YOU ARE THE CHRIST

Matthew 16:13-28

Key Verses 16:15-16

15"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" 16Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 

In today’s passage Jesus asks his disciples a question, “Who do you say I am?” This is one of the most important questions that every person must answer. The passage tells us how Jesus blessed and guided Peter based on his confession, which teaches us the importance of our knowledge of Jesus, confession of him as the Christ, and how we receive many blessings and responsibilities from God throughout our lives. 

Peter Confesses Jesus is the Christ (13-17)

Look at verse 13. “When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’” 

Jesus’ first question to his disciples was a question of the people’s understanding about him. He didn’t ask them to do something impossible, like feeding five-thousand or walking on water. But the main point was knowing who Jesus is. And the disciples quickly supplied the answer. Look at verse 14. “They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’” The people had many answers about who Jesus is. One thing they had in common was that they thought that Jesus was a great servant of God, like one of the prophets. It was because Jesus had done so many miraculous things in God’s name, taught about the kingdom of God, and showed great compassion for the people. He healed the lame so they could walk again. He drove out demons. He gave the blind sight. He healed the sick. He even raised the dead to life. So, at this point in his ministry, a lot of people were wondering who Jesus really is (cf. Mat 12:23). The people wondered if he was the Son of David. King Herod wondered if he was John the Baptist raised to life. And even John the Baptist sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are the one who was to come?” 

This gospel is written with an express purpose to reveal Jesus’ true identity. Matthew’s gospel opened by proclaiming that Jesus is the Christ (1:1). He is in the line of David, according to God’s promise. He was born of God’s miraculous work in the virgin Mary and Joseph. Now, about half way through the gospel, the question of whether people knew Jesus for who he is, is brought into question. All the events so far, the miracles, teachings, and healings, in the public, demonstrated who he really is, and it was time that the people and Jesus’ disciples had an answer to this question. 

The question of Jesus’ true identity is still a controversial one today that people have many answers to. Most other religions teach that Jesus was a prophet. Others today call Jesus an excellent moral and ethical teacher. The most common answers I get from students are, “I don’t know” and “I don’t have time to think about that right now in my life.” In secular academia, Jesus is taught as a “myth.” Many Christians like to call Jesus “Lord” and “Savior”, but treat him like a vending machine or emergency line. Answering the question of who we say Jesus is one question that we cannot ignore or put aside until a later time. 

In the peoples’ case, their answers show that ultimately they did not have a right relationship with Jesus, for they did not know who he truly was. They fell short of knowing his true identity. The lack of knowledge of Jesus results in a lack of blessings which come from that. And that is why he was concerned about their opinion about who he is. It is not enough to know what others think about Jesus. What’s most important is our own personal confession about Jesus. Therefore, Jesus next asked his disciples their answer. Look at verses 15-16. “’But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’” 

Peter got the right answer. He first confessed, “You are the Christ.” There is a big difference between the Christ and the prophets. The prophets were servants who spoke about the coming Christ who is Lord and King and Savior of all people. He is God’s chosen servant. So Peter personally accepted Jesus as the chosen one of God, as his Lord and King. 

Second, Peter confessed, “the Son of the living God.” It means that he really saw that God was revealed, made visible, and working among them, in and through Jesus. It was like confessing, “Immanuel—God with us.” Peter confessed that Jesus is God. He came to see and know God through knowing Jesus. He saw God’s holiness, love, and power in and through knowing Jesus. 

Peter’s answer was exactly correct (according to the point of Matthew 1:1, 23). The fact that Peter’s answer was right shows that he had formed a right relationship with Jesus. 

Let’s look at verse 17. “Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.’” Jesus’ response shows us how Peter came to know who Jesus really is. It was not by “man”, meaning, by human efforts or ways or teachings, or through dreams or visions or demanding a sign, or through religious customs or traditions. It was revealed to him by God the Father, meaning, it was the very work of God. God the Father reveals who Jesus is. God is the source of revelation about Jesus. To know who Jesus is, God himself must be there, it is not man’s work. So, Peter should have been humbled based on Jesus’ words here. And we too should remain humble as we seek to know Jesus, as revelation about who he really is comes from God.

