Who Do You Say I Am? | Matthew 16:13-28
“Who Do You say I Am”?
Matthew 16:13-28
Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the
Son of Man is?”
14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the
prophets.”
15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and
blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, [ a ] and on this rock I will build my
church, and the gates of Hades [b] will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of
heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be [c] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will
be [d] loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
Jesus Predicts His Death
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, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be
killed and on the third day be raised to life.
22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to
you!”
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 concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up
their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life [e] will lose it, but whoever loses their life
for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or
what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 27 For 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 they have done.
28 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man
coming in his kingdom.”
13 “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah;
and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
-John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeramiah, or one of the prophets back from the dead. A good man or
Godly man, but not God Himself
- There’s irony in that they were closer to believing that He was a prophet raised from the dead,
than the Savior who would actually be raised from the dead
- There were a lot of people in the first century who would have said they believed in
Jesus – that He was a prophet or a good man
- There are a lot of people in the 21 st century who would say the same thing
- approx.. 85% of Americans believe that Jesus was a real historical figure –
-52% of Americans think Jesus was a great teacher
-They didn’t say “the Messiah”, and many don’t now.
CS Lewis: liar, lunatic or Lord
l am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about
Him: I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept his claim to be God.
That is the one thing we must not say.
A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral
teacher. He would either be a lunatic-on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg-or
else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the
Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit
at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not
come with any patronising nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that
open to us. He did not intend to. ... Now it seems to me obvious that He was neither a lunatic nor
a fiend: and consequently, however strange or terrifying or unlikely it may seem, I have to accept
the view that He was and is God. (Mere Christianity, 55-56)
15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
- “you” here is plural, directed at the apostles
- Everything now and for eternity hinges on your answer
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
- This is the first time we see the apostles confess who Jesus is
- Who you say Jesus is determines everything about how you follow Him.
- If you believe He’s a good teacher, that’s how you follow Him. If you think He has some
good ideas, you’ll listen to Him once in a while
- If you believe He’s the Savior, that should change everything about how you live your
life.
- 17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and
blood, but by my Father in heaven.
- Divine revelation rather than human deduction
- The grace of God is the only way anyone can behold the beauty AND PURPOSE of Christ
John 6:44-45
““No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the
last day. It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the
Father and learned from him comes to me.”
-A Biblical argument can be made that the only way we will know Jesus for who He truly is, is ONLY
through the revelation of God our Father…but God reveals it to others through our evangelism.
-In fact, the only reason why we are together as a family is because God our Father made it so.
18 And I tell you that you are Peter, [ a ] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades [b] will
not overcome it.
- “You are Peter” (Petros = rock) - this parallels Peter’s confession
- First use of the word “church” or “ekklesia” in the gospels
- Jesus isn’t implying anything of a particular church structure, just promising that he will establish a
gathered community of his followers, and help them grow. – a community of people who submit to
Gods Kingly rule.
Jesus promises the indestructibility of His church.
- Gates of Hades, sometimes referred to the gates of hell – probably the powers of death.
- Gates are largely defensive, so if you consider the gates of hell, or the powers of death on the
defense, that means those gates cannot withstand the power over death that Jesus instills in the
church.
- This passage may not be about protecting the church from the gates of hell (and death)…Hell is on the
defensive…not us! Jesus is saying the gates of hell, death itself cannot withstand His power through the
church. The church needs to be storming the gates of hell, not sitting in our cozy buildings waiting for it
to come to us. Either way, death is defeated…
- We overcome death – we don’t have to defend against it’s power
- Death cannot stop this Messiah, nor His followers – Christ gives His authority to the church
- Being a part of a church is not like joining a club –it comes with an extremely important confession with
eternal ramifications.
- All too often in the US, joining a church looks more like joining a country club these
days.
- multi-million dollar facilities with racquetball courts, gyms, recreational
facilities, bookstores and sometimes a place to gather and worship. Even then,
the logos, jerseys, bumper stickers, Sunday concerts and worship albums help to
build membership, but may not build God’s kingdom.
- WHAT YOU WIN THEM WITH, IS WHAT YOU WIN THEM TO.
-we have to be careful not to do to the church what the Jews did to the temple.
19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be [c] bound in
heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be [d] loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not
to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
- I grew up Roman Catholic, and the Catholic church uses this passage to justify Peter as the first
Pope, and through apostolic succession, confessing sins to priests in confessionals. As they forgive, they
loose on earth…but….
