The Confession (Matthew 16:13-23)
Having withdrawn with His closest followers, Jesus began to teach them and prepare them for what was to come: His crucifixion and what lie beyond the resurrection. We might overlook this detail when we see how utterly unprepared the disciples were for what was about to happen in Jerusalem, but Jesus seems to have spelled things out. Consider 16:21.
He begins this stage of teaching by asking the disciples who they thought He was. Others were speculating all sorts of strange reincarnation theories that Jesus was one of the prophets of old. However, the disciples believed Him to be the Messiah, the Son of God. Jesus confirmed this truth and let them know that it had been revealed to them by God.
Not only that, but Jesus makes a key statement: “upon this rock I will build my church.” Coming on the heels of all the teaching against the false religious teaching of the day, we see that the truth of who Jesus is is the foundation of the true church. This is the truth that we base our whole faith and lives on as Christians.
Every believer relies on this belief—given by God—for their salvation. And it is important to see that we trust in a truth, not our own idea about that truth. As soon as Peter objects to what Jesus teaches about the Messiah—that He is to die—Jesus rebukes him. Peter believed that Jesus was the Messiah, and that was right. But he had some of his own ideas about what it meant for Jesus to be the Messiah, and those ideas were wrong.
We believe and trust truth that God shows us, but we need to be careful to limit our trust to what God says, and not our sometimes faulty understanding of what He says.
“From that time, Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day.”
He begins this stage of teaching by asking the disciples who they thought He was. Others were speculating all sorts of strange reincarnation theories that Jesus was one of the prophets of old. However, the disciples believed Him to be the Messiah, the Son of God. Jesus confirmed this truth and let them know that it had been revealed to them by God.
Not only that, but Jesus makes a key statement: “upon this rock I will build my church.” Coming on the heels of all the teaching against the false religious teaching of the day, we see that the truth of who Jesus is is the foundation of the true church. This is the truth that we base our whole faith and lives on as Christians.
Every believer relies on this belief—given by God—for their salvation. And it is important to see that we trust in a truth, not our own idea about that truth. As soon as Peter objects to what Jesus teaches about the Messiah—that He is to die—Jesus rebukes him. Peter believed that Jesus was the Messiah, and that was right. But he had some of his own ideas about what it meant for Jesus to be the Messiah, and those ideas were wrong.
We believe and trust truth that God shows us, but we need to be careful to limit our trust to what God says, and not our sometimes faulty understanding of what He says.
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