But why did God give this revelation to Peter and not to the people? We can see that Peter and the people, in general, were different in their relationship with Jesus in regards to knowing who he is. Peter had first hand experience with Jesus. That does not mean that we who cannot be with Jesus physically are at a loss, but it refers to Peter devoting everything, meaning business, to know Jesus. He left his family and career to know and follow Jesus. He left the comfort of a daily job for income, a house with a hot meal everyday. He left everything for this purpose. Peter also stuck out from the crowds in that he was committed to obeying Jesus word in his aim to know Jesus. When Jesus said, “Follow me,” Peter left his boat and his nets on the shore, and then followed Jesus. When Jesus told Peter to see how many loaves he had, Peter did it, and when Jesus told him to distribute it to 4,000 people, he did. When Jesus told Peter to come out to him on the water, Peter did. He was committed to knowing and obeying Jesus. And God honored his actions and blessed him to know and confess Christ. God honors our decisions of faith to know Jesus at all costs. We have to have a right relationship with Jesus which comes from first listening to his word and obeying it, as we can see from Peter’s example. We can also see this in the way Jesus formed his question about the people and the disciples. To the people Jesus said, “Who do the people say the Son of Man is?” But to the disciples he used the personal I, in, “Who do you I am?” It already shows that the disciples had a closer relationship with Jesus whereas the people were distant from him.

Again, as Peter confessed, he saw Jesus as the “Son of the living God.” He came to see and know God personally and first hand in and through knowing Jesus. The Bible says that to know Jesus Christ is eternal life (John 17:3). Jesus said that came to make the Father known (John 14:7). It is such a wonderful blessing to know God personally as Peter confessed, for this is how God designed our lives to be truly blessed (Gen 1:26-28). Striving to know Jesus more and more is one life’s highest aims. This message stuck with Peter. In his letters to the churches later on, he emphasized the importance of knowing who Jesus is more and more. In 2 Peter 3:18, Peter encouraged the believers, as his final words, saying, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.” [You may also wish to review 2 Peter 1:2-9.] We do not simply know Jesus up to a certain point, such as making a first confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, or my Savior, but we strive to keep knowing Jesus more and more throughout our lives. It is the most important thing in a person’s life. It is built into the way God made man’s life. God made us in the image of God. So, it is our purpose to know God and serve him. But how can we know him? God has revealed himself in all his fullness through his Son Jesus Christ. So, it is the most important thing for us to know Jesus. 

II. On this rock I will build my church (18-20)

Peter’s confession was a new beginning point for Jesus’ work in Peter’s life. Look at verses 18-19. “18And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

Jesus reminded Simon Peter that his name is “Peter” which means “rock”, which was given by Jesus. Then Jesus said, “on this rock I will build my church.” The church refers to the body of believers, which is Jesus’ body. It means that based on Peter’s confession, Jesus would build his church, meaning, the extension of himself to reach this world. Not even the gates of Hades, referring to the devil’s work, can overcome Jesus’ building work in Peter’s life. It is the confidence of victory over the devil in our lives. Then verse 19 tells us that he gave Peter great privileges and responsibilities 

The point is that from this time on was a turning point and real beginning point for Jesus’ building work in Peter. A right confession is a beginning, not the end, and it comes with eternal blessings, privileges, and responsibilities. Specifically, Peter’s life from this point comes with the privilege and responsibility of knowing Jesus more and more and revealing who Jesus is, and doing the work that Jesus was doing as a member of his church. And indeed Jesus used Peter as a critical instrument to build up the early church, to pray for the believers, strengthen them, and to bring many more people into the fellowship of knowing and believing in Jesus. [As the book of Acts (1-5) shows, Jesus used Peter as a critical instrument to build up the early church. But we have to be careful of teachings which promote Peter in ways Jesus does not say here.] 

Jesus’ words to Peter seem very personal and apply directly to Peter. That is true. Yet, at the same time, Jesus’ words are universally applicable to all who confess him as the Christ, the Son of the living God. In the same way, Jesus builds people up according to their confession. He builds them up in his church so that he can be made known to the world through them.

In verse 20, Jesus warned them not to tell anyone that he is the Christ. It was not time yet for them to tell about Jesus. Jesus had more work to take care of first. Also, Jesus knew that the people were looking for a political Messiah, and were ready to make him an earthly king, such as one position in opposition to Rome. But we are now called to confess about Jesus publicly. However, it is not easy to confess Jesus as the Christ, these days, for new believers or old ones. There are many pressures, especially peer pressure, which hinders from making a right confession and then leading the right kind of life. We don’t want to stick out. We are scared to show ourselves as believers. We may look like strange fundamentalists, we may give off the presence that people should repent—which people don’t like, or we may have to stop sinning if the people around us knew that we confessed ourselves as Christians. But we have to overcome all of these fears and pressures and make a right confession of Jesus. 

III. If anyone would come after me… (21-28) 

Look at verse 21. “From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” The people, even the disciples, had their own expectations of the Christ. But here Jesus explains to his disciples about the work of the Christ. He “must” suffer many things…he “must” be killed and on the third day be raised to life. What a shocking explanation. To be the Christ was not to claim worldly glory or pursue one’s ambition in this world. It was to lay down in life in suffering, and be raised from the dead. Here Jesus shows that the sufferings, death and resurrection were not the work of the devil, but the work of God. It was what the Christ “must” do. 

