By Allen White
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. Matthew 16:13-20
Jesus was a great small group leader. He started the discussion with an objective, less personal question that anybody could answer, “Who do other people say that I am?” He got the group talking – John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, another prophet. Then the conversation turned more personal.
“But, who do you say that I am?” If Jesus was leading my small group, someone would have replied, “Jesus.” That’s just how we roll.
Peter had a revelation, an epiphany. He opened his mouth and produced a brilliant answer. I would imagine his next thought was “Where did that come from?”
The impulsive Peter received a direct revelation from God. But, this time instead of asking, “Can I walk on the water too?” he came up with a profound insight: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.”
Then, Jesus spoke something into Peter’s life. Jesus cast the vision for who Peter would become. “you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” Peter? Seriously? Peter who would cut off Malchus’ ear? Peter who would deny Jesus three times? Peter was the rock Jesus would build the church on?
Yet, on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2), Peter stood up and preached the Gospel to the multitude and 3,000 people were saved in one day. Whoa. Jesus saw something in Peter that no one else saw. Peter might not have even believed it about himself.
What has God spoken to you about yourself? He speaks through the Bible, prayer, other believers, circumstances – what is He saying about you? If you’re not sure, then ask Him and pay attention to what He says.
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