Sermon Tone Analysis

Mat 16:13-20 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"

14They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

15"But what about you?" he asked.

"Who do you say I am?"

16Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ,[a] the Son of the living God."

17Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.

18And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

19I 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."

20Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.

Jesus has been with the disciples for a while now.

They have seen Him perform many miracles.

They have watched Him walk on water, calm the sea, heal people and cast out demons.

They have listened to Him argue with the Pharisees and Sadducees.

They have heard Him preach many lessons.

They have been offered a chance to leave and they said where would we go.

So now in chapter 16 of Matthew vs. 13 they are entering Caesarea Philippi.

Ceaseara Philippi is one of two towns in Judea named Caesarea.

Caesarea Philippi was named by Herod the Tetrarch in honor of Augustus Caesar and the name Philippi is in owner of Herod's son Phillip the tetrarch who rebuilt and beautiified the city.it

was located at the southwest base of Mt.

Hermon.

Originally it was called Paneas for the god Pan.

And at one point in it's history it was a center for Baal worship.

Jesus and the disciples are standing in an area that has a long history of sin as Peter makes his confession.

I think that's important because when Jesus calls us we are standing in an area (our life) that is filled with a history of sin.

When we confess Jesus as our savior we are saying I'm here trapped in this sin save me from it.

And Jesus asks " Who do People say that the son of man is" Whom do men say that I the son of man am?

Notice he calls Himself Son of Man.

Jesus wants them to answer about the human side of Him.

Jesus wants Peter to acknowledge what the crowds that follow them are saying about this man Jesus who is walking around preaching and performing amazing miracles.

This man who is not afraid to challenge the religous establishment of the day.

Vs. 14 They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

Notice everyone they have suggested is someone who is dead or gone as in the case of Elijah.

The crowds recognize there is something supernatural about Jesus.

They may not realize that this is Immanuel (God with us) but they do know that this is not a regular man.

In Mark's Gospel the authority that Jesus speaks with stands out.

In Mark 1:22 they were amazed because he taught as one with authority and not as the teachers of the law.

The Jews notice that Jesus doesn't speak as someone who has studied the law but as someone who knows God personally.

Some say John the Baptist.

John the Baptist!

John the Baptist had been beheaded a few months before.

Look at what the man that ordered for John's head to be taken said about Jesus.

Matthew 14:1-2

1At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus, 2and he said to his attendants, "This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead!

That is why miraculous powers are at work in him."

Herod believed Jesus was John the Baptist.

He believed that somehow John had come back from the dead.

Many others in the crowd of followers believed Jesus was John the Baptist.

Others say Elijah, Elijah was a powerful man.

He was able to perform miracles and they knew that Malachi 4:5 had prophesied that Elijah would come back before the day of the Lord.

So it made sense to many that this must be Elijah.

Elijah never died and had went to be with God already.

In Matthew 17 Jesus is talking to the disciples and they ask Him about Elijah coming first and Jesus tells them in Vs. 12 But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished.

then they realize in Vs. 13 that John was the one that came in the spirit of Elijah.

Peter actually witnessed Moses and Elijah carrying on a conversation with Jesus.

Still others Jeremiah.

Wait! Jeremiah!

Why Jeremiah?

To truly understand why a Jewish man in Jesus's day would think of Jeremiah we have to read the same thing the Jewish people read.

There is a series of books called the apocrypha.

Apocrypha comes from a Greek word that means "those that have been hidden away".

They are a series of writings that are not considered to belong in the canon of the bible.

Martin Luther said the apocrypha was 'Useful historical writings".He also believed that while these books were not inspired Christians should be familiar with them and at times they should even be read in services.

The original King James of 1611 contained these books and so do many Catholic bibles today.In the apocryphical books of Maccabees we have some Jewish history and in those terrible times of the seculid kings we read about a revolt.

In 2 maccabees 2:1-7 we read about Jeremiah taking the ark of the Covenant and hiding it in a cave and 2Ma 2:4 It was also contained in the same writing, that the prophet, being warned of God, commanded the tabernacle and the ark to go with him, as he went forth into the mountain, where Moses climbed up, and saw the heritage of God.

2Ma 2:5 And when Jeremy came thither, he found an hollow cave, wherein he laid the tabernacle, and the ark, and the altar of incense, and so stopped the door.

2Ma 2:6 And some of those that followed him came to mark the way, but they could not find it.

2Ma 2:7 Which when Jeremy perceived, he blamed them, saying, As for that place, it shall be unknown until the time that God gather his people again together, and receive them unto mercy.

The Jewish people having heard this and the stories about it believed that Jesus was Jeremiah coming to bring the ark of God out of the cave.

Or one of the prophets.

Notice Peter didn't say a prophet.

He said one of the prophets.

In Luke's account of this event he even says "Or one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life."

(Luke 9:19)

They are now thinking of all the prophets and saying he could be this one or that one, but no one is saying hey maybe he is a new prophet, and defanatly no one is suggesting that this is the Son of God

In every case the Jews believed that Jesus was someone that had risen from the dead.

They believe that Jesus is someone who has been with God but they do not understand that this is God in Human flesh.

Vs. 15 Jesus looks at Peter "But What about you?" he asked.

"Who do you say I am?"

Who Do you say I am?

That is the most important question you will ever answer.

Even if you don't believe in Jesus, on the day of judgement you will stand in front of Jesus and answer that question.

Think about that for a minute!

Who do you say I am?

That is an important question for all of us to ask Who do you say jesus is?

That is the question of a lifetime the answer either brings you eternal life or eternal damnation.

Think about that the most important question you will ever answer and you will have to answer it someday is; Who do you say I am.

• I have heard people say Jesus is a great teacher, but not God.

The problem with this view is Jesus went around telling people that he was the son of God.

If a man was walking around today and he appeared to be a genius and everyone was amazed at what a great teacher he was, but then this man started telling you well I'm just telling you this because I'm God.

I'm the only way to heaven and oh yeah to get there you have to eat my flesh and drink my blood.

If Jesus was not God then he was a stark raving lunatic.

Are you going to go to an asylum and expect to see a great teacher?

NO! Are you going to call a crazy person a great teacher?

• Many people believe he was a prophet, but not the savior.

The problem with that is that God gave us through moses a way to test the prophets.

Who do you say I am (Lord, Savior, )

Lord G2962 κύριος kurios (koo'-ree-os) n.

1. supreme in authority

2. (as noun) controller

3. (by implication) Master (as a respectful title)