Sunday: “You are the Christ”
Imagine what it must have been like for Peter, who had been with Jesus almost from the start. What must have gone through his mind as he witnessed one incredible event after another: the healings, the casting out of demons, the feeding of the multitudes, the amazing teachings, the controlling of nature, raising the dead, and the walking on water together?
Image © Darrel Tank from GoodSalt.com
What questions (such as, again, Why did He allow John the Baptist such an ignominious end?) must have bounced around inside him, day after day, seeing things that no one in all of history had ever seen? After all, Jesus was God in human flesh and lived and ministered to humanity in the flesh (Gal. 4:4; Heb. 7:26; Isa. 9:6; Luke 2:10-11). So, those who were around Him, who lived with Him, and who were His disciples were going to have plenty of unique experiences.
Read Matthew 16:13-17. What question did Jesus ask His disciples, and of what significance is it that Peter is the only one recorded as answering? And why is his answer so pivotal?
Peter’s declaration of Jesus as “‘the Christ, the Son of the living God’” (Matthew 16:16, NKJV) is one of the high points in all of Scripture. Peter called Him “‘the Christ,’” the Anointed One, and with this confession he was saying (correctly, as it turned out to be) that Jesus was the Messiah, the One who was to come in fulfillment of the covenant promises made to Abraham and then Israel (see Gal. 3:16).
Also, Peter proclaimed Jesus as the Christ in the region of Caesarea Philippi. This was Gentile country. In the days prior, Peter had watched Jesus care not only for the Jews but for the Gentiles, as well. With the aid of the Holy Spirit, Peter recognized that Jesus was something much more than a Jewish prophet, as others had suggested. His ministry extended much further than that of John the Baptist, Elijah, or Jeremiah. Indeed, it was to encompass all humanity; hence, Jesus calls Himself “the Son of Man,” showing His personal identification with all human beings. As the Bible later shows, Peter still had so much to learn about Jesus and the fullness and universality of what He had come to do.
| What are the things that Jesus has done in your life that you could testify to as a witness to others? Why is it good always to keep these things before you and to share them? |
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As indicated it's the revelation of the father or rather the Holy spirit that gave Peter the knowledge of who Jesus was . It's possible that on a personal level, he could just be clueless as the others. It is only the Holy spirit that will always give us a revelation as we journey heavenward.
Christ must have sensed that the disciples, just like the other men generally except for Peter, had not discerned who He was hence His further probing "but who do you say I am?" In Verse 17 of Matthew 16 there's an indication of Christ knowing what was on Peter's mind for He points out how Peter came to know who He was. It is significant for us to have an understanding of how revelation as a source of knowledge in matters related to our salvation supersedes all the other sources of knowledge.
I wonder if it is just Peter's exuberance that pushes him to be the spokesman for all the disciples. The Holy Spirit of course revealed it, but was it expressed by Peter quickly because he was more vocal than the others! Was it believed by all? I believe so, maybe the nature of what it meant needed tweeking, but still the belief that he was the Messiah was there or they would have left along with others prior to this!
The Lord has transformed my life from death to life and his mercy toward me are so great, I need many books to detail them all. Glory be to God the Father, God the son Jesus Christ my Lord and savior and to the Holy Spirit for the wonderful loving job they do daily in my heart!
Thank you fot your testimony
God the father knew the heart of Peter, and revealed to Peter that Jesus was indeed the Son of God. That allowed Peter to boldly state and believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
The lesson on Sunday has the key question, "Who do we say that Jesus is?"
Peter, the vocal disciple that he is, spoke out and made it plain that he understood Jesus to be the Son of the living God!
Jesus makes it plain that we cannot come to this understanding of who He is without it being revealed to us from above. See Matthew 16:13-18. Not by flesh and blood can we believe in Jesus but only God Himself can grant us faith in Him since He is the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:1,2).
Jesus also says in Matthew 16:18 that "upon this Rock, He shall build His church". This is the first time Jesus calls Simon by the name of Peter which means small stone or peddle. Please note that Jesus is not saying He will build His church on Peter but He is saying that He will establish His church (which includes you and me) on Himself i.e. we all become part of the house of God by putting our faith in Jesus. We cannot put our trust in any man anyway because ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Hence the only foundation that can be laid, upon which the church can be built is that of Jesus, the Son of the living God!
