Why did Jesus ask the Apostles, "Who do you say that I am?"

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Matthew 16

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesare′a Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do men say that the Son of man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Eli′jah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
This is the famous passage. Why do you suppose Jesus asked the Apostles this? Did He know what they would all say?
 
rcwitness said:
Matthew 16

This is the famous passage. Why do you suppose Jesus asked the Apostles this? Did He know what they would all say?
Click to expand...
I would think that Jesus is asking them about their faith for their own benefit: the Apostles would already have their answers, and it would reveal that truth to us while reading (remember, the Holy Spirit knew that people like us would read this passage a long time from the events themselves). For their own benefit? The Apostles would realize the power and truth of that statement while Jesus confirms it.

Did Jesus know—was this a legitimate question so that He could gain knowledge? The hypostatic union is the solution and that’s all we know right now.

Jesus could care less about who everyone else says He is. He is going to live with these men for the rest of His earthly life, and Jesus would find out what everyone else thinks He is later with.
 
rcwitness said:
Matthew 16

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesare′a Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do men say that the Son of man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Eli′jah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
This is the famous passage. Why do you suppose Jesus asked the Apostles this? Did He know what they would all say?
Click to expand...
I have always wondered why Jesus tells the Apostles not to tell anyone.
 
To the OP. Well, based on Jesus’ response to Peter, maybe He asked them in order to see which one of the disciples the Father chose (e.g. to “feed the Sheep”).
 
Blessedwithfive said:
I have always wondered why Jesus tells the Apostles not to tell anyone.
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The revelation of who and what the Messiah is came in stages which is quite different of what the disciples had in mind.

At that point in time it was an astonishing revelation when he confirmed Peter’s definition of him to confirm that now, officially speaking, yes, he is the Son of the living God. There were tell tale signs before that’s pointing him to as no ordinary man but now that was found to be true.

If I were the apostles, I would be totally shocked but exhilarated to hear about this news. They did not know and thought that he was some kinds of a prophet and even Peter’s declaration was an inspiration from the Father God.

In their excitement, Jesus told them not to tell anyone because it was not the time yet. He did not want the people to know about this prematurely because their reaction to it could interfere with what was yet to happen - the betrayal, Calvary, the cross and the resurrection.
 
Coder said:
To the OP. Well, based on Jesus’ response to Peter, maybe He asked them in order to see which one of the disciples the Father chose (e.g. to “feed the Sheep”).
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I think that is very insightful!

And I think Jesus knew this all along…

John 1
The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples; and he looked at Jesus as he walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. Jesus turned, and saw them following, and said to them, “What do you seek?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying; and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two who heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him, and said, “So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter)"
 
We need to bear in mind Christ’s saying that (Matthew 24:35 NIV) “…Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away…”

Christ knew that His words would never pass away, as they would be recorded later on.

He therefore needed a public declaration of Who He was, and also the related importance of the Petrine Office.

Note that he said “this rock”. Had he meant that the reference was to Peter alone, he would have said “You will be the rock…” but in actual fact Christ was setting up an office, hence the neutral use of the word “this”.

As my old PROTESTANT pastor said.“Christ was setting up an office, and giving His church authority. What’s the use of having a church if you don’t give it any authority!?”

In one brief exchange, Christ received a public declaration of Who He was. He then established the Petrine office in the very next breath, and ensured that both these declarations would be recorded for eternal posterity. Without that public exchange, His identity and the church’s authority would have had no relevance.
 
rcwitness said:
I think that is very insightful!

And I think Jesus knew this all along…

John 1
The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples; and he looked at Jesus as he walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. Jesus turned, and saw them following, and said to them, “What do you seek?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying; and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two who heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him, and said, “So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter)"
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The significance of the name change sort of flew by me as a protestant.

If God changed your name, that was a pretty big deal (Abram/Saul, etc)

Especially if he changes your name with such a profound declarative statement in mind(Matt 16).
 
rcwitness said:
And I think Jesus knew this all along…

John 1
…He first found his brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him, and said, “So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter)"
Click to expand...
Thank You

It is interesting how the two Gospels have different versions. John’s Gospel seems to focus more on the divinity of Jesus than the synoptics, so presenting Jesus as already knowing would be more in line with the divinity of Jesus.
 
I have this question painted on a board next to my front door – “Who do YOU say that I am?”

It is a question each of us must answer in this life.

And I like to be reminded of it as I walk out the door each day. What will my life say I believe about Christ?

The scriptures are not just a history book. We need to apply them to our own lives, beyond mere intellectual understanding.

