EXPLORE THE TEXT
We cannot follow Jesus fully until we know and accept His true identity.
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi,
he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist;
others, Elijah; still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 “But you,” he asked them, “who do you say that I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus responded, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah,
because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven.
18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church,
and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.
19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven,
and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven.”
20 Then he gave the disciples orders to tell no one that he was the Messiah.Discuss:
Suggest ways people view Jesus today.
Pack Item 11 (Handout: Why Caesarea Philippi?).
What made this city such a significant backdrop for Jesus’s conversation with His disciples.
- why did Jesus walk 25 miles north to have this conversation?
- A fairly new city, but built on ancient settlements that worshiped the Greek God Pan.
- Herod built a temple there to worship Caesar.
- After its heyday in the second and third centuries it was renamed to Paneas .
- It is now known as Baneas.
- At the center was a cave, pagan temples, business district and finally residential housing.
- The cave was at the base of a huge cliff.
- The cave was believed to be where the God pan lived.
- It was considered to be a gateway into Hades.
Recap:
Reflect on Peter’s response to Jesus:
Peter declared that Jesus was “the Messiah.”
In the Greek, this word means “the Christ.”
The name Christ (taken from the Greek Christos) means “the Anointed One.”
Peter acknowledged that Jesus was uniquely the Messiah; there is one and only one Messiah.
The name pointed to the Deliverer who was coming from God.
Peter also acknowledged that Jesus was the “Son of the living God.”
The use of the definite article “the” pointed to the fact that Jesus is uniquely the Son and there is no other. (PSG, p. 30)Ask:
- Why is it important to understand who Jesus is? (PSG, p. 32)
Explain:
Jesus pointed to Peter as a representative for all the disciples in receiving the keys to bind and loose things in heaven. This foreshadowed their role in leading people toward the kingdom once Jesus established His church in Acts 2.
Note that since the disciples did not have a full grasp of what it meant for Jesus to be Messiah,
He ordered them to remain silent for the time being.