Peter’s Confession of the Messiah
18 While he was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”
19 They answered, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, that one of the ancient prophets has come back.”
20 “But you,” he asked them, “who do you say that I am?”
Peter answered, “God’s Messiah.”
His Death and Resurrection Predicted
21 But he strictly warned and instructed them to tell this to no one,
22 saying, “It is necessary that the Son of Man suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and be raised the third day.”
Commentary
(the following are excerpts from Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary, 1706 -- www.christianity.com)
"What the people said of him: Who say the people that I am? Christ knew better than they did, but would have his disciples made sensible, by the mistakes of others concerning him, how happy they were that were led into the knowledge of him and of the truth concerning him."
"Some said that he was John Baptist, who was beheaded but the other day; others Elias [Elijah], or one of the old prophets; anything but what he was."
"What they said of him. "Now see what an advantage you have by your discipleship; you know better." "So we do," saith Peter, 'thanks be to our Master for it; we know that thou art the Christ of God, the Anointed of God, the Messiah promised.'"
"One would have expected that Christ should have charged his disciples, who were so fully apprized and assured of this truth, to publish it to every one they met with; but no, he strictly charged them to tell no man that thing as yet, because there is a time for all things. After his resurrection, which completed the proof of it, Peter made the temple ring of it, that God had made this same Jesus both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36); but as yet the evidence was not ready to be summed up, and therefore it must be concealed."
"Concerning his own sufferings and death, of which he had yet said little. Now that his disciples were well established in the belief of his being the Christ, and able to bear it, he speaks of them expressly, and with great assurance, v. 22. It comes in as a reason why they must not yet preach that he was the Christ, because the wonders that would attend his death and resurrection would be the most convincing proof of his being the Christ of God. It was by his exaltation to the right hand of the Father that he was fully declared to be the Christ, and by the sending of the Spirit thereupon (Acts 2:33); and therefore wait till that is done."
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