One of the great questions of our time should be “Who is Jesus of Nazareth?” Many people today don’t even know about Jesus. A majority of people who do know the name don’t know the truth about His true identity. Even many people who call themselves Christians don’t know. They think of Jesus as a good man, a moral man, a good teacher, a prophet, etc. A majority of people who call themselves ‘evangelicals’ believe Jesus was the first and greatest being created by God the Father. They believe God created Jesus to perform important tasks for Him, like creating the heavens and the earth and dying for people’s sins. Others believe Jesus was a man who lived such a good life that God elevated Him to a special position to do special things.

After seeing Jesus cast out demons, heal and feed thousands, walk on water and calm violent storms, what did His disciples believe about the identity of Jesus? They were certainly in a good position to discover His true identity.

Who Is Jesus?

We see an important exchange between Jesus and His disciples concerning His true identity in three of the Gospel accounts. He began by asking them how people identified Him. Then He asked them the same question. The answer is insightful.

When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, ‘Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?’ So they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, But who do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’ Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ. Matthew 16:13-20

Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, ‘Who do men say that I am?’ So they answered, ‘John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.’ He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered and said to Him, ‘You are the Christ.’ Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him. Mark 8:27-30

And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, ‘Who do the crowds say that I am?’ So they answered and said, ‘John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered and said, ‘The Christ of God. Luke 9:18-20

It’s interesting to note that the crowds of people who followed Jesus thought He was a prophet. They viewed Jesus as a good man, a wise man who did good things for people. That’s very similar to what hundreds of millions of people around the world believe about Jesus today.

When Jesus asked the disciples what they believed about Him, Peter was the first to answer – “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” The Lord’s response is important to see:

Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

Jesus acknowledged that Peter’s answer was correct. God the Father had revealed this truth to Peter. Jesus is the Christ – the Messiah – the Son of the living God. Peter’s understanding of what he said was in the early stages, but he was slowly learning about the true identity of the Man he called Master. Peter’s faith was growing.

Who Is Peter?

Jesus said something to Peter in this context that has caused much confusion in Christianity for centuries:

And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

We know from reading through the New Testament that Peter played a pivotal role in the early years of Christianity. He preached the sermon that God used to greatly expand the number of disciples in Jerusalem. Peter and the other apostles taught the new believers (Acts 2:40-47). Their emphasis was prayer and the Word (Acts 6:1-4). We saw many years later that James, the half-brother of Jesus, was a leader in the Jerusalem church and Paul mentioned his name ahead of Peter’s in Galatians 2:9. Paul also rebuked Peter publicly for hypocrisy in Galatians 2:11-21. We also see in letters of the Apostolic Fathers that none of the bishops had any more power or influence than any others. The idea of the Bishop of Rome becoming predominant happened over a period of many years.

Even though the household of God was built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself was and is the chief cornerstone. Jesus said to Peter, “you are Peter” (Petros – detached stone, pebble, ) “and on this rock” (petra – large mass of connected rock) “I will build My church.” The Church is built on Jesus, not Peter. Peter was an important stone in the building of the Church, but it does not belong to Peter or any bishop or pope. Jesus will build His Church and “the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”

Son of God – Son of Man

Peter called Jesus “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Peter and the other disciples would have many more opportunities to learn that Jesus was Son of God in the years they spent with Him.

The title “Son of God” appears many times in the Gospels. The first time we see the title in the New Testament is when the angel Gabriel spoke to the Virgin Mary:

And the angel answered and said to her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Luke 1:35

It’s interesting that “Son of God” was a primary title Satan and his demons used when they spoke directly to Jesus

Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, ‘If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread’ … If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. Matthew 4:3-6

And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, ‘You are the Son of God. Mark 3:11

When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. And he cried out with a loud voice and said, ‘What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me.’ For He said to him, Come out of the man, unclean spirit! Mark 5:6-8

Many of the people watching Jesus die on the cross said He called Himself the Son of God:

He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing. Matthew 27:42-44

One of the soldiers standing near Jesus during His crucifixion called Him Son of God:

So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, ‘Truly this Man was the Son of God! Mark 15:39

It’s interesting that the disciples never called Jesus “Son of Man.” That was the primary title Jesus used for Himself. It was a reference to a title Daniel used centuries earlier for the “One like the Son of Man” who would come from Heaven to establish an everlasting Kingdom:

I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed. Daniel 7:12-14

Jesus used the title, Son of Man, when He answered a pointed question from the high priest. The priest asked Jesus if He was the “the Christ, the Son of the Blessed.” That’s another way of asking if Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God. Jesus answered, “I am,” then added something that the high priest viewed as blasphemy:

Again the high priest asked Him, saying to Him, ‘Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?’ Jesus said, ‘I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.’ Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, ‘What further need do we have of witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy! What do you think?’ And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death. Mark 14:61-64

The liberal/progressive idea that Jesus didn’t see Himself as Divine is incorrect. Jesus knew He was the Son of God, the Son of Man, the Christ. When asked by Israel’s high priest if He was the Messiah, the Son of God (the Blessed), Jesus answered “I am.” That shows clearly that Jesus knew Himself to be the Son of God.

[Podcast version of this study coming soon.]

Next Time

We will look at how Jesus told the disciples about His upcoming death and resurrection in the next part of our special series, And Jesus Said.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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