- this is not about the authority of Peter, but the authority of Jesus Christ
- this is not about a supreme pope, but a sovereign Savior
- this is not about an infallible pope, but an invincible mission
There is imagery of keys that close and open, lock and unlock (Isaiah 22:22) and take the binding and
loosing referring to Christians making entrance to Gods kingdom available or unavailable to people
through their witness, preaching and ministry. This will tie in closely with John 20:23
When Peter or the other apostles, or any follower of Christ for the matter, proclaims the gospel, it is
done under Jesus' authority-His authority to save sinners and to judge sinners. Jesus' authority to save
means that we can say to any person in the world, "If you turn from your sin and trust in Jesus as Savior
and Lord, you will be free from sin forever' That's a guarantee based on the authority of Christ and His
Word. At the same time, we can also say to any person in this world, "If you do not tum from your sin
and trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord, you are bound to your sin and its payment for all eternity in hell."
Authority has been entrusted to us as the church to proclaim this message.
We speak with the authority of Christ. The urgency and priority of evangelism flows from these truths
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, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be
killed and on the third day be raised to life.
-Jesus speaks plainly of His coming fate - anticipating that he may be killed does not require any
supernatural insight…Matthew 12:14
“But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.”
But, more than common sense must lie behind the prediction of His resurrection.
Elders - not previously mentioned - members of the Sanhedrin
“Chief priests and scribes” - teachers of the law
Jesus doesn’t explain here the use of the word “must”, but accounts for it in Matthew 20:28
28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a
ransom for many.”
22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to
you!”
-Peter does not recognize that Jesus’ death and resurrection must precede the establishment of the
church and that His followers must also suffer before Gods kingdom will triumph.
-Peter has not yet conceived of a suffering Messiah
-Peters is emphatic…basically “no way”, “this shall never happen”!!
-Trying to thwart God’s plan for Jesus life is, in fact, the role of the devil, not a disciple…hence Jesus’
reply.
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 concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
-He’s not saying Peter is the devil or possessed, but dramatically stating that the perspective Peter
represents here, however unwittingly, is the same as Satan’s.
-Peter moves very fast from foundation block to stumbling block
-Peter represents the viewpoint of unredeemed humanity, rather than God’s will.
-Get behind me means get away, or out of my site…similar to his rebuke of satan in Matthew 4:10
Where a similar temptation was aimed at Jesus in the desert:
“Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him
only.’””
- “Take up his cross” is metaphorical - submission to God’s will, wherever it may lead = deny himself. It
also represents an ominous possibility that some of the disciples might literally be crucified.
-Self-denial means putting God and His kingdom priorities first.
-This is so counter cultural to life in America
you deserve a break today
Get the pampering you deserve
You deserve only the best
The pursuit of happiness is a constitutional right, not a biblical right
Do you know what we truly deserve? Death
Romans 6:23
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Any preacher who tells you that you deserve anything better than death…you know, your best life now,
is a wolf in sheep’s clothing and does not have your eternal soul in mind…run
This is how we find life.
Galatians 2:19-20
““For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I
no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who
loved me and gave himself for me.”
The logic of Jesus’ command depends wholly on the existence of life beyond the grace
Live for yourself and you will die. Die to yourself and you will live.
27 For 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 they have done.
-Glory awaits ahead, but only after suffering
-“What he has done” is more literally like “his practice” and refers to an individual life viewed in its
entirety
28 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man
coming in his kingdom.”
Verse 28 is kind of cryptic but is probably referring to the transfiguration, which is coming up next . The
transfiguration will be a foretaste of his resurrection.
2 Peter 1:16-18 (Peter later referring to the transfiguration)
“For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. He received honor and glory from God the
Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with
him I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him
on the sacred mountain.”
-Regarding suffering having to precede glory is a tough one for Christians today, especially in the US,
where prosperity preaching contradicts the teachings and life of Jesus.
-Have you died to yourself?
-Have you taken up your cross?
James 1:27
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in
their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
James 1:27 NIV
Romans 12:1-2
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living
sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern
of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and
approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Romans 12:1-2 NIV
Matthew 25:31-46 NIV
““When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.
All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a
shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his
left. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your
inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you
gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you
invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison
and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and
feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in,
or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King
will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine,
you did for me.’ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the
eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was
thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes
and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ “They also will
answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in
prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the
least of these, you did not do for me.’ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous
to eternal life.””
“Who Do You Say I Am”? - Verses for slides
Matthew 16:13-28
Mathew 16: 13-14
Matthew 16:15
Matthew 16:16
Matthew 16:17
John 6:44-45
Matthew 16:18
James 1:27
Matthew 16:19-20
Matthew 16:21
Matthew 12:14
Matthew 20:28
Matthew 16:22
Matthew 16:23
Matthew 4:10
Matthew 16:24-26
Romans 6:23
James 1:27
Romans 12:1-2
Matthew 25:31-46
Galatians 2:19-20
Matthew 16:27
Matthew 16:28
2 Peter 2:16-18