Matthew 16:13–20
It’s common to put people in our lives on
hold, even if we love them, until something forces us to pay attention.
Forgetting those who are closest to us is a frightening thought. Peter,
Jesus’ disciple, likely realized that people were making a similar
mistake in their relationship with Jesus.
In the district of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus
asks His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” (Matt
16:13–14). At first, they respond with the expected: John the Baptist,
Elijah, Jeremiah, and the prophets—suggesting that Jesus is an esteemed
and powerful prophet, but not more. Then Jesus asks the
are-you-paying-attention question: “But who do you say that I am?” (Matt 16:15).
Simon Peter understood this, blurting out,
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!” (Matt 16:16). Jesus
asked about the Son of Man, emphasizing His humanity; Peter responds by
emphasizing both His status as the anointed one of God (the Christ) and
His divinity, as God’s Son (which also has kingly implications).
Peter does all this in Caesarea Philippi, a
place full of altars and idols to other deities. Caesar was worshiped
and celebrated as god’s son there. Peter, surrounded by people
worshiping the king of the known world, calls Jesus king.
Jesus responds by affirming that God has
revealed this to Peter. And He states that following Him means
completely giving up ourselves and being willing to suffer like Christ
(Matt 16:24–25).
Just like a relationship with a spouse,
parent, sibling, or friend, if we think Jesus is less than He is, we
will inevitably misunderstand Him. And if we understand our relationship
with Him to be anything less than life altering, we treat Him like
someone we have fallen out of love with. The one who died for our sins
wants and deserves so much more.
Who are you not noticing in your life that you should be? What parts of your relationship with Christ are you overlooking?
John D. Barry
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