Today’s lesson carries us to a pivotal moment in the life of one of the most prominent disciples of Jesus Christ, the Apostle Peter.
In Lesson 73:Peter’s Confession of Christ, This momentous encounter between Jesus and Peter serves as a cornerstone in the foundation of Christian faith, as it unveils the profound depth of Peter’s belief and understanding of Jesus’ true identity.
Throughout our spiritual journey, we encounter moments that test the strength of our faith and reveal the essence of our convictions.
Peter’s confession stands as a shining example of unwavering faith and a profound acknowledgment of Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of the living God.
LESSON 73: Peter’s Confession Of Christ
“And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God”(Matthew 16:16).Peter stood out clearly (among other disciples) with unique spiritual thoughts and actions.
His sincerity of life, openness of thoughts and promptness in actions and reactions isolated his ‘childlike’ character traits – the type Jesus prescribed as one of the qualifications for being fit for the kingdom of God.
He is a disciple made out of an ordinary fisherman, who, through commitment, consecration and constancy, became a great pillar in the apostolic church dispensation:
“And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea, for they were fishers. And he said unto them, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him” (Matthew 4:18-20).
In our lesson this week, the mystery of the Deity of the Lord is revealed by Peter’s confession that “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God”(Matthew 16:16).
The Great Questions From The Lord (Matthew 16:13, 15; Mark 8:27,29; Luke 9:18,20)
“… he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?… But whom say ye that I am?” (Matthew 16:13, 15)
The inspired pen of the first three synoptic gospel writers captured these two questions from the lips. of our Lord Jesus Christ.
For the disciples, the first question was directed: “… whom do men say But the second question uncompromisingly targeted them with high spiritual intensity: “… But whom say ye…”
There are some great lessons for the church in these two-edged, bi-focal and all-embracing questions. First, the world has no excuse for their ignorance about the divinity of Jesus.
They cannot rest on mere religious or historical relationship with Christ. Second, believers cannot, and should not, level up with the ignorant world on critical issues bordering on their eternal destiny.
They should be inquisitive about spiritual matters. Third, leaders in the living church should be sensitive about answers given to doctrinal questions. To gloss a very important motivated question is not only inimical to the life of the questioner but a detraction from the eternal truth.
THE PRESUMPTUOUS ANSWERS OF THE DISCIPLES
(Matthew 16:14; Mark 8:28; Luke 9:19) The disciples, in answering the question of Jesus Christ, exempted themselves from the public, that is, the men referred to by Jesus. “… whom do men say that I the son of man am?” (Matthew 16:13). some say that thou art John the Baptist, some Elias, and others, Jeremias or one of the prophets” (Matthew 16:14).
The absence of concurrence in the public’s perception of Christ’s personality shows how ignorant they were concerning His identity. The same still prevails today. The disciples had nowhere to hide before the Lord of lords and the King of kings.
He saw their ignorance before they started to chorus out the wrong answers. It is incumbent on I believers to search the Scriptures deep enough to understand more than the ordinary religious zealots outside. …
search the scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me” (John 5:39) All that we need to know about Jesus Christ are written for us on the pages of the scriptures (Romans 15:4). Jesus chided the disciples, in another account, where they responded presumptuously to spiritual matters.
The disciples responded, and very embarrassingly too, after “he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod…And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread (Mark 8:15,16).
Jesus, in the succeeding verses, described their reasoning as lacking perception, spiritual understanding and of hardness of heart. Jesus indicted their blindness, deafness, lack of understanding and spiritual insensitivity (verse 17- 21).
It is not desirable, before God and men, for believers to be clothed with the garment of ignorance and spiritual lightness. Sound words that are seasoned with salt should flow out of the mouth of the redeemed. “Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge?
That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?”(Proverbs 22:20,21).
THE EXCELLENT SPIRIT IN PETER: THE GREAT CONFESSION (Matthew 16:15,16; Mark 8:29; Luke 9:20; John 6:66-69).
Peter stood out among the other disciples as an inflamed, rugged believer of the apostolic age. He, without religious pretense nor sanctimonious gentleness, made it to heaven. How greatly did his life contrast the malevolent quiet spirit of Judas who had “a form of godliness but denying the power thereof…”
The lesson of today reveals the true spirit in Peter. It was an excellent spirit: “… And Simon Peter answered and said Thou art the Christ, the son of the living God” (Matthew 16:15,16).
Jesus responded swiftly to this great confession of Peter: “Blessed art thou Simon Bar-jona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in Heaven” (Matthew 16:17). This was a heaven-sent confession. It was devoid of any carnal, cunning, or common sense manipulation.
This confession demonstrated the practicality of the unity of the Godhead reflecting on Peter. Jesus said “flesh and blood hath not revealed… which implies the revelation of the Spirit; and the verse concludes with: “…but my father which is in Heaven”.
So with this, the Spirit revealed Jesus by the Father in Heaven unto Peter. No wonder, the Holy Scripture says: “But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit, for the spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man the things of a man, save the spirit of man…even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God (Corinthians 2:10,11).
It is then reasonable to agree with the Scripture, that the Spirit of God revealed this deep truth to Peter. This singular act of God in the life of Peter should challenge all church goers. Our spirit must attract the spirit of God. A dirty, sinful, corrupt and carnal mind will only hear and understand earthly things.
