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Jesus left the region of Galilee and headed for Gentile territory, His
destination was the territory of Tyre and Sidon. While there He healed
a Syrophonecian woman’s daughter and a deaf mute. He fed four thousand
men plus an unnamed number of women and children. When Jesus moved to
the Decapolis region He healed a blind man and taught the people. After
He left the region of Galilee, Jesus taught and took care of people but
not Himself. He had left Galilee in order to get some rest - a vacation
- but that goal was elusive. Like so many individuals in ministry, Jesus
was tired and in desperate need of a break from His normal activity.
Yes being with the crowds was great, but they always wanted something
- questions answered or asking to be healed. Others were complainers.
They were always seeking something. We should not be surprised that Jesus
was tired. Background. Our study (Matt. 16:13-20;
Mark 8:27-30; Luke 9:18-21) begins with Jesus and His disciples moving
toward the city of Caesarea Philippi. The gospel of Mark states that
they had passed through the various villages in the region as they moved
toward the city. That is, even though Jesus was tired, He did not ignore
the people in the region.
Jesus went out, along with His disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi . . . Mark 8:27a (NAS95S) Most likely they stopped at each village so that Jesus could preach
and heal various people, but none of the gospels state that for a fact.
The city of Caesarea Philippi was located at the base of Mount Hermon,
which would have been snow capped in the winter season since the peaks
of the mountain tower to an altitude of 9,230 feet (2,814 m). The city
is located about 25 miles (40.23 km) north of Capernaum. The base of
the mountain is about 1,150 feet (351 m) above sea level. As we will
discover in the next series of studies, Jesus will spend some unusual
time training His disciples on the mountain. But in this study we are
told that Jesus and the disciples are engaged in a discussion as they
move toward the city. We do not know if they arrive at the city while
they talking or at the end of their discussion.
The Question. Luke 9:18 states that while
Jesus and the disciples were moving towards Caesarea Philippi, they had
stopped and Jesus was praying. Sometime after He finished praying, Jesus
asked the disciples a question.
And it happened that while He was praying alone, the disciples were with Him, and He questioned them, saying, “Who do the people say that I am? (Luke 9:18 (NAS95) The gospel of Matthew reveals that either Jesus clarified His question
with a follow-up question or the following was the initial question.
Here is the quote,
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?” Matt 16:13 (NAS95S) Then Jesus waited for the response.
A quick comparison of Matthew 16:14 with Mark 8:28 and Luke 9:19 indicates
that a group discussion followed with a number of people blurting out
what they had heard. Each of the responses vary slightly as each one
tried to express what they had heard. The core message was the same.
I wonder what Judas said, if anything? Did he keep quiet? Did he have
doubts about Jesus? How about the disciple whom Jesus’ loved -
John? What about Matthew, Andrew, or doubting Thomas? I wonder if they
looked at one another first before answering? Whatever occurred in those
few brief seconds, the collective response communicated the following
rumblings of the people.
And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” Matt 16:14 (NAS95S) Who Am I? The Jews of Jesus’ time
believed that the souls of departed prophets had a special ability to
empower living men and to help them complete their work[1]. The disciples’ response
indicates that the people were trying to understand Jesus. Who was He?
We will see later in John 7-8 that the people were confused about the
identity of Jesus and why He was here. Now Jesus asks a logical question.
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Matt 16:15 (NAS95S)
References:
 1. Mark E. Moore. The Chronological Life of Christ. College Press. 1996. P. 280. ((Josephus. Wars of the Jews. 1.599) |
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