Home

Worship

What's Happening?

Calendar

Vacation Bible School 2008

VBS Photos

Prayer Ministry

United Methodist
Men

5 2008

Lesson Text: Matthew 16:13-23
Lesson Title: Christ as Messiah

Introduction

One of the great mysteries of the Messiah was the way He revealed, and yet sought to conceal, His identity during His time on earth. We can see both of these elements in this week’s lesson. Matthew 16:16 is one of the most famous statements in the Bible and certainly in the New Testament. Peter got it absolutely right in terms of Jesus’ identity, and the Lord blessed him for it. But at the same location in the northern part of Israel, Jesus warned the disciples not to tell anyone He was the Messiah (Matthew 16: 20). He also told people on several occasions to keep quiet about what He had done (Matthew 8:4; Mark 1:44). When the demons identified Jesus as “the Holy One of God,” He commanded them to be quiet (Mark 1:24-25). It almost sounds like there were times Jesus wanted people to know He was Messiah and times He didn’t.

The first time Jesus came, He came to Israel as her promised Messiah, Savior, and King. But God also knew that His Son would be denied, despised, and crucified by a nation steeped in religious tradition and dead to spiritual truth. So Jesus chose not to expose Himself unnecessarily to the ridicule, unbelief, and misconceptions of people with hardened hearts. His words and miraculous works were enough to show anyone who was paying attention that He was the Christ of God. To those who didn’t have spiritual ears to hear, Jesus’ parables hid the truth (Mark 4:11-12). And to those who believed in Him, Jesus gladly revealed who He is. Peter’s confession became the rock on which the church was built, and Peter was given authority to open the kingdom to both Jews and Gentiles, which he did at Pentecost in Acts 2 and at the house of Cornelius in Acts 10.

The Question from Jesus (Matthew 16:13)

“Caesarea Philippi” (Matthew 16:13) was located about 25 miles northeast of the Sea of Galilee and 40 miles southwest of Damascus near the start of the Jordan River. This location would shelter Jesus and His disciples from the religious pressure of the Jewish leaders and temporarily offer them some physical relief from the hot Galilean lowlands. During this time of seclusion, Jesus personally questioned His twelve disciples and instructed them on His coming cross and other spiritual matters.

“Whom do men say that I the Son of man am” (Matthew 16:13)?  Jesus asked the question because He wanted to know if His generation understood Him in the light of Him being “the Son of man.” "Son of man" was the Lord's most common designation of Himself (Daniel 7:13). It used some 80 times in the New Testament. Christ used it here as a sign of His identification with humanity.  Christ had been preaching, teaching, and doing miracles for over two years as He revealed Himself to the world. Christ's question wasn't for the purpose of finding out information because He already knew what they believed. Rather, Christ wanted to broadcast the wrong answers of the people against what would be the true confession of His disciples. 

The Speculations about Jesus (Matthew 16:14)

The answer to Jesus’ question by the disciples proved that much of the population’s identity of Jesus was based on speculation and a misinterpretation of Scripture. “Some say that thou art John the Baptist” (Matthew 16:14) represented the popular opinion of the people as well as that of Herod (Matthew 14:1-2). Herod, who had John the Baptist beheaded, feared that Jesus was John the Baptist come back from the dead to haunt him. There will always be people who attempt to recognize Jesus by categorizing Him with others rather than confessing that He is unique and no one else is worthy to be compared to Him. Neither the prophet Muhammad, Gandhi, Mother Teresa, nor any other individual should even be mentioned when talking about Jesus. He is more than a make believe prophet; political figure, or social worker. Jesus Christ is God in the flesh!

“Some, Elijah” (Matthew 16:13) indicates that many people had misinterpreted Malachi 4:5 which promised that Elijah would be sent before the great and terrible day of the Lord. Many Jewish people expected Elijah to return to them prior to the coming of Messiah. It is one thing to believe the Bible and quiet another to interpret it correctly. “Others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets” (Matthew 16:13) indicates that some saw in Jesus characteristics they had seen in Jeremiah or in other prophets. In all three of these speculations, the people stopped short of the full confession and acceptance of Jesus as the Messiah (the Anointed-One). The lesson to be learned in Matthew 16:13-14 is that Jesus Christ is incomparable!
 
