Matthew 16: 13-20 Who is this Jesus?

Pastor Dan Southern

MANY PEOPLE HAVE VARIED OPINIONS OF WHO HE IS?

How you answer this important question is crucial? For we all must answer this question in some way or another. WHETHER YOU KNOW IT OR NOT YOU ARE ANSWERING THIS QUESTION BY THE WAY YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE……

If we ignore Him, we are saying He really isn’t who He says He is.

If we sometimes embrace Him, and are sometimes unsure, we are saying maybe He is who he says he is and maybe he isn’t.

But if we commit to him, we are saying YES I believe he is who He says he is.

This is the question Jesus was asked His disciples.

Jesus was approaching the final days of his ministry here on earth and he was soon to be crucified and return to heaven from where he had come. But the question remains, HAD HE ACCOMPLISHED HIS MISSION OF INSTRUCTING A GROUP OF MEN ABOUT THE PLAN OF GOD FOR SALVATION?

Could he now trust the salvation message of the human race to this small group of unorganized and often competitive men with such an important task? You see, it was of the up-most importance that they understood who he was and what his will and purpose was for mankind. The bible says, Ephesians 5:17 “Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

He took his disciple away from Judea where he had been ministering to the Non-Jewish area of Caesarea Philippi. This was a most usual place in which to pose this question to his followers about His identity. It was here according to William Barclay that, “the area was scattered with temples of the ancient Syrian Baal worship” …”there were no fewer than fourteen of these temples.” In addition, this area was once knows as Panias after the Greek god ‘Pan’ or the god of nature. This was also the place where Herod the Great built a great temple of white marble in honor of Caesar, emperor of Rome. William Barclay, the Daily Study Bible, Matthew, Vol. 2 pp. 147 & 148. It has been noted by historians as ‘a place beneath the shadow of the ancient gods”. IT WAS IN THIS SETTING THAT JESUS ASKED THE QUESTION OF WHO DID MEN SAY HE WAS, AND THEN WHO DID THEY SAY HE WAS.

Some say he was just an ordinary man, some say he was a great religious figure head or a great teacher, or as Josh McDowell says in his book, Evidence that Demands a Verdict, He is either a Lair, a

Lunatic or he is Lord. Our answer to this question may well determine our eternal destiny. If he hail him as any other man who has dotted the face of human history then his claims of deity and of the saviour of the world could very well be false, but on the other hand if He really is who He proclaims himself to be, then this becomes the most important question of all ages, of all generations of all times.

Knowing who Jesus is is more important than any other knowledge in the world. When Jesus asks, "But whom say you that I am?" he is asking the most important question you will ever be asked in your life! Because what you determine about Jesus will determine where you spend eternity.

Jesus said, John 14:6 ““I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

 FIRST, LET'S ASK HUMANITY THIS QUESTION: WHO IS THIS JESUS? Matthew 16:13: Jesus asked, who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”

 What Did Men Say about Him In The Past? - During the life of Christ, men had a lot to say about Him and who they thought He was. Some thought He was John the Baptist vs. 14- a holy man willing to die for his faith. Even King Herod thought that Jesus was John the Baptist raised from the dead, Matt. 14:1-2. (This was a high complement for the people thought of John as a messenger from God). So at the very lest, some thought of him as a messenger sent from God. THIS WAS SIGNIFICATE BECAUSE THERE HAD BEEN 400 YEARS OF SILENCE WHERE NO MESSENGER OR PROPHET HAD SPOKEN IN ISREAL...

Some thought He was Elijah - The greatest of all the OT prophets. The Jews were expecting Elijah to return just before Messiah came, Mal. 4:5. Some believed that Jesus was the forerunner, but not the messiah. Some thought He was Jeremiah - A holy prophet who was expected to return to earth just before Messiah came. He was supposed to bring with him the Tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant and the Altar of Incense which he had hidden in Mount Nebo before he died,(According to ancient Jewish literature)  2 Maccabees 2:1-12; 2 Esdres 2:18. Some thought He was: One of the Prophets - A man of God sent with a message for their time, or a man in whom dwelt the spirit of one of the great prophets. All of these views elevated Jesus above the status of an ordinary man. They show that the Jews at least believed Him to be a great man, even a holy man, but their views of Him fall far short of who He was.

However, not everyone in Jesus' day thought He was a great man. Some even thought He was an evil man. Here are some of the ideas and opinions some individual had of Jesus.  A lowly carpenter - Mark 6:3; The son of Joseph - John 6:42; A sinner - John 9:24; An illegitimate child- John 8:41; A devil Matt. 12:24;.A mad man - John 10:20; A fool and the object of contempt and scorn - Matt. 27:38-43; - Even His half-brothers had harsh things to say about Jesus - John 7:3-5.

 What Do Men Say In The Present? - Just as men had an opinion concerning who Jesus Christ was in His day, they still do today. People hold all types of ideas concerning who Jesus Christ is. Many of the ideas people hold of who Jesus is something other than what is portrayed in the Holy Scriptures. Since humanity cannot help us determine the identity of Jesus, then let's ask Heaven.