This great confession of Peter exalted Jesus as the Christ, the son of God, against the errors and the false teachings of the Jews. It acknowledges the deity of Christ, explaining Jesus as the second in the Godhead quite distinct from the Father and the Spirit…. the son of the living God”.
This type of confession does not come from the head but the heart. It can only come from a truly redeemed, regenerated and renewed heart. “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him” (1 John 5:1).
Peter’s great confession proved the Pharisees and the deceived Jews as liars and antichrists: “Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is an antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son”(1 John 2:22).
Until you believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God, you are still in your sin. Many ignorant so-called believers wrest the scriptures on the doctrine of Trinity. Such believers could not be said to have excellent spirits.
A genuine believer should have no problem with the deity of Christ. Peter, in answer to another very different question from Jesus, still repeated this great confession. In John 6:67-69 “then said Jesus unto the twelve, will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered… thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God”.
Every believer should take a clue from Peter. A child of God should believe and confess that Jesus is Christ, the Son of the living God. This will be reflected in his life and deeds.
Nobody can make this confession from the heart and remain the same. It is not carried in the arteries and veins of man but by the spirit of God. The believer’s confessions must not contradict the Scripture. In fact, a Christian must confess the word of God always and faithfully.
BLESSEDNESS OF THOSE WALKING IN THE SPIRIT (Matthew 16:16-17; Galatians 5:16-25; Romans 8:1-9).
Jesus isolated Peter for blessing in our lesson of today. “…Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona (Matthew 16:17). Every believer should earnestly covet this blessing! It is neither common nor cheap.
Jesus Himself pronounced this blessing and this is significant. Jesus had earlier in this same book of Matthew, in the sermon on the mount, identified those who qualify for this type of blessing. In Matthew 5:3-11, peculiar attributes of the blessed are identified namely:
poor in the spirit, mournful, hungry and thirsty for righteousness, purity of heart, peacemaking, suffering persecution. Jesus, in telling Peter that “…flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 16:17), directly implied that the confession was not a carnal, sensual, or presumptuous outburst.
It was inspired by the spirit of God and an indication of walking in the spirit. “This I say then, walk in the spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
But if ye be led of the spirit, ye are not under the law” (Galatians 5:16,18), Here, Peter stood out as minding the things of the spirit: “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after the spirit the things of the spirit”.
Your confession is a reflection of the condition of your heart. The religious Pharisees revealed their spiritual destitution by their confessions. Instead of blessings, they had ‘woes’ from the lips of Jesus Christ. are admonished to walk in the spirit so that the blessedness of Christ can be theirs:
“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly… And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season, his leaf also shall not wither and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper” (Psalm 1:1-3). The pronounced blessing upon Peter is a package amplified in Matthew 5:3-11.
All true believers should walk in the spirit, bring forth the fruit of the spirit and manifest the kingdom’s blessings.
AUTHORITY OF THE CHURCH AND ITS MEMBERS’ SECURITY(Matthew 16:18-20; Isaiah 54:17; Matthew 18:18-20)
The confession of Peter about the deity of Christ became the solid foundation upon which the church of Christ was built. “… and upon this rock … (Matthew 16:18). Jesus Christ is this rock.
Rock here in Greek is Petra, meaning immovable stone’ as against Petros which in Greek means a fragment of rock. The true church of Christ should not entertain any fear or anxiety.
No persecution, trials, troubles, misunderstanding, misrepresentation or any other activities of the gates of hell can prevail against this church.
He gave this decree while he was alive and to stamp it, he surrendered his life for the Church (Acts 20:28). No wonder, the Church of Christ keeps on flourishing: “…And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved” (Acts 2:47).
This security extends to every member of the church of Christ. “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever thou shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19).
Are you a member of the living Church? How is your life? What about your prayer life? Do you have access to the key of the kingdom? The key to the kingdom was not for Peter alone, neither was it the exclusive preserve of the early believers.
This promise is for all believers of all ages. The key is a symbol of authority: “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them, they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover” (Mark 16:17,18).
Jesus concluded this dialogue by charging the disciples not to make his deity public news yet. It was a divine revelation to the chosen few which will eventually be known to the whole world.
Personal Questions
Question 1: What lesson can we learn from the transformation of Peter, an ordinary fisherman, into a great apostle through the grace of God?
Question 2: What do the two questions asked in our text by our Lord Jesus Christ signify?
Question 3: Mention three lessons derivable from the great questions of our Lord in our lesson.
Question 4: What does shallow knowledge of the scriptural truths or doctrines say about a believer?
Conclusion
In conclusion, Lesson 73 has allowed us to traverse the sacred ground of Peter’s confession of Christ, an event that transcends time and culture to resonate deeply within the hearts of believers throughout history.
We’ve witnessed Peter’s profound acknowledgment of Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of the living God—a declaration that transcends mere words and represents a turning point in the disciples’ understanding of their Lord.
Through Peter’s confession, we’ve been reminded that faith is not merely an intellectual acceptance of doctrines but a heartfelt recognition of Christ’s divinity. It calls us to acknowledge Jesus as the central figure of our faith, the One in whom we find our hope, purpose, and salvation.
