[Jesus said] Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven…Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.
Matthew 16:13-28
In verse 13 of today’s verses, Jesus asks His Disciples for the results of their polling people about His identity, “Son of Man.” When we look at that title “Son of Man,” we believe Jesus calls Himself the Son of Man, referring primarily, to His human nature, in humility, not boasting of His divinity. When Jesus uses the title “Son of Man,” He uses it from the Old Testament reference in the book of Daniel 7:13-14, in which the Son of Man is a heavenly being who descends from the presence of the Ancient of Days, God Himself, for a season, to carry on His ministry to which He will later ascend to be restored to the glory that He had with the Father from the beginning. Every time that Jesus uses the term “Son of Man” in the New Testament, He will say, for example, that “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath” in Matthew 12:8. The Sabbath is established and instituted by God. When He says, “That you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” He’s associating Himself with a divine title referred to in Daniel 7. The “Son of Man” does not refer exclusively to His deity, but, primarily to His deity being God who has taken upon Himself a human nature. Jesus reveals a lot by the way He words His question, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” In their “gallop poll,” they say, “Some say you’re John the Baptist. Others say Elijah. Others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” Similarly, the people wondered about the identity of John the Baptist when he created such a stir coming out of the wilderness, calling the Jewish people to baptism. After John the Baptist’s death, people began to wondered whether Jesus, now popular, was John the Baptist returned from the dead. So, Jesus continues by asking His Disciples, “Fine. Thank you very much. But now, let’s get down to business. Who do you say that I am?” Peter gives the answer all the Disciples should have shouted out, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” At once, Jesus blesses Peter for his confession. Not long after this conversation between Jesus and His Disciples, Jesus tells them that He must go to Jerusalem to suffer and die at the hands of the evil religious leaders and the Roman authorities. Peter, then rebukes the Incarnate Lord of Glory, only moments after his confession. Jesus responded, not so kindly, by calling Peter, Satan, for that is what Jesus saw in Peter’s rebuke, the darkness of Satan’s rule of this present world. Now, in Christ’s name, who do you say that Jesus is? What’s your view of Christ? Your honest answer to that question will determine your eternal destiny, and there is no greater question that you will ever face than that.
Source: S C Ball March 5, 2023
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