Jesus presses His disciples past what crowds and rulers say to declare for themselves who He is. Peter, speaking for them all, answers that He is the Messiah, the Son of the living God. That knowledge comes not from human wisdom or flesh and blood but by revelation from the Father in heaven. The rock is that confession itself, Christ the Truth and Life, not Peter whose name means only a stone, and on Christ the church is built so that the gates of hell will not prevail against it. He draws this confession from them before telling of His coming suffering, that their declared faith may strengthen them for the trial ahead.
Question's Context and Purpose
He first asks what others say about Him and then turns to the disciples for their own personal answer about who He is. The question presses them beyond public opinion to personal faith, apart from the perplexed opinions of the learned teachers, scribes, Pharisees and rulers.
The question belongs to the closing part of His work, with the path to Calvary and the suffering to save the lost lying before Him. The One whose identity they are asked to declare knowingly accepts the cross, enduring its shame for the joy of saving humanity and winning the world back to loyalty to God.
He does not ask because He does not know what people think, but to give the disciples opportunity to confess their faith before He tells them of the suffering ahead. That confession is meant to strengthen them for the coming trial. He longs that the faith they then express will remain firm through His coming suffering, humiliation and abuse and what His persecutors will take for His degradation. No human power can degrade Him, for His Godlikeness will appear in every scene of humiliation and flash conviction even into the hearts of priests and rulers, in scenes whose memory will never be effaced.
Peter's Inspired Confession
When pressed beyond public opinion to personal faith, Peter, ever ready to speak, answered for himself and his fellow disciples that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of the living God. In doing so he affirmed Christ's divinity as the long-awaited Messiah, while many others recognized Jesus only as a prophet or as the Son of David and did not believe He was the Messiah. He alone at that time was inspired to put their faith into words, speaking for them all apart from the perplexed opinions of learned teachers, scribes, Pharisees and rulers.
He did not speak in an ordinary tone but with inspired fervor and adoration, as if beholding Christ's glory. His heart was burning and God's glory was shining into his soul so that he could not keep silent, despite being an unlettered fisherman. The veil was removed as God who commanded light to shine out of darkness shone into the heart to give the light of His knowledge.
That knowledge came not from flesh and blood or human wisdom but by revelation from the Father in heaven. It came through the mysterious working of God's Spirit upon the human heart, which elevates even the humblest mind to knowledge above all earthly wisdom and acquaintance with sacred truth. Jesus pronounced Peter blessed for this confession. It was made boldly when the faith of many had utterly failed and the power of priests and rulers stood mighty against them.
In this acknowledgment was seen the living principle that would animate the hearts of believers in coming ages. Peter's later denial of Jesus under pressure stands in sharp contrast to that earlier confession.
Rock and Church Promise
The declaration that He is the Anointed One, the Son of the living God, given not by flesh and blood but by revelation from the Father in heaven, is the rock on which He builds His church, meaning Himself as the Truth, the Light, the Life of the world, a Rock altogether stable and immovable, for Peter's name means a stone, but Peter himself is not the rock. The church is thus built on Christ, the Son of God, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. The words spoken to Peter after that confession grant him no superiority over the other disciples, because the church is built on Christ, the rock.
Jesus presses His disciples past what crowds and rulers say to declare for themselves who He is. Peter, speaking for them all, answers that He is the Messiah, the Son of the living God. That knowledge comes not from human wisdom or flesh and blood but by revelation from the Father in heaven. The rock is that confession itself, Christ the Truth and Life, not Peter whose name means only a stone, and on Christ the church is built so that the gates of hell will not prevail against it. He draws this confession from them before telling of His coming suffering, that their declared faith may strengthen them for the trial ahead.
Question's Context and Purpose
He first asks what others say about Him and then turns to the disciples for their own personal answer about who He is. The question presses them beyond public opinion to personal faith, apart from the perplexed opinions of the learned teachers, scribes, Pharisees and rulers.
The question belongs to the closing part of His work, with the path to Calvary and the suffering to save the lost lying before Him. The One whose identity they are asked to declare knowingly accepts the cross, enduring its shame for the joy of saving humanity and winning the world back to loyalty to God.
He does not ask because He does not know what people think, but to give the disciples opportunity to confess their faith before He tells them of the suffering ahead. That confession is meant to strengthen them for the coming trial. He longs that the faith they then express will remain firm through His coming suffering, humiliation and abuse and what His persecutors will take for His degradation. No human power can degrade Him, for His Godlikeness will appear in every scene of humiliation and flash conviction even into the hearts of priests and rulers, in scenes whose memory will never be effaced.
Peter's Inspired Confession
When pressed beyond public opinion to personal faith, Peter, ever ready to speak, answered for himself and his fellow disciples that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of the living God. In doing so he affirmed Christ's divinity as the long-awaited Messiah, while many others recognized Jesus only as a prophet or as the Son of David and did not believe He was the Messiah. He alone at that time was inspired to put their faith into words, speaking for them all apart from the perplexed opinions of learned teachers, scribes, Pharisees and rulers.
He did not speak in an ordinary tone but with inspired fervor and adoration, as if beholding Christ's glory. His heart was burning and God's glory was shining into his soul so that he could not keep silent, despite being an unlettered fisherman. The veil was removed as God who commanded light to shine out of darkness shone into the heart to give the light of His knowledge.
That knowledge came not from flesh and blood or human wisdom but by revelation from the Father in heaven. It came through the mysterious working of God's Spirit upon the human heart, which elevates even the humblest mind to knowledge above all earthly wisdom and acquaintance with sacred truth. Jesus pronounced Peter blessed for this confession. It was made boldly when the faith of many had utterly failed and the power of priests and rulers stood mighty against them.
In this acknowledgment was seen the living principle that would animate the hearts of believers in coming ages. Peter's later denial of Jesus under pressure stands in sharp contrast to that earlier confession.
Rock and Church Promise
The declaration that He is the Anointed One, the Son of the living God, given not by flesh and blood but by revelation from the Father in heaven, is the rock on which He builds His church, meaning Himself as the Truth, the Light, the Life of the world, a Rock altogether stable and immovable, for Peter's name means a stone, but Peter himself is not the rock. The church is thus built on Christ, the Son of God, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. The words spoken to Peter after that confession grant him no superiority over the other disciples, because the church is built on Christ, the rock.