Who Do You Say That I Am?
In Matthew 16:15 Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” In asking them this question, Jesus was seeking a confession of their faith in him. When Jesus asks a question, he already knows the answer. Jesus would typically ask questions to provoke some type of confession in others. During Jesus’s three-year ministry, he would often ask those he was about to heal, questions like; Will thou be made whole (Jn. 5:6)? Do you believe that I am able to do this (Matt. 9:28)? What do you want me to do for you (Mk. 10:51)? After the confession of faith of those seeking healing, Jesus healed them. In Matthew 16:13-21, Peter had gotten a revelation of who Jesus is, and confessed that Jesus was “the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” After Peter’s confession, Jesus tells Peter that “upon this rock (the revelation of who Jesus is), he will build his church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18). This lets us know that the church is already victorious in the...