Jesus asks: “Who do you say that I am?”
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:15-16)
Peter’s famous confession caused such elation that Christ responded: “Blessed are you, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.”
Why was Jesus so excited?
After all, this wasn’t the first time the disciples had confessed Christ this way.
From the very beginning, Andrew had confessed Christ when he excitedly told his brother, “We have found the Christ” (John 1:41). And, from their first meeting, Nathanael confessed “You are the Son of God” (John 1:49).
Also, not long before Peter’s own confession here, following Jesus’ calming of the storm, all the disciples had confessed: “Truly You are the Son of God” (Matthew 14:33).
So, what was so special about Peter’s confession here?
1. CONFESS CHRIST WHERE YOU ARE
Think about where Peter was when he confessed Christ. The Bible specifically notes that they were in Caesarea Philippi. This was not Israel. It was outside of Israel, in a region steeped in paganism:
– In Old Testament times, this location had been a major centre for the worship of Baal: the ancient god that was worshipped by the Canaanites.
– Then Greek culture took hold, and it became a centre for the worship of the Greek god Pan. In fact, the original name of the place was Paneas (after the god Pan). It was called that right up until after Jesus was born. It was reputed that this was the birthplace of Pan, and thousands flocked here to honour and to worship Pan.
Pan was the god of unbridled sex. Not sex, as we know it, as a beautiful expression of love between a man and his wife; but what the Greeks called: “panic sex” (the word “panic” comes from the name of the god, Pan). “Panic sex” means unbridled sex with whoever or whatever you lusted after, whenever you lusted after it. This place was notorious as a centre for unbridled, deviant, sexual orgies.
– Then, after the death of Herod the Great (the king when Jesus was born), his kingdom (which included this pagan region, along with vast tracts of Jewish territory) was divided among his sons. His son, Philip, inherited this particular pagan region, and promptly renamed the city of Paneas, Philippi (after himself). But also, to keep in Caesar’s good books, he added “Caesarea” (after Caesar) – so that the official name, in the time of Christ, was Caesarea Philippi. And then, just to make sure Caesar noted what a good boy he was, Philip had a massive temple built, all of white marble, dedicated to the worship of Caesar.
This was Caesarea Philippi.
It was where all the false gods of the ancient world gathered; and where those from all over the world gathered to worship their false gods: fertility gods like Baal, the worship of all kinds of deviant and unbridled sexual practices, the gods of pride and self-promotion that names a city after oneself, the god of power that worships those who hold power.
Here – not among the (so-called) people of God back in Jerusalem; nor even in Galilee – but here: not far from the grotto where there were regular orgies of “panic sex”, and in the shadow of a massive temple dedicated to the worship of power and human pride, Jesus asked His disciples: “Who do you say I am?”
This is where you and I live today.
This is the hostile territory where you and I are to be ready to confess Christ.
Jesus said: “Whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
Be ready to confess Christ wherever you are!
Not just where you are safe among other believers.
But in the work-a-day world and before next door neighbours and relatives:
– some of whom indulge in, or at least condone (maybe, even live for) all sorts of horrible, deviant, sexual practices
– others of whom worship themselves in their pride; or suck up to those in power and have no time for the true God of power…
That is where Jesus asks you: “Who do you say that I am?”
How will you answer? Will you confess Christ?
2. CONFESS CHRIST DELIBERATELY
Why was Jesus so excited by Peter’s confession?
As we saw before, the disciples had already confessed Christ in these words a number of times. What’s so special about Peter’s confession here: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”? We’ve heard it all before.
What’s so special, I think, is that it is such a careful, deliberately thought-through confession of faith. Other confessions, up till now, had been (largely) emotional responses, when those making the confession had been highly excited: nearly drowned, or seeing a miracle.
What Jesus is looking for, is a calm, carefully thought-through, response that is not just an emotional reaction.
Let me explain:
When I had been going out with Eileen (I was 21, she was 17, I think it was a few months into our relationship) – it was late afternoon, the sun was setting, and I turned to her and said: “I love you.”
She looked at me and said, “No, you couldn’t possibly know that.”
Not knowing what to say, I lamely responded, “Oh. Couldn’t I?” – and said no more.
And, that’s where it stood for some months.
I think I did love her. But, what Eileen was looking for was a more deliberate confession of my love for her. Not, the passionate confession of the moment (that might also evaporate in a moment); but, a deliberate confession of my love for her, that came after carefully thinking it through.
Jesus challenges His disciples: they’re far away from home; they’re far away from (what should have been) the safe religious environment of Jewish faith. They’re here, where there is no true religion: just unbridled idolatry and deviant sex.
As well as this, He first gets them to think through what everyone else is saying about Him back home, before they answerfor themselves: “Who do men say that I am? What is everyone else saying about Me?”
“Well, Jesus, it’s like this: If we took a poll of popular opinion among those back home, You come out as a great prophet; maybe even a re-incarnation of one of the previous great prophets. Not more than that. But, that much at least: a very great prophet.”
“O.K. – now, thoughtfully and deliberately,” says Jesus, “considering where you are right now in this pagan world, and having listened to the polls, and weighed up popular opinion about Me – who do you say that I am?”
I think that is what is so remarkable about Peter’s confession here. Not just what he confessed – it had all been confessed by others before. But that his confession was, this time, so thoughtful and deliberate.
This was not a confession in the heat of the moment; this was a confession that would last.
Jesus wants you to confess Him, thoughtfully and deliberately: Not just in the hothouse of a worship service, or a church Bible study. Certainly not by deciding what you believe about Jesus by what everyone else is saying. You can’t decide what is true by taking a poll of what everyone else thinks. Truth is not decided by a plebiscite – despite what our Prime Minister might think.
But what counts is what you really, thoughtfully, deliberately believe to be true.
That is what you will always believe to be true.
3. CONFESS CHRIST FOR WHO HE REALLY IS
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
1) In the shadow of all the world’s false gods: fertility gods like Baal, the worship of all kinds of deviant sexual practices, gods of pride and self-promotion, the god of power – Peter boldly confesses Jesus is the Son of the living God.
He means: the only living God, the only true God.
Not all these other gods; all the other gods that men worship are false. There is only one true and living God.
2) Jesus is the Son of the living God. Peter’s confession is that there is only one Son of this true and living God.
Those who believe in Jesus are adopted as children of God. We are adopted children.
But Jesus is not adopted. He is the natural Son of God; the only natural Son of God.
And, because He is the natural Son of God, He is what God is.
We (who believe in Jesus) are adopted. But adoption doesn’t make you the same as God; we do not become gods just because God adopts us.
Jesus is unlike us. He is not the adopted Son of God. He is the Son of God; He is the natural Son of God. A natural son is always the same as his parent. Jesus has a natural Father who is God – which means Jesus Himself is what God is; He is fully God.
To confess that Jesus is the Son of God is to confess that Jesus is fully God.
3) He is also the Christ: the only Christ!
The Christ was this shadowy figure in the Old Testament. He was the One who was coming, somehow to deliver His people. For hundreds of years the Jews had been looking forward to this One who was to come.
In the Old Testament, He was known as the Christ. “The Christ” just means: “the Anointed One”, “the Chosen One.” By definition, there can be only one! “The Chosen One” can be only one.
So, when Peter confesses: “You are the Christ”, he is confessing that there is only One that God sends to deliver. There is only One that saves!
That was Peter’s confession:
– There is only one living and true God.
– Jesus is the only natural Son of God; He is what God is.
– Jesus is the One, the only One, who can deliver us from the mess we are in.
Is that your confession of who Jesus is?
Because anything less than that, is less than who Jesus really is.
“Whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.”