Matthew 16:13-20: “Jesus Asks His Disciples Who They Think He
Is, Then Peter Makes His Great Confession”
by
Jim Bomkamp
1.
INTRO
1.1.
In this next section we see that the entire focus of
Jesus’ ministry has now come to hinge upon one result: Jesus’ disciples must be sure that they truly
know ‘who’ He is in His person
1.1.1.
It is very curious to me that Jesus had not spoken in
clear and direct terms about who He is to this point with His disciples, and it
is believed that the events of this story are occurring approx. 1 week before
Jesus was crucified
1.1.2.
If the disciples don’t now get the message of who He
is then His mission will have failed and they will not be able to comprehend
His death upon a cross nor His resurrection
1.1.3.
Notice that after He questions them as to who He is
and Peter makes His ‘Great Confession’ of who He is, that it is immediately
afterward that Jesus begins to tell them directly and openly about His coming
death on the cross and resurrection
1.1.3.1.They would
not be ready for this until Peter had made his confession and all of the
disciples had been confirmed in their understanding of who Jesus is in His
person
2.
VS 16:13-16 - “13 Now when Jesus came
into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He began asking His disciples, saying,
“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John
the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the
prophets.” 15 He *said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 And Simon
Peter answered and said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”” - Peter’s ‘great confession’
2.1.
It is very intriguing to me how that Jesus went about His ministry with
the apostles, for the thing that was most important about His ministry was
really ‘the revelation of Himself (He was as the Messiah, ‘God the Son’), and
yet all throughout His ministry He never came out and proclaimed clearly to
them who He was. Jesus intended to
reveal to the disciples who He was by the things that He did and said, not by
making His own confession and declaration.
Yet as I say, the most important thing in a person’s life is their
coming to that understanding through faith of who He is in His person. Also, if Jesus is not ‘God the Son’, co-equal
with God, and the Messiah, then His mission must fail, for He cannot have
procured for us the forgiveness of our sins if He be not the Messiah, ‘God the
only unique Son from all eternity’
2.1.1.
So then, what is happening here beginning with this verse is that we see
Jesus take His disciples to the point of revealing to them who He really is in
His person, and this is really then the culmination of all His work and
ministry to this point, as this is now the most important part of His ministry
to them, for they must get this point if they are to be able to continue to follow
Him and eventually accept the sacrifice upon
2.1.1.1.The disciples will never be
able to accept the humiliation and horrors of their master’s crucifixion if
through the eyes of faith they do not see that it was a divine work of God on
their behalf for providing a way for their penalty of sin to be paid through
the blood of the Lamb of God, blameless and without spot or imperfection, and
thus one which is able to be the perfect sacrifice and atonement for sins
2.2.
Jesus begins here by asking His disciples who it was that ‘people’ (the
populace) thought He was? What were the
popular theories people had concerning Him?
2.2.1.
In asking this question in this way, Jesus is trying to make His disciples
truly ponder ‘for themselves’ whom He was, for by asking this question He
wanted them to put together in their minds all that they new about Him and the
things that He had done, and then come to the only logical and sane conclusions
concerning Him which they should come to
2.2.2.
They said that some people thought that He was ‘John the Baptist’ raised
from the dead or somehow transported directly from hades (the place of the
dead)
2.2.2.1.We saw earlier that Herod
Antipas’ guilty conscience from beheading John had caused Him when He heard of
Jesus to consider that Jesus might be John the Baptist raised from the dead
2.2.3.
Others thought He was ‘Jeremiah’
2.2.3.1.Jesus was seen by the
populace not as a valiant warrior, but rather as a weeping and sorrowful
prophet (a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, Isaiah 53), and thus some
surmised He might be a resurrected Jeremiah the Prophet
2.2.4.
Some thought that he was ‘one of the prophets’
2.2.4.1.The people who thought this
must have thought either that this prophet had been raised from the dead, or
that he had been simply transported from heaven to earth.
2.2.4.2.In Luke 9:19, Luke’s account
has the disciples say that some thought that he was one of the prophets ‘risen
again’
2.2.5.
In Mark’s account, the disciples said that some thought that he was ‘Elijah’
2.2.5.1.This idea made some sense
due to Malachi’s prophecy that Elijah would return before the day of the Lord
(see last verse in Malachi)
2.3.
