Matthew 16: 13-20

Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

 

When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?  And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.  And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.  Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ(Matthew 16: 13-20)

We need to think about why Jesus came to the north, the opposite direction of Jerusalem. To the south is the Dead Sea, to the Judean region, and to the north is the Sea of Galilee, centered on the Sea of Galilee. There is a place in the Bible called Caesarea and Philippi. Caesarea is a city located on the central beach, where the Roman governor's residence was located. Historically, many buildings were built and disappeared. Related to Philippi Philippi is the first European city in Macedonia (northern Greece). It is the first major city from Asia to Europe, where Paul went and founded a church.

However, Philippi Caesarea is an area that has nothing to do with them. It is located at the foot of Mount Hermon, the northernmost part of Israel. When Jesus was born, the son of King Herod the king of Israel had several sons, one of whom was Herod Philip. He built a city there, imitating Caesar, the title of the Roman emperor, and called it Caesarea. He put in his name and named it Caesarea Philippi. The name Philip is also the name of the father of the great Alexander the Great.

The title of the emperor in this city means that this Caesarea Philippi was a city with an incredibly grand appearance, and there was also a temple for the emperor. However, Jesus and his disciples came to the city of the Roman Emperor. Jesus and his disciples, the majority of the people of Galilee, must have been very shabby and terrible, not at all suited to this gorgeous and magnificent city.

Jesus deliberately came with his disciples to this emperor's city, a city of great glory in Rome. Above all, it was intended to train the disciples before directing the cross. Jesus asked, "Who do people call the Son of Man?" The disciples said, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, and some are one of Jeremiah and the prophets."

Here, what people have mentioned in common is the prophet of God. So people knew Jesus as a prophet. In the meantime, looking at what Jesus did and what he taught, they thought that it must have been from God. Although they thought Jesus was a prophet, they did not think he was the Messiah.

But Jesus' intention is concerned with what the disciples think. "Who do you say I am?" At that time, Rome fought a conquest war under the banner of Pax Roma. It is to achieve peace by conquering other countries by force. So, what Rome sought at the time was a strong force. In such a place, Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do you think I am?" About Jesus' question『 Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.  』

This is a great word of faith. It is God who made this known. However, this belief is not directly related to salvation. This is because Jesus tells Peter that he is Satan in chapter 16. Although Jesus said, `` I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 』

Peter became Satan. Luke 22:28-32『Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. 』

Before saying this, the disciples argued, "Who is big?" Jesus says, "The man who serves is great." The struggle for "Who is big" begins with Rebekah's womb. In the midst of this, two peoples are fighting. God said to Rebekah, "The great will serve the small." This is the kingdom of God on earth. The Lord said that he entrusts the kingdom of God to the disciples who have always had all the tests together. But they were not ready. Especially to Peter, Jesus is called Simon, the former name. It means that Satan will cause him to fall. But Jesus is asking Peter to "turn around and strengthen the brothers."

Peter, like Jesus, walked on the water. The disciples were watching. Peter knew that if he looked only at the Lord, he would become like the Lord. However, another discovery is that this body cannot see the Lord to the end. The moment you look at the breeze, your body is drowning in water.At one point, the body is "falling in faith." Three years later, Jesus said to Peter again, "Satan demanded you to crush you." Just as Satan did to Job, he does so to Peter. Jesus asked Peter, "Who do you think I am? "Then Peter replied『Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.』

It seems to respond without doubt. Nevertheless, he denied Jesus. It was Peter who was running away from the cross. The flesh is the flesh, and the spirit is the spirit. The physical things never change.