Just my two cents anyway. 😊
 
Blessedwithfive said:
I have always wondered why Jesus tells the Apostles not to tell anyone.
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I think this about that… Once people found out who he really was/is–he would have to go back to the father…

That’s why after the Resurrection he proved it, so he had to go so he could send the Holy Spirit… MHO
 
Bob_Crowley said:
We need to bear in mind Christ’s saying that (Matthew 24:35 NIV) “…Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away…”

Christ knew that His words would never pass away, as they would be recorded later on.

He therefore needed a public declaration of Who He was, and also the related importance of the Petrine Office.
Click to expand...
👍 Yes i think so too.

Who Jesus was must have been the burning issue of the day.

Still today 2000 years later it is such a big question.

Perhaps it would make sense to listen to the successor of Peter when searching for an answer?
 
So in reading Matthew 13-19:
13 *And Jesus came into the parts of Cæsarea Philippi: and he asked his disciples saying: Whom do men say that the Son of man is?
14 But they said: *Some John the Baptist, and others Elias, and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
15 Jesus saith to them: But whom do you say that I am.
16 Simon Peter answering said: *Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answering, said to him: Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father, who is in heaven.
18 *And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19 *And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. **And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.

The significance to me came when I was watching the DVD by Fr. Barron, now Bishop, “Word on Fire” (Great DVD and a must see) and this was one of the subjects that he discussed. What was a huge OMG moment was when he explained that when he asked this question they were standing in a Greek temple of Pan (Caesarea Philippi). In Jesus’ time a temple stood in front of this cave. In the cave or the grotto was a very deep pool that they never could measure (according to Josephus) and a powerful stream of water flowed. The cave was believed to be the gates to Hades. Several other shrines and temples stood here including this one to Caesar. The niches in the wall held images of the gods Pan, Echo and Hermes. All these false gods.

Makes the hair stand up on my arms…… what a dramatic setting for such an important event. Praise be to God.
 
Well, given the context of the entire passage it appears to me that Christ was demonstrating why Peter was to be the leader of the Church and the ‘Keys to the Kingdom’.

His confession demonstrated his openess to being guided by the Holy Spirit. Hence his designation as the Rock on which the Church would be built, with the additional assurance it would continue to be guided by the Holy Spirit throughout time.

Just my .02
 
rcwitness said:
Matthew 16Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesare′a Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do men say that the Son of man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Eli′jah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.This is the famous passage.* Why do you suppose Jesus asked the Apostles this? Did He know what they would all say*?
Click to expand...
Jesus knew in advance, who would speak up, and what each would say to His question. He knew that before the world was created.

Re: Caesarea Philippi

Part 1 defendingthebride.com/ch/ca/rock1.html

there are 5 parts in this answer/description. Please open up all 5 parts
Part I – Peter the Rock at Caesarea Philippi
Part II – Near, not in Caesarea ?? **
Relevant ???
Seeing the Context at Caesarea Philippi
Part III - Keys of the Kingdom
Part IV - Pagan god Pan Vs Jesus**
**Part V - Christ Defeats Pan

**​
As an aside, the apostles response to Jesus earlier Matthew 14:33 was similar to what Peter responded at Caesarea Philippi. yet no name changes, no keys mentioned, no Church being built etc etc.

Jesus waited for the right moment the right place, to do this for Peter,
 
rcwitness said:
Matthew 16
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesare′a Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do men say that the Son of man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Eli′jah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.This is the famous passage. Why do you suppose Jesus asked the Apostles this? Did He know what they would all say?
Click to expand...
Jesus knew in advance, who would speak up, and what each would say to His question. He knew that before the world was created.

Re: Caesarea Philippi

Part 1 defendingthebride.com/ch/ca/rock1.html

there are 5 parts in this answer/description. Please open up all 5 parts
Part I – Peter the Rock at Caesarea Philippi
Part II – Near, not in Caesarea ?? **
Relevant ???
Seeing the Context at Caesarea Philippi
Part III - Keys of the Kingdom
Part IV - Pagan god Pan Vs Jesus**
**Part V - Christ Defeats Pan

**​
As an aside, the apostles response to Jesus earlier Matthew 14:33 was similar to what Peter responded at Caesarea Philippi. yet no name changes, no keys mentioned, no Church being built etc etc then.

Jesus waited for the right moment the right place, to do this for Peter,
 
rcwitness said:
Matthew 16

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesare′a Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do men say that the Son of man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Eli′jah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
This is the famous passage. Why do you suppose Jesus asked the Apostles this? Did He know what they would all say?
Click to expand...
My layman guess (although I should know better to check the CCC), Jesus is ready for his death to get a leader, that will defend the Church from the Devil, who he tackled earlier at another high place when he fasted for 40 days and was tested. Notice he says “Get behind me Satan”. (and not Peter you are Satan).

In Matthew 16 Jesus spoke about Bread. In Luke 4 Jesus also talks about Bread. And later on it is Peter who is to “feed”.

MJ
 
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