Daily Devotional For Saturday, December 6, 2025
Good morning. Thank you for taking the time to spend some time with the Lord. We are making our way through the Gospel of Matthew for these current devotionals. Today, we pick up where we left off yesterday. Look at Matthew 16:13-20:
“Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples,’Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ (14) And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.’ (15) He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?’ (16) Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ (17) And Jesus said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. (18) I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. (19) I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.’ (20) Then He warned the disciples that they should tell no one that He was the Christ” (NASB).
Sometimes some lessons are not taught, they are simply caught. Jesus decided to take His disciples to Caesarea Philippi. This city was located about twenty-five miles north of Bethsaida, on the slopes of Mount Hermon. The city lay in the territory ruled by Philip (Herod Antipas’s brother, mentioned in Luke 3:1). The influence of Greek and Roman culture was everywhere. The city was primarily Gentile, known for its worship of Greek gods and its temples devoted to the ancient god Pan. When Philip became ruler, he rebuilt and renamed the city after Caesar Tiberius and himself. The “Philippi” distinguished the city from another Caesarea located on the Mediterranean seacoast.
It is to this backdrop that Jesus decided to ask His disciples a very revealing question – “Who do the people say the Son of Man is?” They respond by citing some of the former Old Testament prophets such as Jeremiah or Elijah. Their answers may have been based on Deuteronomy 18:18,”I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him” (NASB).
For the story of John the Baptizer, see John 3:1-17; John 4:12; Matthew 11:2-15; and Matthew 14:1-12. For the story of Elijah, see 1 Kings 17–21 and 2 Kings 1–2. Jeremiah’s story is told throughout the book of Jeremiah. Some said, “Some think you are John the Baptizer returned from the grave.” Then Jesus narrows the question to them: “Who do you say that I am?” King Herod had thought that Jesus was John the Baptizer returned from the dead (see Matthew 14:1-2). It seems this rumor spread from Herod to the people. Some thought Jesus was Elijah, God’s greatest prophet. Elijah had such a relationship with God that God did not let Elijah die. The idea of Elijah returning can be found from the prophet Malachi in Malachi 4:5.
One of the reasons some thought Jeremiah is because Jeremiah’s death is never mentioned in Scripture. Some considered Jeremiah the “immortal prophet.” It is easy to see how Jesus’ ministry was very similar to these prophets. All these answers were incorrect. Some saw Jesus was a good moral teacher or rabbi endowed by God with supernatural powers to do miracles, but to them, this did not mean Jesus was the Jewish Messiah to them. Peter cannot contain himself. It’s as if he wanted to be first to respond. Peter called Jesus Christ – this is the Greek New Testament word [Χριστός; Christos]. The Hebrew Old Testament word is [מְשִׁיחֽוֹ, meshich. We see this in Psalm 2:2, “The kings of the earth take their stand, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying . . .” (NASB). Psalm 2:2 mentions the King who would sit on David’s throne one day as God’s Messiah and Deliverer.
The disciples had come to see Jesus as the Messiah, but they were not all there yet in this belief. It was going to take some more convincing – The Resurrection – to get them there. Most of them were still probably confused as to the type of King Jesus would be. They had been taught all their lives that the Messiah would be political and military. And see the power Jesus had, they probably thought Rome was no match for Jesus.
Peter is called by different names in the Bible – Simon, Simon Peter, Peter, son of John and son of Jonas. There is no contradiction here as many had their Hebrew name, then an Aramaic name and a Greek name. Here Peter is seen as a vehicle of divine revelation. In Matthew 16, Peter has his good moments and his disappointing moments – all within a few minutes of one another. Jesus emphasized that the Father had revealed this truth to Peter, whereas satan prompted Peter (see Matt. 16:23) to talk Jesus out of his upcoming death. In Matthew 16:18, Peter is called a “rock,” but in Matthew 16:23, he is a “stumbling block.” These contrasting images show Peter’s vacillating nature. What Jesus said to Peter has been interpreted through the years incorrectly, especially by Roman Catholics.
It is easy to see how this could happen with the word play here on Peter’s name. Peter means “rock,” but some erroneously see this as a reference to Peter being the first pope. Jesus said, “You are Peter [petros], and on this rock [petra] I will build my church.” While the wordplay is evident, what did this rock refer to? So, what does this mean? New Testament scholar Bruce B. Barton writes this:
- “The “rock” refers to Jesus Himself (His work of salvation by dying for us on the cross). This would mean that Jesus is the divine architect of our faith and that He Himself is the chief Cornerstone. But this truth does not seem to be what the language conveys here. The focus was on Peter and on Jesus’ response to him.
- The “rock” refers to Peter as the supreme leader or first “bishop” of the church. This view is promoted by Roman Catholic scholars. It gives authority to the hierarchy of their church and regards Peter and each of his successors as the supreme pontiff of the church. There is no mention of succession in these verses, however, and while the early church expressed high regard for Peter, there is no evidence that they regarded him as final authority. Also, this creates a great problem because such a view excludes the churches who do not trace their origin to Peter.
- The “rock” refers to the confession of faith that Peter gave and that all subsequent true believers give. This view was promoted by Luther and the reformers as a reaction to view number two. To regard Peter’s confession and discount his leadership makes the situation unnecessarily abstract. Peter was looked to as a leader in the church. In the phrase, “You are Peter,” you is emphatic, emphasizing Peter’s role.
- The “rock” refers to Peter as the leader and spokesman (foundation stone) of the disciples. Just as Peter had revealed the true identity of Christ, so Jesus revealed Peter’s identity and role. While apostolic succession cannot be found in this context or in any of the epistles, Peter’s role as a leader and spokesman of the church must not be discounted. This view has an element from number two in that Peter is the forerunner because he is the one who received the revelation of insight and faith concerning Christ’s identity, and Peter is the first one who confessed Christ” (Source: Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary, “Matthew,” pp. 326-327).
On Sunday we will look more at this passage. This passage deals with answering life’s ultimate question: who is Jesus to you? This passage comes like a final exam for Jesus’ disciples. Everything hinges on them getting right who Jesus is.
Assignment: Is Jesus the final answer to you? If you say you believe that Jesus was God in human flesh, was the Messiah, is our Rock and Savior, then does your life really display that in every area of your life? Is your language godly? Are your thoughts godly? Do you hold any grudges? Are you biased or prejudiced? Are you consistently in the Word and on your knees? Would the Lord say that when He sees you, He sees Himself in you?
Scripture To Meditate On: Mark 8:38, “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels” (NASB).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, help me to live out consistently who I claim I believe You are to me. Please forgive me when I am fickle, embarrassed to tell others about You and lackadaisical about my faith. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly