Who Was Jesus? Part 3...

Read Matthew 16:13-20

Context: Jesus has been speaking and doing miracles in the regions of Gennesaret, Tyre, Sidon, and Madagan. He is far enough into his ministry that the Pharisees and Sadducees are testing him, looking for a way to discredit or even kill him.

Text:

13When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"
14They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

15"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"

16Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ,[a] the Son of the living God."

17Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter,[b] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades[c] will not overcome it.[d] 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be[e] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[f] loosed in heaven." 20Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ. (NIV)

Footnotes:

a. Matthew 16:16 Or Messiah; also in verse 20
b. Matthew 16:18 Peter means rock.
c. Matthew 16:18 Or hell
d. Matthew 16:18 Or not prove stronger than it
e. Matthew 16:19 Or have been
f. Matthew 16:19 Or have been

taken from www.biblegateway.com

Was Peter speaking for all the apostles, or was he the only one who felt certain that Jesus was indeed the Messiah they were awaiting? Peter had seen many miracles by this point in Jesus' ministry: a net full of fish when for hours before there had been none, perhaps water turned to wine at a wedding, healings, feeding of 5000 with a small boy's lunch, and he had even walked on water at Jesus' instruction. He had heard many public sermons and had been involved in a multitude of teaching sessions with Jesus and the other disciples. At what point did Peter really comprehend that Jesus was the son of God?

What caused you to really believe that he is the Christ?