2; 84:2; Dan. 6:26; Hos. 1:10). It sets the only true God apart from the lifeless idols of wood and stone. Listen to how the prophet Jeremiah contrasts idols with the living God:
6 Inasmuch as there is none like You, O LORD
(You are great, and Your name is great in might),
7 Who would not fear You, O King of the nations?
For this is Your rightful due.
For among all the wise men of the nations,
And in all their kingdoms,
There is none like You.
8 But they are altogether dull-hearted and foolish;
A wooden idol is a worthless doctrine.
9 Silver is beaten into plates;
It is brought from Tarshish,
And gold from Uphaz,
The work of the craftsman
And of the hands of the metalsmith;
Blue and purple are their clothing;
They are all the work of skillful men.
10 But the LORD is the true God;
He is the living God and the everlasting King.
At His wrath the earth will tremble,
And the nations will not be able to endure His indignation.
(Jer. 10:6-10).
The difference between what the world said about Jesus and Peter’s confession is stark. To confess Jesus is the Son of the living God is to affirm that He has the same nature and divine essence as the Lord, the true God who is the creator and everlasting king. This is the truth that the whole New Testament affirms. This is the truth on which Jesus builds His church. With Peter, we believe that Jesus is the Christ. We believe He is the Son of the living God. We believe He is King. We believe He is Savior and Lord. The difference between our confession and that of the world is that we don’t just see Christ as someone to pattern our lives after but as someone to submit our lives to.[8]
Jesus responds to Peter’s confession by pronouncing a blessing on him and his confession in Matthew 16:17, “Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.” Peter has just made the correct confession. And Jesus says he is blessed. But did you see why Peter is blessed? It’s not just because he gave the right answer. He is blessed because of where he got the answer. He did not get his answer from “flesh and blood”—not from the world or even from himself. It was not a product of human discovery or of human disclosure.[9] It’s not because he was smarter or more perceptive than anyone else. Jesus says “My Father who is in heaven” revealed it to Peter. His confession carries the highest authority because of its source.
Remember what Jesus prayed in Matthew 11:25-27?
“I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”
Coming to believe in Christ is not about figuring out the right answer. If that were the case, the kingdom of heaven would belong to the intelligent people. But it doesn’t. Jesus says it belongs to the poor in spirit, the mournful, and the meek (Matt. 5:3-5). He says it belongs to repentant sinners (Matt. 4:17). He says it belongs to little children (Matt. 19:14). The kingdom of heaven belongs to those to whom the Father reveals the Son. Peter was blessed because God revealed to him that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.
The truth about Jesus Christ is only revealed to those to whom the Father chooses to reveal it. What does that mean for those who do not yet see it? If people do not believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, we are not to despise them or to argue with them, but we are to pray for them and keep showing them the light of the gospel. If someone is blind, you don’t curse their blindness. You are loving and kind to them. You pray for God to open their eyes. You pray for God to save them by His grace—the same way He saved you.
Maybe today, God has enabled you to see for the first time that Jesus is truly the promised Messiah-King, the Son of God who gave His life on the cross for the forgiveness of your sins. I urge you now; act on that. Believe that Jesus Christ is Lord, that He died for your sins and was raised to give you eternal life. Confess Him as Lord today. He will forgive your sins and welcome you into His kingdom.
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[1] Daniel M. Doriani, Matthew & 2, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani, vol. 2, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2008), 85.
[2] Greg Allen, The Blessed Confession, https://bethanybible.org/archive/2007/061007.htm
[3] Grant Osborne, Exegetical Commentary on Matthew, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010), 626.
[4] James Montgomery Boice, The Gospel of Matthew (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2001), 304.
[5] John Broadus, Commentary on Matthew, https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/jbm/matthew-16.html
[6] Allen, ibid.
[7] James Montgomery Boice, The Gospel of Matthew (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2001), 305.
[8] Rory Mosley, The Church, https://fbcspur.org/church-matthew-1613-20/
[9] Allen, ibid.
