Peter Recognizes Jesus as Messiah

Matthew 16:13-20

14 And they said, "Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets."

15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"

16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

17 And Jesus said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

18 "I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

19 "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven."

Peter Finally Sees Christ as the Messiah

The miracles, the astounding lessons and parables Jesus taught, the knowledge He shared .. All these things the disciples saw and, even though they were impressive, were not enough to convince them that Jesus was more than a prophet sent to them.

In fact, as John later describes in his 1st chapter, verse 14, Jesus is realized to be the Son of God. To be more specific The Bible states "The Word became flesh .." meaning God came to earth as Christ to live among His people, to experience the same joys, triumphs and sorrow they did. And then to die for the sins of man so that we, as a people, could be saved.

Christ Revealed to the Disciples

We have the advantage of hindsight and the Scripture to help us understand. Remember, there was no New Testament at this time. So, when Jesus asked the disciples who the people thought He was, and who they believed Him to be, their answer is not too surprising.

... More than a Prophet

Suddenly, a light went on in Peter's head and he realized that Jesus was, in fact, the Messiah promised to them in Scripture. I can't imagine the joy he must have felt when he understood that he was standing in the presence of the Holy Spirit! Peter unknowingly set a precedence for the first crucial step all future Christians would take when accepting Jesus as Savior.

Now, back to us. We have the complete Bible (Old and New Testaments) telling all about the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus. Even though we accepted Him when we first believed we still sometimes struggle with ongoing faith. If we were asked today who Christ is would we hesitate or would we instantly answer; "He is my Lord and Savior."?

Who is Jesus in your mind?

Love In Christ

- Bob

Matthew 16:5-12 - "Beware of the Leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees" Warned Jesus - Is there a such thing as a little bit of sin? Jesus explains here that, even as Christians, we can do small things that will affect a whole crowd of people Even a congregation.