The Confession to Jesus (Matthew 16:15-16)

The question, “whom say ye that I am” (Matthew 16:15) is the very heart of Matthew’s gospel and the theme of the Bible. All of the disciples had openly confessed who Jesus was when they first met Him. But after two years of watching His works and hearing His words, what will their confession be? “Simon Peter answered” (Matthew 16:16) which indicates he was the spokesman for the group and confesses the divinity of Jesus Christ in the words “…Thou art the Christ the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). His confession embodies the essence of true Christianity.

The Greek term translated "Christ" means "Messiah" or "Anointed One."  The confession of the disciples was bold and decisive, yet brief. That doesn’t change the fact that at times their confession was weak. They obviously had their ups and downs when it came to His true identity (Matthew 8:26). At the time of this conversation between Jesus and His disciples, our Lord had been teaching His disciples for over two years. Although their understanding about His approaching death, burial, and resurrection was somewhat limited, they recognized that He alone was their source of their salvation.

The Proclamation by Jesus (Matthew 16:17-20)

“Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 16:17) simply means that no mere human insight enabled Peter or any of Jesus’ disciples to see Him as the Son of God. It was a result of divine revelation and still is today (Matthew 11:27; 1 Corinthians 12:3).  “Flesh and blood” (Matthew 16:17) is a reference to the humanness of Peter and the disciples. “Blessed” (Matthew 16:17) is the bestowal of all God’s divine resources on His children. If you truly confess that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the Son of God, and ask Him to save you by His grace, you will enjoy His eternal blessing.

Jesus further proclaimed to Peter these words. “Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). This great proclamation of how Christ builds His church is directly connected to Peter’s confession of Who Jesus is. Our confession determines the nature of the church. If we fail to confess Christ biblically and accurately, then the nature of church is built on someone or something else other than Jesus Christ.

“I will build” (Matthew 16:18) are words of assurance to Peter and the disciples that God’s original plan is still working (Isaiah 55:11). Modern times and cultural changes are no threat to God’s plan and sovereign purposes! Christ builds His church on those who confess Him as Messiah. He does not build on methodologies or human opinion (Acts 2:47).

In response to those who think the church is built upon Simon Peter, Doctor John MacArthur refutes that theory in his commentary on Matthew. “For more than fifteen hundred years the Roman Catholic church has maintained that this passage teaches the church was built on the person of Peter, who became the first pope and bishop of Rome and from whom the Catholic papacy has since descended. Because of this supposed divinely ordained apostolic succession, the pope is considered to be the supreme and authoritative representative of Christ on earth. When a pope speaks ex cathedra, that is, in his official capacity as head of the church, he is said to speak with divine authority equal to that of God in Scripture. Such an interpretation, however, is presumptuous and unbiblical, because the rest of the New Testament makes abundantly clear that Christ alone is the foundation and only head of His church.” MacArthur, John F., Matthew: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, (Chicago: Moody Press) 1989. Amen!

“Peter” (Matthew 16:18) is from the Greek word “petros,” a masculine form of the word for “small stone.” “Rock” (Matthew 16:18) is “petra” a different form of the same word referring to a rocky mountain or peak. But the message our Lord was proclaiming was not that the church was being built on Peter or any other apostle, but on the truth that the revelation of Jesus Christ as Messiah preached and taught by the apostles was the foundation itself. In fact, as Martin Luther observed, “All who agree with the confession of Peter in Matthew 16:16 are Peters themselves setting a sure foundation.”  The basic truth is that the church doesn’t rest on us, it rests on Him!

“The gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18) are words that have often been misunderstood and incorrectly applied. “Gates” are not instruments of war that attack. The proper interpretation of this statement is that the “gates of hell” are not powerful enough to hold God’s redeemed people captive. The church cannot be imprisoned by Satan or any of His forces. Peter preached this truth at Pentecost (Acts 2:24).

