Bible Passage: Matthew 16:13-20
Pastor: Joel Jenswold
Sermon Date: August 27, 2023

Bulletin August 27, 2023

In the name of, and to the eternal glory of, Jesus,

In preparation for today’s sermon, I “googled” this question:  “Who is Jesus?”  In .44 seconds Google had 1,770,000,000 answers to that question.  To add perspective, “Who is Abraham Lincoln?” got 103,000,000.  For further perspective, “Who is Taylor Swift?” got 722,000,000, which was 7x that of Abraham Lincoln!  And just for a little further perspective, a search of “Who is Bob Degnan?” got 2,040,000 results.

Back to the topic at hand.  “Who is Jesus?” got almost two billion results!  That means an awful lot of people are asking, and answering, that question!  In our text this morning, Jesus himself asks the question.  We won’t go through two billion possible answers, but we will examine our text for answers to the question:  Who is Jesus?

It is now late in Jesus’ ministry.  Soon he will begin his final trip to Jerusalem to give his life as the ransom for the world.  But before making this trip, Jesus withdraws with his disciples from the busy areas of Galilee and Judea.  He goes “up north” to spend some “quiet time” with his friends.  Matthew locates the group near Caesarea Philippi when Jesus asks the disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” (v. 13)

Jesus is asking the disciples to do a search of their memory banks, to think of the talk they have heard, the whispers on the streets.  What’s the “buzz” about Jesus?  The disciples have heard the talk.  Some believe Jesus is John the Baptist back from the dead.  Others believe he is the return of one of the prophets, maybe even one of the “biggies” like Elijah or Jeremiah.

What do all of these answers have in common?  Two things.  First of all, they are all flattering in a way.  They recognize in Jesus something unusual and out-of-the-ordinary.  But here is the other thing they have in common.  They all come up short!

I did not read through 1.7 billion answers to my internet search.  But I suspect in that 1.7 billion, many answers are an attempt to flatter Jesus.  One of the major religions on the planet, which boasts about 2 billion followers, teaches that Jesus is a great prophet.  Jesus is called a wise teacher by some and a social reformer by others.  He is “tragically misunderstood” according to some, and he is a heroic martyr to others.  He is often hailed as a “miracle worker.”  All of these are flattering as far as they go.  They also all come up short!

Jesus sharpens the tip of his question.  But you, who do you say I am? (v. 15)  After three years with Jesus – walking, talking, observing, listening – what will they say?  Peter speaks up.  You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. (v. 16)  Peter’s confession does not come up short!

Jesus is “the Christ.”  The word in Hebrew is Messiah.  It means “the Anointed One.”  The ancient prophets, priests, and kings were anointed with a sacred oil to show they were God’s choice for special work.  Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit at his baptism.  He was God’s ultimate anointed spokesman and prophet.  He was the anointed King who would bring in the new and near Kingdom of God.  He was God’s choice to be the great High Priest, the Sin-Bearer of the world, who would sacrifice himself to take away the sin of the world.   All of this is wrapped up in that word “Christ.”  It is not flattery; it is confession!

Peter confesses Jesus is the Son of the living God (v. 16)  And here let’s be clear.  To confess Jesus as the Son of God is not to say he is less than God.  Calling him the Son is confessing he is equal to God!  What a superb confession on Peter’s part!  But before we get carried away praising Peter, perhaps we should listen to the next thing Jesus says.

Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven. (v. 17)  Friends, whenever anyone knows who Jesus is, knows that he is the Christ, the Son of the living God, this did not come from flesh and blood.  Those who confess Christ do not have smarter “flesh and blood” brains with better aptitude for deduction and logic, nor do they have higher IQ’s with increased aptitude for complex reasoning.  They – YOU – confess Christ because God in grace unveiled this truth so you see Jesus for who he truly is!

True confession of Christ also leads into the next thing Jesus says.  I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not overpower it. (v. 19) The “rock” upon which Jesus will build the Church is the rock-solid confession Peter has just made.  Christ, the Son of the living God, is our bedrock!  Charismatic preachers are not the foundation of the Church.  Slick programs are not the foundation of the Church.  Comfy pews and snappy music are not the foundation of the Church.  Christ crucified is.  And hell cannot stop the advance of Christ’s kingdom.  It is the proclamation of Christ that sets sinners free from the devil.

Christ, the King, then predicts something amazing to Peter.  I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.  Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. (v. 19)  The King says he is turning over the keys of the Kingdom to Peter and the disciples!  The good news of forgiveness of sins in the crucified and risen Christ was about to be deployed on the world!  The Lord was about to go “nuclear” on the gates of hell and swing wide the door of heaven!

There is a lesson for us in our text.  Let us aspire and learn to clearly confess Christ in our world.  Let us not live in the pale, pastel world of talking “nicey, nice” about him, of saying flattering things about Jesus.  Anyone can flatter Jesus.  Christians CONFESS him!

Peter and the others had done well.  They had made a good start.  But there was still much to take in – they must go to Jerusalem and learn the lesson of the cross and empty tomb.  That is why Jesus does not cut them loose on this day but we are told he commanded the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.  (v. 20)  The time for telling would come, just not yet.

“Who is Jesus?”  For us that question may come from a searching, hurting neighbor or a skeptical co-worker.  Are you ready with an answer?  Regardless of who asks it, let’s be ready with CONFESSION!  Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, this world’s only Savior!

Amen.