Peter Openly Confesses That Jesus Is The Messiah (16:13-20).
In Matthew 11:25-27 Jesus had spoken of the fact it was His Father who revealed things to ‘babes', including the truth about the Son Whom He alone fully knows, and that He Himself as the Son, reveals the Father to whom He wills. Now we are provided with the first prominent example of one who has had revealed to him, by the Father, the truth about the Son.
Challenging His disciples as to how they see Him Peter replies that He is the Messiah, the Son of the living God. The difference between this statement and that in Matthew 14:33 is that this one was more thoughtful and measured. In reply Jesus accepts Peter's words and unfolds more information about His planned new congregation of Israel, one in which Peter will play a prominent part, especially in its commencement. The very boldness that causes Peter to blurt out the truth, is the same boldness that will lead the way after Pentecost.
But this passage is only the beginning of the revelation of Who Jesus is, for that revelation continues on until Matthew 17:13. Yes, He is the Messiah, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16), but He is also the Son of Man Who must suffer (Matthew 16:21), and Who will one day return in glory to call all men to account (Matthew 16:27), having prior to that revealed His Kingship by establishing His Kingly Rule on earth (Matthew 16:28), and He is above all the glorious, beloved Son of the Father (Matthew 17:5), Whose glory is above that of the sun (Matthew 17:2), to Whom both Moses and Elijah give testimony (Matthew 17:1-8).
a Now when Jesus came into the parts of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that the Son of man is?” (Matthew 16:13).
b And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; some, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets” (Matthew 16:14).
c He says to them, “But who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15).
d And Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ (Messiah), the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).
e And Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed it to you, but my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 16:17).
d “And I also say to you, that you are Peter.
c “And on this rock I will build my church (congregation/assembly), and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).
b “I will give to you the keys of the kingly rule of heaven, and whatever you will bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19).
a Then he charged the disciples that they should tell no man that He was the Christ (Matthew 16:20).
Note that in ‘a' Jesus asks Who the Son of Man is, and in the parallel tells them not to make it known. This then is the issue that the passage centres on. In ‘b' are mentioned the great men of the past who have bound and loosed, and opened the truth to men, and in the parallel Peter is to be the same. The former have pointed forward to Jesus as the Coming One, the latter seek to establish on earth His Kingly Rule. In ‘c' He asks Whom they think He is, and in the parallel describes that fact as being the foundation stone of His new congregation of Israel. In ‘d' Peter declares that Jesus is the Christ, and in the parallel Jesus declares that he is ‘petros', the rock-like man. Centrally in ‘e' is the fact that this has been revealed to Peter by His Father in Heaven.