There are times when asking certain questions seem to heighten the drama of the moment. “Do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?” “Do you swear to tell the truth…?” “Where were you on the night of…?” Questions such as these have the ability to cut through all the surface stuff and get right to the point. These questions will have significant implications according to how they are answered. As the curtain is raised on this scene Jesus is about to ask His disciples this type of question. “Who do people say I am?” This question is huge and how the disciples answer it will have significant implications for ages to come. Jesus’ ministry is well into its third year and this will be the first time they will truly confess who Jesus is, the Messiah, the Son of God. Peter the normal spokesman for the group will once again speak for the group. Peter’s answer is huge; he cuts through all the different opinions held by people and with God’s help hits the nail right on the head. By proclaiming Jesus as the Son of God he completely changes everything. We are really in the same boat as the disciples, the way we answer this question has significant implications for our present life as well as our eternal fate. This morning as we bring this series to close I want us to truly be able to know who Jesus is and the way that knowledge will impact our lives.
I. A momentous occasion deserves a special place.
A. The place that Jesus chooses for this event is quite unique and to some quite unexpected.
1. Caesarea Philippi was a beautiful city on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee located about 25 miles north of the fishing village of Bethsaida about 120 miles from Jerusalem.
2. Everywhere you looked throughout the city you saw signs of Greek culture. The Jewish population was sparse at best. So this was Gentile territory.
3. The city religiously was pagan; it was filled with temples dedicated to the different Greek gods and the ancient Greek god known as Pan. In fact the city was originally known as Paneas.
4. In the Old Testament this particular area was well known for the worship Baal. There is a long history of pagan worship in this area.
B. There is no doubt as Jesus and His disciples journeyed up the Jordan River into Gentile territory that His disciples knew that something was up.
1. One has to wonder if Jesus does this to provide a clue in regard to the extensive Gentile ministry that would happen in the near future.
2. Matthew focuses solely on the conversation that takes place between Jesus and His disciples as He questions them in regard to different views of His identity.
3. Caesarea Philippi also was home to a huge temple dedicated to Caesar. It would be in the sight of Caesar’s temple that Jesus would make a surprising announcement in regard to His kingdom.
4. Amid all the shrines dedicated to the various false gods, Jesus’ true identity will be established once and for all. The disciples will be forced to process a significant revelation.
II. An answer that goes against public opinion.
A. The way the disciples answer Jesus’ question shows that there was a lot of confusion about His true identity.
1. The disciples need to be given credit here because they refrain from sharing some of the more distasteful rumors about Him.
a. He was the illegitimate son of a Roman soldier.
b. He was a troublemaker and blasphemer.
c. A false teacher.
d. A traitor to His own people.
2. The disciples choose to only share the opinions that were more on the complementary side.
a. John the Baptist
b. Elijah
c. Jeremiah
d. One of the other prophets of old.
3. Most people recognized that He was a messenger from God; the responses however do reveal that the general public as a whole was confused about who Jesus was.
4. More than likely Jesus knew exactly what the crowds were saying about Him. So He is not asking the question to gain information. He is asking the question to get everyone on the same page.
B. Knowing that all these descriptions were inadequate, Jesus presses His disciples further to force them to answer the question themselves.
1. Although the question is directed to the group Peter quickly answers it acting as the spokesman for the group and voices two important concepts in regard to Jesus’ identity.
a. He identifies Him as the Christ which established that He is Israel’s promised Messiah.
b. Indentifying Him as the Son of God reveals that Jesus was the one chosen by God to fulfill this task.
2. When Peter answers this question he obviously says much more than he knows as Jesus states that Peter did not figure this out on His own but the idea was revealed to Him by God.
3. There is something really significant about Peter’s confession, to recognize Jesus as the Messiah is one thing but to say that He is the Son of God is an entirely different matter.
4. If Jesus was the Son of God it would mean that He shared God’s characteristics and authority. This would be a huge step for a Jew.
5. Peter reveals that they had reached a new level of understanding of Jesus’ identity and ministry.
C. This account reminds us that we will never understand Jesus and His mission and make a decision about Him through a poll of public opinion.
1. There are still many theories floating around about Jesus: a prophet, a great teacher, a failed political revolutionary, a good man or the supreme martyr. Every one of these misses the mark.
2. Jesus is the Christ: the answer, the final word, the point; He is in a class all by Himself. He is the only Savior and the only Son of God.
3. When Jesus is held up as Savior and Lord the Gospel prospers, faith grows and lives are changed.
4. This had to be an exciting moment for Jesus; at last His disciples finally get it.
III. A concept that leads to an eternal victory.
A. As a result of getting the question right Peter is rewarded by receiving a new name.
1. Jesus says, “You are Peter (petros) and upon this rock (petra) I will build by church (ekklesia).
2. This is the first time the word church (ekklesia) appears in the Gospels and what Jesus is promising is that Peter will have a foundational role in the beginnings of the church.
3. The rock the church is built upon is not Peter, it is the confession that he just made that Jesus indeed was the Messiah, the Son of God.
4. Jesus promises that His church could not be overcome by any power including the powers of Hell.
5. Although Christianity may come under attack from time to time, its light and influence upon the world will never be extinguished.
B. After the disciples grasped the idea that He was the Messiah, Jesus introduces them to a concept that is even more difficult to grasp.
1. The concept of a suffering Messiah does not fit into the plan. How could Jesus be the one sent to liberate His people if He will be defeated by His enemies?
2. Notice that the opposition to Jesus came from the leaders of the people. Those supposedly knowledgeable in the Scriptures who should have been the first to recognize Jesus.
3. Peter takes Jesus aside and utterly rejects the idea of a suffering Messiah. His actions show that although he acknowledges Jesus as the Messiah, he still didn’t completely get it.
4. God’s plan for the Messiah included suffering and death. Jesus would fulfill His mission exactly as planned.
C. Jesus fully intended to come into this world and to liberate His people and lead them to victory. However it would happen in an unexpected way.
1. Jesus did come to liberate His people but the ultimate enemy was not Rome but sin. Peter failed to realize that if Jesus didn’t die, he would die in his sins.
2. Jesus’ ultimate reason for coming was to remove the consequences that had come upon mankind resulting from the fall.
3. Jesus’ only weapon was the cross. That very instrument of His demise would prove to be the ultimate blow to the enemy.
4. We must realize that until we die, we will never live. Until we sacrifice, we will never win. Only through the cross can we achieve victory.
The infamous predictor of days gone by, Nostradamus, stumbled across an elderly woman in northern France during the time of the great plague. The woman, near death, was lying on the street where many other dead bodies were located. Most of the people in the small town had succumbed to this deadly plague. Fearing that no one would be left to give her a proper burial when she died, the woman decided to take matters into her own hands. When Nostradamus found her, she was, in a weakened state, busy sewing herself into a death shroud. Her future seemed grim, so she gave up. We live in a world plagued with lifelessness. People are giving up left and right. They are busily picking up the needle and thread and sewing a protective covering around their lifeless existence. But then there are those, who in spite of the smell of death all around them, are able to conquer and move on.
