Matthew 13-20: Kingdoms in ConflictНамуна

Who Do You Say That I Am?

By Samantha Rodriguez

“When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ ‘But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ 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. And 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. I 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.’ Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.”—Matthew 16:13–20 (NIV)

Have you ever had a conversation with a close friend about what your first impressions of each other were? I love talking about that with my friends from college because we all met during unique and random moments. Four years later, we can tell stories and laugh together. It’s crazy to think we leave impressions on people every day in the same way we form impressions of others. I know that for me personally, I ‘ve always struggled with worrying about what other people think of me. It can really become an issue when our fear of man is greater than our fear of God.

In today’s passage, Jesus asks His disciples an interesting question to see what the disciples thought of Him. He says, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” What does this title even mean? In the Old Testament, the Messiah was also referred to as the Son of Man by Daniel after he had a vision of glory of an everlasting kingdom being given to the Son of Man. The Jewish people knew the Lord would send them a Savior and Redeemer one day, but they didn’t know much else which is why they speculated who it might be.

Although Jesus alluded to Himself being the Son of Man in some conversations, He still never directly stated, “I am the Son of Man.” Jesus doesn’t ask His disciples who they’ve heard people say the Son of Man might be because He’s concerned with what others think of Him. He asks them because He knows we often worry or consider what other people think. In order to challenge them to consider what they believe themselves, He asks them this first.

Oftentimes, the Lord will prompt our hearts to consider questions like these—questions that involve looking around us at what we’re hearing and seeing from others—so He can then ask us to evaluate what we’re believing and allowing to enter our hearts and minds. After the disciples answer His question, He then asks them the more important one: “But what about you? Who do you say that I am?”

This is when Peter steps in and boldly declares, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” This was very significant because it’s the first time someone directly professed that Jesus was the Messiah and the Son of God. Jesus Himself had never explicitly taught or claimed His true and full identity to others because His purpose was to reveal it through His actual life. For this reason, Jesus calls Peter blessed and says the Father revealed this to him. This story is important because the proclamation of Peter’s personal faith is the same declaration Jesus awaits from others who are wanting to follow Him.

This is what faith is all about—who we believe Jesus to be. God reveals Himself in Jesus and He unveils the blinders from our eyes, but it’s our decision to choose whether we believe Jesus is the Son of God, our Savior, and our Redeemer. Jesus didn’t want anyone to know this then because He knew they wouldn’t be ready to truly receive Him. He hadn’t finished His sacrificial work yet, but now He has! So, the question remains: Who do you say Jesus is?

Pause: Who do other people say Jesus is? Who do you say Jesus is?

Practice: Write down a list of qualities and titles that belong to Jesus, remembering He’s the foundation of our faith!

Pray: Father God, thank You for revealing Yourself to us in Jesus! Thank You Jesus for walking on earth as the Son of God and the Son of Man, our Savior and Redeemer, and for bridging the gap between us and God. I know You’re victorious and alive! You’re my true King, and I want to keep serving and worshiping You every day of my life regardless of what others think or who they say You are. I love You Jesus. Amen.