16 · Words of Jesus

Who Do You Say I Am?

Matthew 16:13–17

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Jesus speaks with his disciples in a mountainous landscape while Peter responds to him before the group.

Jesus asks his disciples who they say he is.

Who do you say Jesus is?

Choose a perspective

There is no score – choose the perspective you find closest and discuss why.

Discuss: If Jesus asked you the same question, what would your answer mean?

After your discussion: compare with our assessment

Our assessment

A reflects the content of Peter's own confession. He does not place Jesus among the prophets previously mentioned but calls him the Messiah and the Son of the living God. C takes Jesus' response in verse 17 seriously. Jesus describes Peter's insight as something revealed not by “flesh and blood” but by the Father in heaven. Together, A and C capture both what Peter says about Jesus and how Jesus describes the source of that insight.

16 · Matthew 16:13–17

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Text & context

Full translation

13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 14 They answered, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But you – who do you say I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.”

Translated from the Greek text – SBLGNT

What is happening here?
Jesus is with his disciples in the region of Caesarea Philippi. He begins by asking what people say about the identity of the Son of Man. The disciples report several views: John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or another prophet. Jesus does not stop with this survey of opinion but directs the question personally to them: “But you – who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answers that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Jesus responds that Peter has perceived something that does not come merely from a human source: the Father in heaven has revealed it to him. The scene therefore moves the question from what people generally think about Jesus to the disciple's own response.
Notice this

Jesus first asks: “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” The disciples can answer by reporting what other people think. Then the question changes: “But you – who do you say I am?” Reporting other people's opinions is no longer enough. The passage therefore moves the question of Jesus from public opinion to the disciples' own response. Also notice that Peter does not select one of the answers already mentioned. He gives a new answer: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Language & translation

From the Greek

ὑμεῖς δὲ τίνα με λέγετε εἶναι – hymeis de tina me legete einai

but you – who do you say I am? The pronoun hymeis, “you,” is explicit and emphatic. Jesus moves from what others say to the disciples' own answer.

ὁ χριστός – ho Christos

the Messiah / the Christ Christos means “the anointed one” and corresponds to the Hebrew mashiach, Messiah. “Christ” is therefore a title, not a surname.

ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος – ho huios tou theou tou zōntos

the Son of the living God Peter's confession combines the Messiah title with the expression “the Son of the living God.”

μακάριος – makarios

blessed Jesus calls Simon “blessed.” It is the same word family used in the Beatitudes.

σὰρξ καὶ αἷμα – sarx kai haima

flesh and blood An expression for a human or earthly source. Jesus contrasts this with “my Father who is in heaven.”

ἀπεκάλυψέν – apekalupsen

revealed / disclosed From apokalyptō, to uncover, disclose, or reveal. The related noun apokalypsis fundamentally means revelation or disclosure; the modern association of “apocalypse” only with catastrophe is much narrower than the word's basic meaning.

Translation note

Independent English translation from the Greek text, using SBLGNT as the primary Greek edition.

Compare for yourself

Read Matthew 16:13–17 together with Mark 8:27–30 and Luke 9:18–21. Pay particular attention to:

  • hymeis
  • Christos
  • “the Son of the living God”
  • makarios
  • “flesh and blood”
  • apokalyptō
  • how Peter's confession is worded in the three Gospels

Consider what Matthew adds through Jesus' response to Peter in verse 17.

Continue the conversation

Discuss further
  1. Why do you think Jesus first asks what other people say before asking the disciples themselves?
  2. What would the title “Messiah” have meant to people in Jesus' time?
  3. Can someone hold a correct belief about who Jesus is without that belief affecting how they live?
  4. What does it mean for you personally to answer the question, “Who do you say Jesus is?”
Parallel passages
  • Mark 8:27–30
  • Luke 9:18–21
  • John 6:68–69
Sources
  • The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition (SBLGNT), Michael W. Holmes, ed.
  • Matthew 16:13–17
  • Mark 8:27–30
  • Luke 9:18–21
  • Standard Greek lexical resources for Christos, huios, makarios, sarx, haima, and apokalyptō