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Matthew 16:13
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11 How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?—but to beware of the1 leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”  
12 Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the1 doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.  

Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ

13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, a“Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”  
14 So they said, a“Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or bone of the prophets.”  
15 He said to them, “But who do ayou say that I am?”  
16 Simon Peter answered and said, a“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  
17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, afor flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but bMy Father who is in heaven.  
18 And I also say to you that ayou are Peter, and bon this rock I will build My church, and cthe gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.  
19 aAnd I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth1 will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”  
20 aThen He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.  
Commentaries:
Forerunner Commentary
What is the Forerunner Commentary?
<< Matthew 16:12   Matthew 16:14 >>

What Does Matthew 16:13 Mean?

People's judgment of Christ depended greatly on their perspective, much like viewing a building from different angles changes its apparent shape. Those in the world, not being worked with by God's Spirit, saw Him from their angle and said He was John the Baptist, Elijah, or Jeremiah—one of them. They were way off base, unable to see enough details to positively identify Him. The disciples, following Christ closely and hearing His preaching firsthand, had a different perspective, one given to them through the calling of God and the Holy Spirit. As John 6:44 shows, no man can come to the Son except God call him, because distinguishing the true Christ from the false ones cannot be physically discerned—it must be given.




Matthew 16:13-23

Peter proclaims Jesus to be the Messiah, and Jesus speaks of building His church and being crucified and resurrected. This was a major step forward in the disciples' understanding, and it corrected the erroneous prophetic teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. However, from the incident that occurs in verses 22-23, we can see that Peter—and probably the other disciples also—were not yet fully convinced of it.

Richard T. Ritenbaugh
Why the Transfiguration?

Related Topics: Christ as Messiah | Jesus Christ's Crucifixion | Jesus Christ's Glorified Body | Jesus Christ's Resurrection | Messiah | Messiah, Perceptions of | Messianic Prophecies | Prophecies of Messiah | Sign of Christ's Messiahship | Transfiguration




Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing Matthew 16:13:

Matthew 13:44


 
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