Matthew 16:13-20
In today’s world
we are constantly faced with the peril of identity theft. We are cautioned about
how quickly our personal information can be stolen and someone else can take
on our identity, running up thousands of dollars in fraud. Our identity is important
to us. Who we are can quickly be distorted and used against us.
People’s perception
of who we are can also be changed by how we live, act, speak and appear. One
can look gruff and give a false impression that he should be avoided. While
the reality may be that he is very gentle and compassionate.
In this passage
Jesus raises the question of His identity. In other words, what is the perception
of who I am compared to who I really am?
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The Perception:
Who do people say that I am?
Jesus raised this
question with His disciples. He has performed miracles and taught the disciples
and groups of people who had followed Him. Apparently there was much conversation
among the people about who Jesus really was. Some thought He had to be John
the Baptist. Others thought maybe He was Elijah or Jeremiah or another of the
prophets. They were making these assumptions based on their perception from
what they knew of their religious heritage and what they had seen. They were
attempting to discern who He was through their own knowledge and intellect.
The Reality:
Who do you say that I am?
After the declaration
of what the people thought, Jesus narrows the question. “Who do you say that
I am?” Of all the disciples Peter is quick to answer. He recognizes Jesus as
“the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” But, there is something distinctive
about his answer. It is far different than the conjecture of the crowd.
The Difference:
Divine revelation
Certainly, Peter
should have known more than the crowd. He has been close to Jesus as He taught
the crowds, but, he has been even closer in the intimate times with the disciples.
Jesus notes the difference. He tells Peter that he did not learn this through
head knowledge, but through divine revelation from the Father in Heaven. This
revelation comes at a significant juncture in the ministry of Christ, and an
important time in the life of the disciples. In the following verses Christ
predicts His death to the disciples and then experiences the transfiguration.
It is important for them to recognize He came to do more than to teach and to
heal. He came to change the very essence of who they were.
The Reward:
A new name
Peter is given
a new name to signify the blessing of Christ upon his life. Peter had just declared
the very essence of the Kingdom of God. He had identified the foundation stone.
Just as the disciples needed to recognize that there was more to this journey
than teaching and healing, we too must learn Jesus wants to be all of that and
more to us.
There comes a
time in each individual’s life where he/she must answer this same question.
At that point it becomes very personal. It is one on one with Jesus. We can
assume with the crowd that He is a great teacher or even a prophet. Or we can
listen to the Spirit of God as He reveals Christ to us. To understand with the
knowledge of the head is not enough. One must make the personal assertion that
Jesus is our own “Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
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Sermon brief provided by: John Burke, Senior Consultant
for Church Fund Raising Services with LifeWay Church Resources, Nashville, TN.