Matthew 16:17
And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
Jesus called Simon blessed because the Father in heaven had revealed to him that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and this knowledge came not by human wisdom, teaching or goodness but by God alone. The Holy Spirit touched Peter's heart to give him light and love for Christ, lifting even a humble mind to sacred truth that no one can reach by earthly understanding. That Spirit-given revelation is itself the blessing and the foundation on which a believer's faith rests. The rock on which Christ builds His church is not Peter himself but Christ, the Son of the living God whom Peter confessed, for the gates of hell prevailed against Peter when he denied his Lord, yet they cannot prevail against Christ. Peter's confession remains a living principle animating believers in every age, and the church built on that Rock is made up of all in every nation who believe wholeheartedly in the Lord Jesus, giving Peter no ground for self-glory or superiority over the other apostles.
Father's Revelation to Peter
Blessed Simon Bar-jona knew Jesus to be the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God, in His divinity and glory, not by flesh and blood — not by human wisdom, teaching, understanding, insight, or goodness — but by revelation from the Father in heaven. That confession, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God, was not produced by human wisdom or teaching but was revealed to him by the Father, and he spoke it with inspired earnestness. The truth came to him because the Holy Spirit touched his heart to bring light and love for Christ, teaching him of God. It is the work of God's Spirit on the human heart, lifting even the humblest mind to knowledge of sacred truth beyond earthly wisdom, for human beings cannot reach the deep things of God by themselves. The Spirit reveals them, raising the mind to know sacred truths that earthly wisdom cannot attain.
Jesus pronounced Peter blessed for receiving this Spirit-given revelation, and that revealed knowledge is itself a blessing and the foundation of the believer's faith. He blessed Peter for this revealed understanding and for this Spirit-given confession. True knowledge of Christ in this way does not come from flesh and blood, for no learned man can make the heart feel. It comes through close connection with God, which opens the mind and makes understanding quick and sharp. An honest and pure heart discerns His doctrines even when hidden in parables, and fruitful hearing comes in proportion to faith and to receiving the Word into a good and honest heart, while skeptical, superficial, and secular hearers cannot discern the moral glory of truth or its personal application to their own hearts.
This gift gave Peter no reason for self-glorification, since it was not attained through his own wisdom or goodness. Nor did it give him superiority over the other apostles.
Rock of the Church
The blessing on Simon Bar-jona affirms that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and commends Peter for believing in His divinity under the Father's leading, accepting that title as true of Himself. It assures Peter that God Himself led him to acknowledge Jesus as the Son of the living God.
The rock on which Christ builds His church is not Peter himself but the Son of the living God whom Peter confessed, the same Christ and the same Rock. The gates of hell did prevail against Peter when he denied his Lord with cursing and swearing, while the church is built upon One against whom the gates of hell cannot prevail and will withstand them. Peter's name was linked to his faithful confession of Christ and was given because he confessed Christ faithfully.
The church founded on that Rock is made up in every nation of those who believe wholeheartedly and with all their heart in the Lord Jesus and are accepted by God, and outside that church there is no salvation. Peter's confession expresses a living principle that animates believers in later ages, in future ages, and in every age.
The blessing was spoken immediately before Jesus foretold going to Jerusalem to be rejected, insulted by scribes and Pharisees, and killed on the cross, which left the disciples unable to reconcile His divine Sonship and the promise of a kingdom the gates of hell could not prevail against with suffering and death.