Our text today tells us that Jesus and His
disciples were moving along the villages around Caesarea Philippi. And as they
were going along, the Lord asked them two questions. One concerning who the
people thought He was and the other was, who the disciples themselves thought
He was. When the first question was asked, the answer came spontaneously.
Without hesitation, they told Him what the people had said. Some of them said
he was “John the Baptist!” Others said that He was “Elijah.” This could be
expected as Malachi 4:5 prophesied that God would send him before the great and
terrible day of the Lord comes. Then there were others who said that Jesus was
one of the Old Testament prophets.
To the Lord, what others thought about Him was
not as critical as what the Twelve thought about Him. For He had spent so much
time with them and they had seen Him and the miracles He did, close up. So what
they thought about Him was critical. The question to them was, “But who do you
think that I am?” There was probably a moment of uneasiness and deep reflection
on the part of the disciples. But the outspoken Peter boldly bellowed out “You
are the Christ.” Matthew 16:16, in the similar account, tells us that Peter
included this phrase, “The Son of the living God.”
Mark did not include the response Jesus made to what
Peter had confessed about Him, but Matthew captured it for us. The Lord said in
Matthew 16:17-18, “Blessed are you, Simon
Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. I
also say to you… upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades
will not overpower it. “
This passage is critical in that it shows us what it means for Him to be
the Messiah, and what would be required to be identified with Him. We need to
know that ‘Jesus’ is the name our Lord and ‘Christ’ is His title. He is the
Messiah whom the Old Testament saints were looking for. He is literally the
Anointed One, referring to His Kingship. In the Old Testament only three
offices were anointed – the priest, prophet and king. Jesus is not only our Priest;
He is also our Prophet and our King. This revelation did not come from man but
from the Father in heaven.
Our Lord’s response showed us that the confession, “Jesus is the Christ,
the Son of the Living God”, is the foundation of the church. He promised us
that Satan and the kingdom of darkness and hell, will not be able to prevent
the advancement of God’s Kingdom, represented by the church.
Like the disciples, our Lord will teach us through His Holy Spirit who
has been given to us. This third person of the Trinity is ever present with us,
to reveal Jesus our Lord to us, so that we can experience His nearness every
moment of life. Like the disciples of old, we too have the privilege to see the
Gospel advance whenever we share the Word, because the gates of hell cannot
prevent it. So what should we do with
our privilege? The answer is clear.
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