Oh Lord grant us all a living faith in You and not in any arm of flesh no matter how holy and upright they appear for it is only You Who have lived a blameless, sinless and upright life and it's only You Who is mighty to save. Amen!
I think the church appears to be built upon the fact that truth comes to each individual the same way Peter received it. From God, Himself.
The Spirit of God is the Spirit of Truth, the Spirit of Prophecy, the Testimony of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Love. When we allow this Spirit of God to motivate our thoughts and feelings, this is the foundation of God's church on Earth.
Interesting enough, today if the question is asked on who do people say I am would have such a extreme list of answers that we can see how how far our current civilization has wavered
Jesus' ministry was coming to an end and soon his disciples would be spearheading God's mission without him being present. So He asked them this important question of who He was. It is of significante that Peter was the first to answer. I believe that Jesus knew that this was divine revelation because success in mission while he was no longer present with them in the flesh depended on their understanding of his identity. The same goes for us today. If we don't know who Jesus is, we cannot tell others who He is.
Answering the question at the end of the day's lesson, I figure that God has blessed me in some situations where I saw no way out and as I keep such events ever before me helps me when I face even tougher situations. The fact that I have evidence of what God has done before in my life gives me unshaken faith that He will do it again and even more if I place my all in Him. No situation is alien one Earth, what has affected me will surely affect another. If I conquer, then I stand as a witness before other people too and strengthen their hopes in Jesus Christ.
‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’. Peter’s answer forms the basis of Christianity. We quickly come to the conclusion that , ‘Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).Hence ,if Jesus is out of the equation then there is no salvation. You will find some believe in only God the Father and do not believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God. I love the way Peter put it, Son of the LIVING GOD, for surely there are other gods that are not living. We hear about the divinity of Jesus and get to also know of why He came down on earth.TO SAVE ALL MANKIND!
In answer to the question above written in bold letters I wish to share one personal experience. I was brought up by devout Anglican parents in Cape Town, South Africa and although I did not understand what I believed, I was happy in the Anglican Church. I grew up in the bad days of apartheid where black people were corralled into a poverty stricken township of Langa. High Schools that offered better education were located in the Eastern Cape, some one thousand or so kilometres away from home.
My parents sent me to Lovedale High School in Alice and I had to go into boarding school at a tender age of 12 years. While there we began a student protest because of the bad conditions prevailing in those days. The principal shut down the entire school and sent us home. The apartheid government issued an instruction that we should not be admitted to any government school. Fortunately for me, my parents heard of a SDA School called Bethel College, also in the Eastern Cape and duly sent me there. It was there that I met Jesus and committed my life to Him. It was at Bethel College that I also met my beautiful and virtuous wife. I am an Adventist today because of God opening an opportunity for me to continue my studies, knowing that He would meet me at Bethel College.
Amen our God works in mysterious ways
We may have varied beliefs about the son of man..It could be a Provider,Guide,Father ect..We may trust Him as the Alpha and the omega..Until we know Him as the Messiah to take away my sins.Jesus as a lamb slain for me is crucial.Christ will say I don't know you.Believing in Jesus as a saviour we have eternal life.John 3:16.It's not a concept we hear but a living truth we live .
To know Christ is life eternal.
What are the things that Jesus has done in your life that you could testify to as a witness to others.
I was a staunch Jehovah's Witness member and my brothers and sisters are still members. I sincerely thought that JW was the only true church (well organised). I read the Book of Mormon at some point and still convinced that JW was the only true church. Not until I read the Desire of Ages, and The Great Controversy. I strongly believe Jehovah through the holy spirit revealed to me the true Remnant church. Now I cannot stop reading Ellen G White's inspired books as these reveal Satan as an armature in the method he uses to deceive even brothers, pastors in the Remnant church.
In answer to the question, Was it believed by all?
Peter had expressed the faith of the twelve. Yet the disciples were still far from understanding Christ's mission. The opposition and misrepresentation of the priests and rulers, while it could not turn them away from Christ, still caused them great perplexity. They did not see their way clearly. The influence of their early training, the teaching of the rabbis, the power of tradition, still intercepted their view of truth. From time to time precious rays of light from Jesus shone upon them, yet often they were like men groping among shadows. But on this day, before they were brought face to face with the great trial of their faith, the Holy Spirit rested upon them in power. For a little time their eyes were turned away from "the things which are seen," to behold "the things which are not seen." 2 Corinthians 4:18. Beneath the guise of humanity they discerned the glory of the Son of God. {DA 412.1}