QUESTION #26 Who do men say that I the Son of man am?

   QUESTIONS JESUS ASKED BIBLE STUDY

    Read Matthew 16:13-19 KJV: 

 

  Who do men say that I the Son of man am? (Matthew 16:13)

  But whom say ye that I Am? (Matthew 16:15)

 

WHO IS JESUS?

Reference: Matthew 16:13-19; Mark 8:27-30; Luke 9:18-21

 

Who is Jesus? Despite isolated criticism to the contrary, one key aspect of Christ that we must agree on is that He actually existed as a historical person. This means He was not a legend, myth, or fictional hero. He really lived in the first century and the New Testament contains the fullest, most reliable record of His life and ministry. It's also important that we understand His nature. (Read Matthew 16:13-19)

 

When Jesus asked His disciples who others said He was, they responded, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elias, others say Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He then asked them, “But whom do you say that I Am?”

 

Who does the Bible say Jesus is? Christ claimed divinity (God). There are many passages that support His claims to deity. Two such passages include passages in the Gospels wherein Jesus forgives sin, receiving the response, "Who can forgive sins but God alone?" (Matthew 9; Mark 2; Luke 5). Let’s look at Jesus’ words in John 10:30-33 (read).

 

 “I and the Father are one.” At first glance, this might not seem to be a claim to be God. However, look at the Jews’ reaction to His statement, “We are not stoning you for any of these,” replied the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” The Jews understood Jesus’ statement as a claim to be God. In the following verses, Jesus never corrects the Jews, so that indicates Jesus was truly stating to be God by declaring, “I and the Father are one.” 

 

John 1:1 says, “The Word was God.” John 1:14 says, “The Word became flesh.” This clearly indicates that Jesus is God in the flesh. Thomas the disciple declared to Jesus, “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). Jesus does not correct him. The apostle Paul describes Him as, “our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). Old Testament prophecies of Christ announce His deity, “for unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

 

What was Peter's answer to the question? "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" ( vs 16). Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven" (vs 17). Jesus said to Peter, “You are Peter, and upon this ‘Rock’, meaning Himself, I will build My church”’. Most people assume here that Jesus is building His church on Peter. But this is not the case; Jesus is the great “Rock” upon whom the church is built (Deut. 32:3-4, 15,18; 1 Cor. 10:4; Eph. 2:20; 1 Pet. 2:6). Jesus was telling Peter that He was about to establish the New Testament Church, lead it (Eph. 5:23), be with it always (Matt. 28:20), and that the gates of hell would not prevail against it.

 

Why is it so important to know Jesus’ true identity? Why does it matter whether or not Jesus is God? The most important reason that Jesus has to be God is that if He is not God, His death would not have been sufficient to pay the penalty of the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). Only God could pay such an infinite penalty (Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus had to be God so that He could pay our debt. Jesus had to be man so He could die. Salvation is available only through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus’ deity is why He proclaimed, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6).

 

Jesus told Peter He was giving him the keys to the kingdom. The keys He is referring to is symbolic language meaning that He gives His disciples the knowledge of how to enter the kingdom. Keys are used to lock or unlock doors. The specific doors Jesus has in mind in this passage are the doors to the Kingdom of Heaven (vs 19). Jesus is laying the foundation of His church (Ephesians 2:20). The disciples will be the leaders of this new church, and Jesus is giving them the authority to, as it were, open the doors to heaven and invite the world to enter. At this point it is important to understand how, biblically speaking, one enters the Kingdom of Heaven.

 

Jesus said that, unless one is born again, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven (John 3:3-5). One is born again by repentance, baptism in Jesus Name, and receiving God’s free gift of the Holy Ghost, and the Holy Ghost works through the Word of God to bring about new life in a dead sinner. So, the faithful preaching of the gospel is the key to the kingdom. 

 

In vs 19, Jesus is specifically addressing Peter, so it is significant that, in the book of Acts, Peter is the one that first preached Jesus and in essence was “opening of doors” to three different groups of people so they can enter the Kingdom. In Acts 2, it is Peter who preaches in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost; about three thousand Jewish people are saved that day. Peter’s preaching had “unlocked the door” of heaven for the Jews. Later, in Acts 8, the Samaritans believe the gospel and receive the Holy Ghost; again, Peter (and John) was present for this event. Peter’s preaching had “unlocked the door” for the Samaritans. Then, in Acts 10, Peter brings the gospel to a Roman centurion’s household, and they, too, receive the Holy Ghost. Peter’s preaching had “unlocked the door” for the Gentiles. The “keys” that Jesus had given him worked in each case.

 

Of course, keys can be used to lock doors as well as open them. Part of the gospel message is that faith is necessary. Without faith in Christ, the door to heaven is shut and barred (see John 3:18). As the apostles preached the gospel, those who responded in faith and repentance were granted access to the Kingdom of Heaven; yet those who continued to harden their hearts and reject the gospel of God’s saving grace were shut out of the Kingdom (Acts 8:23).

 

You can be denied access to the Kingdom of Heaven. God’s will is that sinners be granted access to heaven through the righteousness of Christ. Consider Jesus’ warning to the Pharisees: “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in” (Matthew 23:13). If the gospel message is distorted or ignored, or if unrepentant sin is not correctly disciplined, the doors to the Kingdom of Heaven is shut to those people.

 

Jesus also told Peter “whatever you shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven” and “whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (verse 19). To better understand this concept, we turn to Matthew 18:15–20, where Jesus addresses relationships in the kingdom of heaven (to the converted Christian), using the same “binding and loosing” (Matthew 18:18) language we find in Matthew 16:19. Based on God’s Word, authority has been given to the believer in Christ Jesus to bind and loose. This is the key. “But you shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you;”(Acts 1:8). You “bind” and you “loose”. As a born-again believer in Christ you have this power – God has already given you the ability to take-action and all you have to do is use it.

 

So, when you bind something in Jesus Name, you are forbidding it, prohibiting it from happening and putting it in chains. And loosing is the opposite action. You are untying something – loosening it. You are setting it free. For instance, “You can bind up pride in the name of Jesus and loose humility” or “You can bind up a spirit of hate in the name of Jesus and loose the love of God”. So, when you “loose” it’s the opposite of what you are “binding” up. 

 

WHO DO YOU SAY JESUS IS? God's Word helps us find the right answer and, by doing so, changes our lives for the better and, in turn, allows us to change the world for the glory of God. One must have the Holy Ghost to truly say, “Jesus is Lord!” (1 Cor. 12:3)

 

See Plan of Salvation Pamphlet and Who is Jesus in pocket of study.

 

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