Having caused the disciples to think about who He was by asking them who people
said that He was, Jesus now asked them the most important question of all, the
question whose answer only the truly redeemed understand, to tell Him who they
thought He was. To this question Peter
gave his ‘Great Confession’
2.3.1.
Some have speculated that Peter’s response was merely the consensus of
opinion of the whole group of apostles and that he was really acting as their
mouth piece
2.3.2.
Peter may have been way ahead of some of the apostles in making this
confession, however since he spent so much time with Jesus and would therefore
have a better grasp of who Jesus might be
2.3.3.
The ‘Great Confession’ of Peter was a confession that revealed the
knowledge of who Jesus was, and that revelation was of His being ‘divine’,
co-equal with God, God the Son from all eternity who came down and was made
incarnate as a man
2.3.3.1.This was really not a new
revelation to Peter since in the first chapter of John (John 1:41) when Andrew
his brother called him to come and see Jesus, Andrew said that they had found
the Messiah
2.3.3.1.1.This concept which Peter had
heard at first had finally to come together in his mind and made sense, for who
else could Jesus be but God the Son, the Messiah come in the flesh
2.3.3.2.The apostle John wrote in
his epistle to combat the errors of the cult of Gnostics of his day who did not
believe that Jesus had been God the Son from all eternity but rather that
divinity had merely come upon Him temporarily at His baptism, and in 1 John 4:1-3, he wrote about how that it is
only by or as the result of the Holy Spirit residing within a person that He
would be understand that Jesus had come in the flesh, “4:1
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they
are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By
this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ
has come in the flesh is from God; 3 and every spirit that does not confess
Jesus is not from God; and this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you
have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.”
2.3.3.3.The apostle Paul wrote in 1
Cor. 12:3 that no person could say that Jesus Christ is Lord except through the
Holy Spirit, “3 Therefore I make known to you, that no one
speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed”; and no one can say,
“Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.”
2.3.3.4.In John 20:30-31, the
apostle John recounts the reason why he had written his gospel in the first
place was to tell of the great works which Jesus had performed as well as His
teachings and that as a result they might believe that Jesus is the Messiah,
God come in the flesh. John writes, “30 Many
other signs therefore Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples,
which are not written in this book; 31 but these have been written that you
may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may
have life in His name”
2.3.3.5.In the scriptures all
mankind are sometimes referred to as being ‘sons of God’, and in some senses
they are. Likewise, in some places
angels are spoken of as being ‘sons of God’, and so also are they. However, Peter confesses that Jesus is the
‘Son of God’ in a way that is unique from any other person upon the earth. He is the ‘Son’ of God with a ‘capital C’,
for He is a Son in a sense in which no other man can ever be, even though we as
Christians all share in Christ’ inheritance
2.3.3.6.In the book of Romans, Rom.
1:1-5, Paul begins that book (which is a treatise which covers to some degree
every doctrine in Christianity) that Jesus was ‘declared’ by God through His
resurrection from the dead to be the ‘Son of God’ with power through His
resurrection from the dead. In other
words, God powerfully and unmistakably confirmed Jesus’ claim to deity by
raising Him from the dead, “1:1 Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called
as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which He promised beforehand
through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son, who was born
of a descendant of David according to the flesh, 4 who was
declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according
to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have
received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all
the Gentiles, for His name’s sake”
3.
VS 16:17 - “17 And Jesus answered
and 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 tells Peter that he is blessed because
Jesus’ Father in heaven had revealed this truth to him
3.1.
As I have mentioned before, a person does not suddenly figure out who
Jesus is and then come to believe in Him for salvation. Rather, a person can only understand who
Jesus is by divine revelation, revelation by the Spirit of God
3.1.1.
In Gal. 1:11-12, the apostle Paul, the one whom God chose above all of
the other apostles in the early church to preach and reveal what the good news
of the gospel of Jesus consists of, reveals that he himself did not figure it
out but rather it came about by a revelation from Jesus Christ, “11 For I
would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not
according to man. 12 For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it,
but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ”
3.1.2.
In 1 Cor. 2:12-14, Paul writes about how in effect that the Lord has
given us the Holy Spirit in order that we might be able to understand spiritual
things, and that without the Spirit in our lives we cannot understand any of
the things of God, “12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world,
but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to
us by God, 13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom,
but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual
words. 14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God;
for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they
are spiritually appraised”
3.1.3.
The apostle John wrote in 1 John 2:27 about the anointing of the Holy
Spirit which we have received which enables us to understand the things of God,
“27 And as for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you,
and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you
about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you,
you abide in Him”
3.1.4.
