November 2024 - Brenda H. Price

Scripture: Matthew 16:13-16

13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?

14 And they said, some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.

15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Background:Here we have Jesus coming into the city on the coasts of Cesarea Philippi where he begins to have a discussion with his disciples about himself. This city was developed under the rule of King Herod and his son Philip. It was a place of religious worship of the Greek fertility gods and it was a city where very corrupt, and dirty acts of worship were performed. It was located about 40 miles north of the Sea of Galilee. So now the scripture begins with Jesus asking his disciples two questions.

Question #1– In verse 13 Jesus asked them: Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? In verse 14 they answer him.

- Some say you are John the Baptist

- Some say you are Elias (or Elijah)

- Some say you are Jeremiah

- Others say you are one of the prophets.

In verse 15, Jesus rephrases His question. But whom say ye that I am? Why would Jesus ask such a question to disciples who have been walking with him for quite some time now. Disciples who have witnessed his miracles. Disciples who have continually heard his teachings.

- They had served along-side Him.

- They had learned from His teachings.

- They had prayed and fasted with Him.

- They had seen the sick healed by Him.

Why would Jesus ask this question to a group of people who should presumably know Him? Well, we know that Jesus never speaks without purpose, and He never speaks without a lesson for us to learn, right?

#1 - Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?

Who do the people say that I am? Jesus refers to himself as man because he was born of a woman, and he basically allowed people to form their own opinions of him from his works. Many of the people had seen the miracles and works of Christ. But He knew there were still many people who still did not know him. The Pharisees hated him.

Verse 14 proves to us that though many people saw him, and they saw His works, they still saw him as just a man. And of course, this could be expected from common people of the local community, but certainly not his disciples. So that answers given by his disciples of who the people said he was did not catch Jesus by surprise. Therefore, he moves on to his second question.

#2 – Whom do you say that I am?

This is also the question the Lord told me to ask you today. He said: Ask them, do you know who I am? Who do you say that I am? Do you know him as just a mere man? The disciples had each been hand-picked and chosen by Jesus, to serve and walk with Him. They had seen him perform many miracles. They saw Him open the blind eyes. They saw him raise Lazarus from the dead. They saw him heal the lame and cause them to walk. Yet Jesus had never really identified His identity to them.

- Like his disciples, we know about Jesus.

- Many of us come to our place of worship every week, some twice a week.

- Some of us fast and pray daily.

But the question still presents itself to us in scripture: who do we say that He is?

· Do you know Him as your Healer?

· Do you know Him as your provider?

· Do you know Him as the one who loves you unconditionally?

· Do you know Him as the Holy Lamb of God?

· Do you know Him as the Messiah, The King of Kings, The Anointed One, The Savior of the World?

When Jesus asked this question to Him disciples, please understand the heart of Jesus. The question He was asking was this: Do you know me intimately? Do you know Him personally? Do you know His voice? Can you hear His voice? Do you have an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God?

Jesus doesn’t was us to just know about Him based on the stories we have heard. He was asking: In all the time you’ve been walking with me, worshipping me, singing praises to me, fasting and praying to me; Have you grown into the supernatural understanding and revelation of who I am? Do you know His plan and purpose for your life? Do you know how important you are to Him?

#3 Peter’s Declaration – Verse 16

16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Out of all the disciples, why is it that only one disciple could truthfully answer Jesus question? Peter had been given divine revelation of Jesus Christ by God. It was illuminated and revealed into Peter’s spirit, into his inner man. Christ reveals himself to us through Himself, the Living and Breathing Word. We know Him by spending time with him and by reading the Word.

Summary:

Jesus wants us all to know Him intimately and personally, and not just about Him. He is more than just a man.

· He is the CHRIST!

· He is the one and only Savior of the World!

· He is the Messiah!

· He gave Himself for us, so that we could have eternal life.

· He shed his blood and died for our sins; yours and mine.

· He is the one who had imputed both His power and authority IN us.

· It is He that works in YOU, both to Will and to Do of His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13)

· He has called YOU with a Holy Calling.

So ask yourself, Do you know the Man?