Matthew now takes us into a Segway as the end of Jesus’ Galilean ministry and turns attention to Jesus’ final days leading to Jerusalem. The theme of ‘HIS Church’ will now dominate the remainder of the gospel. Today’s passage will emphasize the origin of Revelation as all people, saved or unsaved, believer or non-believer, heathen or Jewish, Hindu or Orthodox, Muslim or Christian, must answer an important question.

The setting in this passage is in a Gentile region, on the northeast border of Israel. Caesarea Philippi rests literally between Israel and ‘the world’. Jesus’ interaction with his twelve clearly points to the world-missionary significance of the Church. Verses 13-28 have traditionally been studied with a focus on Peter’s confession and rebuttal of Jesus. However, today I think it important to see that this text has less to do with Peter [as his confession should be our confession] and more to do with the Divinity of Jesus himself. Furthermore, the text will show us that one’s confession of the Divine Jesus can only come through Divine revelation, both General and Special. In the next two weeks we will see how this Divine revelation carries into the practical obedience of the Church after the Crucified Christ.