“And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven” and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19) are words of authority given by Christ to His disciples to “bind” or to “loose.” Peter, the disciples and everyone who has confessed Jesus Christ as Messiah has the God-given authority to declare what is permitted on earth and what is forbidden on earth. That is the meaning of “binding” and “loosing.” In other words, a truly saved body of believers has the biblical authority to tell an unrepentant brother that he is out of line with God’s Word and has no right to fellowship with God’s people. That authority comes from knowing the truth of God’s infallible Word. Christians do not determine what is right and wrong. Rather, we declare what is already recorded as right and wrong in the word of God.

“Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ” (Matthew 16:20). Because many of the Jewish people were expecting the Messiah to be a political and military figure, Christ knew their hearing He was the Messiah would only add to their hatred against Him (Matthew 7:6). He was building His church as a spiritual entity, not a political or military kingdom. Therefore He told His disciples to "wait for the promise of the Father" (Acts 1:4).  It was the promise of receiving power from the Holy Spirit to witness about Christ. When that promise was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost, the disciples' witness became bold and clear:  "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36). 

The Mission of Jesus (Matthew 16:21-23)

The disciples now acknowledged Jesus Christ to be the Messiah, but they didn’t understand that He had to suffer and die. That was Messiah’s mission and the subject of the final three verses in our lesson text. From their view point, Messiah was destined to a throne and a kingdom, not a cross and a grave. Matthew 16:21-23 is Christ’s beginning to instruct His disciples about His coming humiliation, suffering, death, and resurrection. But their response to His instruction greatly offended Him.

“From that time forth” (Matthew 16:21) is a transitional phrase in Scripture. It indicates that Christ is not in a private ministry with His disciples because the subject is not for everyone to hear (Matthew 16:20) at this time. “Must” (Matthew 16:21) reveals the necessity of Christ’s upcoming suffering, death and resurrection. There are no alternatives to God’s plan. And there is a “must” involving your personal salvation. Jesus said, “Ye must be born again” (John 3:7). That means it is absolutely necessary that every sinner have a second birth by repenting of unbelief and trusting Christ as Savior and Lord. His “must” makes our “must” possible.

Peter “took” Jesus aside to correct what he thought must have been wrong thinking (Matthew 16:22). “Took” (Matthew 16:22) suggests that Peter took hold of our Lord and forced Him aside. Before we judge Peter too quickly, let’s remember that there are times when we respond in similar ways. Maybe we don’t understand a sickness, a death, or some circumstance we can’t control. This was very difficult information for Peter to digest and understand.

“Rebuke” (Matthew 16:22) means Peter’s words were full of zeal and strength. “Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee” (Matthew 16:22) means Peter wanted to help Christ reexamine or better interpret God’s plan and mission for Him on earth. Today we might say to Christ, “Don’t be too hard on yourself, this certainly couldn’t be what God is wanting from your life.” Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offense unto me: for thou savorest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men” (Matthew 16:23). Christ’s reply must have shocked Peter. “Get thee behind me” means “be gone” or “go away.” And then Christ called Peter “Satan.” Christ wanted Peter to know that Satan was using him at this moment to tempt Christ to avoid the cross (Luke 4:4-13).

“Thou art an offense unto me” (Matthew 16:23) speaks of enticing someone to their doom. Peter didn’t realize that his attempt to keep Christ from the cross was like putting ammunition in Satan’s gun. In Peter’s desire to protect Christ, he was actually taking Satan’s side. “Thou savorest not the things that be of God…” (Matthew 16:23) means that instead of thinking like God wanted him to think, Peter was thinking like he wanted to think. And all of us are guilty of that from time to time. To understand Who Christ is and to accept His mission of dying for sinners, we must think as God would have us to think.

Conclusion

From our lesson today we learn two important truths. First, Jesus Christ is the Messiah. And although many in the world compare Him to others, He is unique, He is deity, and He is Savior. Second, to seek Jesus Christ apart from His suffering, death, burial, and resurrection is to set oneself against God’s redemptive plan. He is Messiah because He was willing to suffer and die for sinners.

Amen.

Top