WHAT DOES HEAVEN HAVE TO SAY ABOUT WHO JESUS IS?

SECOND, LET'S ASK HEAVEN THIS QUESTION: WHO IS THIS JESUS? Ask the Sovereign God - Notice what God the Father says about Jesus. "And lo a voice from heaven, saying, this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Matt. 3:17. "While he yet spoke, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear  him.", Matt. 17:5. Ask the Spirits - The Spirit world has something to say about Jesus. First ask the Heavenly Spirits – In Matt. 1:18-25 the Angel of the Lord called him Emmanuel; In Luke 1:26-38 the angel Gabriel said His name would be called Jesus the son of the Highest; In Luke 2:8-20 Angelic host burst forth in praise at His birth.

Second ask the Hellish Spirits – In Matt. 8:29 they recognized him as Jesus the Son of God; In Luke 4:41;  the demon spirits cried out and said he was the Christ, the Son of God. In James 2:19 says the demons also believe and tremble.

C. Ask The Scriptures – (Isa. 9:6; Micah 5:2; Isa. 11:1-5; Jer. 23:5; Isa. 53:1-12; John 1:1, 14; Mark 1:1; Phil. 2:5-11; Acts 2:36; Acts 10:36). Even the names given to Jesus in the Bible speak of His position: He is called Lord; this implies that He is in control. That He is deity. He is called Jesus; this name means "Jehovah is salvation." Matthew 1: 25. He is called Christ, the name means "anointed" Luke 9:20; it refers to Jesus as the One chosen by God to be the Messiah. The Bible is crystal clear on whom Jesus Christ is!

 Ask the Saints - Many of the great figures of the New Testament offered their testimony to the identity of the Lord Jesus Christ. As Jesus told Peter in Matt. 16:17, the knowledge of who Jesus is does not come from the human heart, it comes from Heaven above. For the sake of time, we will only ask two of these great men at the moment: John the Baptist said in John 1:34 “behold the Lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world”, Paul the apostle calls him “Lord” Acts 9:20.

 Ask the Savior Himself - What a person says about himself is also important in discussing his identity. Here are some of the things Jesus said about Himself. John 14:9, "he that hath seen me hath seen the Father", John 10:30, "I and my Father are one." John 8:58, "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am." John 14:6, "Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." John 17 - The whole chapter!John 6:35, "I am the bread of life." John 8:12, "I am the light of the world." John 10:9, "I am the door." John 10:11, "I am the good shepherd." John 10:36, "I am the Son of God" John 11:25, "I am the resurrection and the life." John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth and the life…"John 15:1, "I am the true vine."

BUT THE QUESTION REMAINS, WHO DO YOU, SAY THAT HE IS? Notice our text. Jesus begins by asking, who do men say that I the Son of Man am? Vs. 13 THEN, Jesus makes it personal, but who do you say that I am? Vs. 14

WE HAVE ASKED HUMANITY THIS QUESTION, WE HAVE ASKED HEAVEN THIS QUESTION – BUT  LET’S ASK OUR HEARTS THIS QUESTON.

Now listen, what I am about to say is really the most important part of this message. We have already seen what the bible says about who He is, but who do you say He is to you?

While there are many things I could point out to you about who Jesus is theologically and historically however,  THERE ARE TWO THINGS HE WANTS TO BE TO YOU.

HE IS THE BURDEN BEARER. He has bore all our sins and all our grief and sorrow. Isa. 53:4, 5 Surely He has borne our grief’s
And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.

Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

The Book of 1 Peter 5:7 says, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. The Greek word for casting means “to throw upon, Lit. The casting of garments on a colt”. …….. James L. Strong, Strong’s Dictionary of Bible Words, p. 1104, Nelson Publishing. 2001

The Greek word for care means “the idea of a distraction” anything which causes a distraction. …….. James L. Strong, Strong’s Dictionary of Bible Words, p. 1230, Nelson Publishing. 2001 In Psalms 55:22 the scripture says Cast your burden on the LORD, And He shall sustain you; Here the Lord invites us to place the weight of our worry, our sins upon Him.  According 2 Corinthians 5:21, “He who knew no sin became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God”

It is the picture of what Jesus has done upon the cross of Calvary.

HE IS THE BONDAGE BREAKER. People of all walks of life came to him with their lives in shambles. And He broke the yoke of their bondage He set them free. In Luke 4: 18 Jesus said,  “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captive and recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;

THIS WAS HIS MISSION STATEMENT. Men from all backgrounds of life have been set free, delivered and released from all types’ bondage and sin.

There is no bondage from which he can not deliver. It matters not how long on has been oppressed. In John 4 – the Samaritan women had been in bondage to broken relationships for years and had had five husbands and she was delivered. In John 5 - a man had an infirmary for 38 years and was healed. In John 9 – a man had been born blind and Jesus gave him back his sight. In Mark 5 – there was a demonic man who lived in the tombs for years and often cut himself with stone and when he met Jesus, Jesus delivered him from his bondage.

The question remains, who do you, say the Son of Man is?

Is he the Christ, the son of the living God to your heart? Do you know this Jesus.