It is truly a ‘blessed’ thing to be given the ability by the Lord to
understand the things of the Spirit of God.
Remember we read in Matt. 13:16-17 about Jesus telling His disciples
that they were so blessed and that even many prophets and kings had desired to
see and hear the things they were seeing and hearing and were not able to do
it, “ 16 “But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because
they hear. 17 “For truly I say to you, that many prophets and righteous men
desired to see what you see, and did not see it; and to hear what you hear, and
did not hear it”””
4.
VS 16:18 - “18 “And I also say to
you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the
gates of Hades shall not overpower it”” -
Jesus tells Peter that His Name is ‘Peter’ and that upon ‘this rock’ He
would build His church
4.1.
In John 1:40-42, we see that John recorded that when Jesus first saw
Simon, when his brother Andrew had brought him to Jesus, that Jesus changed
Simon’s name from Simon to ‘Cephas’, which when translated from Hebrew to Greek
is pronounced, ‘Peter’
4.1.1.
The name ‘Peter’ means a rock, whereas the name ‘Simon’ meant “heard”,
and thus Peter as a man and as an apostle shall be a rock for he shall stand
upon a very great authority, the authority of God Himself
4.2.
We have to ask the question as to what Jesus meant when He said, ‘upon
this rock’ here?
4.2.1.
The Roman Catholics have said that Peter was being placed as the sole
head over the church, and that he was thus made the first pope because of these
words. However, that theory has some
problems:
4.2.1.1.The Roman Catholics believe
that the papacy was established over
4.2.1.2.The Roman Catholics believe
in the infallibility of the pope and that when he speaks upon the throne of Peter
that what he speaks is considered scripture, and in fact it takes precedence
over the scripture
4.2.1.2.1.One obvious problem with
this is that the Lord is omniscient and omnipotent and thus He cannot
contradict Himself for it is not possible for Him to do so, and newer
revelations which contract His previously revealed will would cause Him to
contradict Himself, as the papal declarations have done
4.2.1.2.2.The scripture never speaks
of any man as being infallible, for only the Lord is infallible
4.2.1.3.The pope sits as an intermediary
to the Lord, much as the Catholics believe that Mary and also the saints are
intermediaries to the Lord, however the scripture teaches us just the opposite,
for in instance Heb. 4:16, it teaches that we may always come boldly before the
Lord’s throne of grace to receive mercy in time of need
4.2.1.3.1.Further, the scriptures
contradict the entire priest order of the Catholic Church for it teaches the
priesthood of all believers (Rev. 1:6; 5:10; and 20:6), which would only make
sense if we need no intermediary ourselves between us and God
4.3.
The ‘rock’ of which Jesus then speaks is actually ‘the truth
contained in Peter’s confession’ itself, as it is upon the foundation of this truth
that all the doctrines, truths, and practices of Christianity are based, and
without this confession there would be no church as it exists upon this earth.
4.4.
Jesus tells three things here about the church:
4.4.1.
It is ‘His church’
4.4.1.1.The
4.4.1.1.1.This then should teach us
the importance of seeking the Lord’s guidance in decisions made concerning the
church
4.4.2.
He will build His church
4.4.2.1.This is so important, for
those of us who are leaders within the church must realize that we are not the
ones who are building Christ’s church, for though we are cooperating with Him
in the establishment of His church, He is the One who is doing the building
4.4.2.2.Those of us who are leaders
can take courage (and never be discouraged) and rest in the fact that the Lord
is concerned about His church, for He has each one in mind whom He will bring
into a local assembly, and He will orchestrate events in such a way as to cause
the healthy growth and establishment of His church
4.4.2.3.Christ’s church is a not a religious
organization but rather a living spiritual organism, and each member of
Christ’s body is called into that body, and having been called to the body he
or she is to perform a unique function within the body, if the body is to be
healthy and prosper
4.4.3.