But Peter did not like this at all. Verse 22 says, “Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ‘Never, Lord!’ he said. ‘This shall never happen to you!’” Maybe Peter did not want to think about losing his beloved Lord and Master. He couldn’t imagine such things happening to Jesus. Maybe Peter also could not think about his own loss if Jesus suffered and died. What would happen to his worldly ambitions? Would Peter have to suffer and die too? 

Let’s see Jesus’ response in verse 23. “Jesus turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.’” Why did Peter rebuke Jesus? Jesus says that Peter had in mind “the things of men” not “the things of God” (23). Here Jesus warns us against having in mind the things of men rather than the things of God. In the previous verses Peter was given the keys to the kingdom, but in these next verses Jesus calls him “Satan”. The “things of men” refer to the things that belong to sinful man and this world, with all its passions and desires. When we have in mind the things of men we are open to become instruments of the devil.

Look at verse 24. “Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.’” Here Jesus teaches the attitude one must have in coming after Jesus. This is the message Peter needed to keep growing spiritually. To deny one’s self is to put aside our own “self”, literally, our life, and take up Jesus’ life and purpose. Other translations say, “disown himself.” That is a strong word. Have you ever been disowned? I was once disowned three time in one way by my mother. She said to me, “You are not my son. Don’t call, don’t visit me, don’t see, don’t do anything with me.” Those are strong words. To deny oneself means to set ourselves aside completely. It does not mean that we stop existing as individuals or to be like a weak or dumb person, but that we choose Jesus and his purpose as my own life and purpose. 

How may have the disciples understood “his cross”? They did not know yet that Jesus was going to die on a cross. The “cross” refers to more than simply saying, “The cross of mission” or other tasks or burdens we have to perform. It is much more. The cross was used by the Romans in executions only. Criminals had to carry their crosses to the place of execution. To carry one’s cross meant to acknowledge and show that one was losing his life. It means that they really had to consider their old life gone and dead, and from that time on live only Jesus’ life and purpose. 

Why does Jesus require this kind of attitude and lifestyle to follow him? It is so that we can truly leave behind our old life of sin, and have new life in Jesus, experiencing Jesus’ life and power as our own to the fullest extend. It means that God does not compromise in giving us life and true blessing in Jesus. It also means that for us to grow and participate spiritually, we cannot compromise with our old way of life, but consider it dead and follow Jesus absolutely by faith. That is the way to know Jesus, follow Jesus, and grow spiritually throughout all our life, day by day. As we participate in Jesus’ life and sufferings, we can also experience his power of resurrection and the glory of God in our lives daily. 

Let’s read verses 25-28. “25For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 27For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. 28I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom." He promises them eternal life in the kingdom of heaven. 

Through this passage I was reminded of how I first came to know Jesus and how he has revealed himself to me throughout my believing life. I grew up in the Catholic church, but I never knew who Jesus was or why he was God’s Son who came to this earth or died on a cross, even though I said the Apostles’ Creed every Sunday at mass and attended all the Sunday school classes. So I felt free to leave the church as soon as I turned 16 and got my drivers’ license. But it was at the 2000 Summer Bible Conference that my eyes were first opened to know Jesus. It was through writing a testimony, being challenged to think about who Jesus is after hearing the word of God. It was also through taking my cross and following Jesus while I was a student and leaving behind my old life with all its sinful desires and worldly ambitions and personal attachments. When I denied myself, I experienced Jesus’ grace and power personally, and understood his calling to a new life in him. The times that I denied myself and took up my cross and followed Jesus were the most challenging and difficult, yet most treasured and rewarding times of my life. 

But at this point in my life I felt that I had plateau’ed in my spiritual growth. I felt that God was not working and that I needed a change of environment. It made me very quick to get angry with others and complain about everything. I found it difficult to even maintain my basic needs, such as personal prayer time and Bible study. I wondered why I can’t simply go home after work without any other worries or cares and relax with my family before going to sleep. Simply, I was frustrated with my current state. To be honest, I was happy when I found out that I had appendicitis last month, because I thought that I could finally take a break. 

This passage showed me what I need to do now. It is to pursue knowing Jesus more and more through following him by denying myself and taking up my cross in obedience to his word and calling, with faith and joyful expectation. So I pray that you all may attend the Summer Bible Conference at Whittier College next month. The title is fittingly called, “Follow Me.” I pray that you may know Jesus more and more through this conference and accept his calling to follow him. 

Let’s pray based on this passage to keep knowing Jesus more and more, growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus, keep confessing Jesus, and to keep following the way life he has called us to. May God reveal Jesus to us and build us up as his church so that Jesus can be revealed through us as well. 

One Word: You are the Christ

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