The gates of hades shall not prevail against it
4.4.3.1.Satan can and does attack
Christ’s church as he tries his best to subvert the establishing and healthy
functioning of the church, however ultimately because the Lord’s hand is upon
His church satan and the demons are going to fail and be overthrown and the
church will grow and prosper
4.4.3.1.1.In the last several years I
have seen time and again churches go through some of the most catastrophic
trials and spiritual attacks only to prosper through and because of them and be
much stronger afterwards, and thus I have learned that Christ’s church is much
stronger than I ever imagined that it could be
4.4.3.1.1.1.Approx. 6 years ago, when we
were early in the planting of a Calvary Chapel in
4.4.3.1.1.2.A year and a half ago a
pastor friend of mine whom I had encouraged to leave a denominational church
and become a Calvary pastor began a church plant in a city in
4.4.3.1.1.3.Christ’s church will prevail
against the powers of hell, for the Lord will go before it and fight its
battles, for He is the one who is building the church
5.
VS 16:19 - “19 “I will give you the
keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you shall bind on earth shall be
bound in heaven, and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in
heaven.”” - Jesus tells Peter that He will give him the
keys of heaven
5.1.
This verse has been interpreted variously down through the ages, and the
controversy is really two-fold concerning its interpretation:
5.1.1.
Were the keys just meant for Peter?
5.1.1.1.The Roman Catholic Church
has tried throughout the ages to claim that this statement by Jesus verifys
their claim that by these keys that Peter was given a position of ultimate
authority over the church, and thus he was made to be the Pope, Christ’s
Representative upon the earth
5.1.1.1.1.However, if the confession
was a general one which all believers share in, why would not the receiving of
the keys be for all true believers to share in?
5.1.2.
If the keys weren’t meant just for Peter, but for all true believers,
what authority is therefore conferred upon believers through these keys?
5.1.2.1.First of all, we ought to
acknowledge that Jesus had all authority placed under Him up to this point, and
we see this in demons, sickness and disease, and even the forces of nature
obeying His very word
5.1.2.1.1.In Revelation 1:18, when the
resurrected Jesus appeared in all of His glory to John upon the
5.1.2.1.2.Jesus really holds all of
the keys in His possession, and it was prophesied of the Messiah in Isaiah
22:22 that this would be so, “22 “Then I will set the key of the house of
David on his shoulder, When he opens no one will shut, When he shuts no one
will open””
5.1.2.2.Secondly, we see in the New
Testament that Jesus conferred His authority to His disciples in the two
internships where He sent them out to preach, heal, and to cast out demons “in
His Name”
5.1.2.3.So, it must be that what
Jesus meant by ‘the keys of heaven’ had to do with His conferring ‘His
authority’ to them, but the question is ‘how much of His authority did He
confer upon all true believers?’
5.1.2.3.1.The scripture that is
usually quoted along with this verse is Matt. 18:19, which teaches that where
two or more are gathered together He will be in their midst, “19 “Again I
say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask,
it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven””
5.1.2.3.1.1.This verse does apply to
this scripture and situation, however the context of Matt. 18:19 is usually not
noted by those who bring it up when people get together to pray. For though it could and does apply to prayer,
the context is church discipline, for just before the verse is the verses in
which Jesus taught that if our brother was in sin that we were to go to him,
and if he didn’t listen to us that we were to bring a brother or two with us
and confront him again, and then if he still didn’t listen to us we were to
bring him before the church
5.1.2.3.1.2.Yes, the Lord is with His
church whenever they come together, and He also does lead them both in their
prayer in which they bind the powers of darkness and loose God’s will upon the
earth; likewise, the Lord is with church
leaders when they seek Him together and confer concerning His will upon earth
in matters (such as church discipline as one example)
5.1.2.3.1.3.So, we Christians need to
take it to heart that we go out into the world as Christ’s respresentatives and
ambassadors and that as such we have Him backing us up as we advance, and satan
and demons cannot hinder us from accomplishing Christ’s work as he leads us and
conquers His enemies before us.
6.
VS 16:20 - “20 Then He warned the
disciples that they should tell no one that He was the Christ” - Having revealed who He was to His disciples and
heard Peter’s (and their corporate confession) of Him as being God the Son, the
Messiah, Jesus now warned them not to tell anyone He was the Christ
6.1.
Jesus knew that the multitudes had on a couple of occasions already
considered taking Him by force and making Him king, so in order to keep
something like that from being attempted by a mob, Jesus wisely warned His
disciples now to keep their revelation of who He was to themselves for now
6.1.1.
This was just one of many opportunities that Jesus had and turned down
where He could have utilized an opportunity to manipulate people and
circumstances in order to place Himself as head over the nation of Israel as
king, however Jesus knew that His kingdom was not of this world, and that His
purpose was to go to the cross and procure the salvation of mankind and the
total defeat and overthrow of the devil.