Matthew 16:13

When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:13–18)

On Memorial Day weekend, a question asked at the gates of hell still confronts every one of us: who do you say that Jesus is?

A Weekend to Remember a Costly Freedom

It is Memorial Day weekend, and it's good for us to pause and remember that the freedoms we enjoy—even the freedom to sit in these chairs and read this Word faithfully without fear of arrest—did not come free. They were paid for at a very high cost. We remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice, who gave us the freedom to worship our one true God here in the United States.

Many of those men and women signed up and were asked the ultimate question: are you willing to lay down your life for the freedom of others? That's a tough question, and many who said yes were not much older than the kids I serve in our youth ministry. So be thinking about that this weekend.

Asking the Right Question Changes Everything

Life is full of important questions. I love working on cars, and I've brought a few back from the dead. Pastor Mark and I were once handed an old 1976 F-150 with a whole laundry list of problems—electrical issues, hadn't run in years. The first thing we asked was, "Does it have gas in it?" We put a little gas in it, and it started right up. The primary problem was that it was empty.

Isn't it amazing how asking the right question changes everything? As a father of a soon-to-be-five-year-old and a two-year-old, I get incredible questions constantly. Part of our responsibility as parents is teaching our kids to know Jesus and love Him.

In ancient Israel, Jewish children were taught the Shema, recited every morning: "Hear, O Israel, the LORD your God, the LORD is one; and you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength." That teaches children who God is—one God, not many. We need to know who our God is so we can worship Him.

From General Opinion to Personal Conviction

But there comes a point where we must move from a general opinion about who Jesus is to a personal conviction. My kids will know about Jesus because I've told them—but one day they must decide for themselves and answer the most important question: who do I say that Jesus is?

So my question for you today is: who is Jesus to you? Maybe you came this morning trying to figure out this Jesus person. That's great. Jesus is one of the most controversial figures in history—we even date the year 2025 from Him, B.C. and A.D. He is a pivotal figure you cannot deny. So who do you say He is? It's a personal question we all must answer, and it changes everything about the rest of our lives.

The Place Where the Question Mattered Most

What I love about Matthew 16 is that Jesus asks this question in a deliberate place. Behind us is a picture of Caesarea Philippi, where Jesus took His disciples. That hole in the rock cliff was called the gates of hell—a place of pagan worship. Jesus does nothing randomly, and He chose this setting on purpose.

When Jesus of Nazareth began His ministry, people had significant questions about Him, even in His own region. "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip's answer in John 1 was simply, "Come and see." If your question this morning is whether Jesus is who He claims to be, you're in the right place.

The Many Reactions to Jesus

As His ministry progressed, Jesus was known as a great teacher who spoke with an authority the rabbis lacked. He was known as a healer—cleansing lepers, raising the lame, opening blind eyes and deaf ears. Word spread quickly. Some people loved Him and were ready to die for Him. Some feared Him. Some hated Him and wanted Him dead.

Consider the man lowered through the roof by four friends. Jesus, seeing their faith, told him, "Your sins are forgiven." The religious leaders asked, "Who can forgive sins but God alone?" Jesus answered, "That you may know the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins—rise, take up your bed and walk." People asked, "Who is this Galilean carpenter to say such things?"

I love the story of Zacchaeus, the wee little man who climbed a sycamore tree just to see Jesus. When we pursue God, He is gracious—He reveals Himself every time. He doesn't hide from us; He wants a personal relationship with every one of you. Jesus walked right up to that tree: "Zacchaeus, climb down—I want to eat at your house." And again the crowd grumbled, "Who are You to eat with tax collectors and sinners?"

Even the disciples feared Him. On the Sea of Galilee, seasoned fishermen panicked in the storm while Jesus slept in the bow at perfect peace, because He is God and knew they would not die. They woke Him, crying, "We're going to drown." He stood and said, "Peace, be still." The wild wind and crashing waves went to glassy calm, and the disciples asked, "Who is this, that even the wind and the waves obey Him?"

Point One: The Reaction to Jesus Was Anything But Neutral

The reaction to Jesus has never been neutral. There is no such thing as being neutral about Him. You are either on one side or the other—either He is the Christ, the Son of the living God, or He is merely a good teacher or a historical figure. So who is Jesus to you?

This is why the setting matters. Caesarea Philippi was the spiritual headquarters of false religion—a place of pagan worship of the god Pan, of child sacrifice, known as the gates of hell. There would have been shrines to Caesar, who was called the son of God. Surrounded by all these counterfeit claims to divinity, Jesus asks the ultimate question: "Who do men say that I am? Where is My place in all of this?"

This is convicting. When we preach to you, we preach to ourselves. We get distracted by all sorts of shiny little things, and like Peter on the water, the moment we turn our eyes from Jesus to the waves of our lives, we sink and have to cry out again.

A General Opinion and Many False Jesuses

Jesus first asks for the general opinion. The disciples had gone into the marketplaces and heard the talk. Opinions of Jesus varied drastically—people swapped stories about the feeding of the five thousand out in the middle of nowhere. So when He asked who people said He was, they answered: John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.

John the Baptist baptized for the forgiveness of sins, as did Jesus and His disciples, so some assumed He was John returned. Others said Elijah, who called down fire from heaven. Others said Jeremiah—voices who all proclaimed a coming Messiah. The whole Old Testament points to Jesus and predicts Him; the Gospels record His arrival; Acts preaches Him; the Epistles reveal Him; Revelation predicts His return. Jesus is the central figure of the Bible. But He says, "That's not Me—I am not just another voice announcing a coming Messiah. I am He."

Today many believe in "a Jesus" but answer who He is very differently. Mormonism says He is the Son of God and Savior, but a separate being with a spirit-brother named Lucifer—false. Jehovah's Witnesses say He is the Son but not God, the archangel Michael, created by Jehovah—false. The Jews see Him as a prophet or false teacher, not the risen Messiah. Islam calls Him a great prophet born of the virgin, who worked miracles and will return, but denies His crucifixion, His deity, and His sonship, calling that blasphemy. Hindus call Him an enlightened teacher, one of many paths to the divine—but Jesus made exclusive claims. Buddhists call Him a good moral teacher but unnecessary for salvation. Yet Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

What Jesus Said About Himself

When we wrestle with these questions, we go back to the Word of God, which is sharper than any two-edged sword. What did Jesus say about Himself? In Luke 4, at the start of His ministry in Nazareth, He opened the scroll of Isaiah: "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the good news to the poor... to proclaim liberty to the prisoners... and the year of the Lord's favor." Then He sat down and said, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." His own town said, "Isn't this Joseph's son?" and rejected Him.

In Matthew 5 He said, "Do not think I have come to abolish the Law and the Prophets, but to fulfill them." He made many direct claims to be God: "I and the Father are one" (John 10). "Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father" (John 14). "All authority in heaven and earth has been given to Me" (Matthew 28). Jesus said, "I am the Messiah. I am the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Christianity is not about secondhand information. We have Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John recording who He claimed to be and what He did, and eyewitness testimony of His death, burial, and resurrection.

Have You Only Watched, or Have You Done It?

Working with youth, I often hear the "Sunday school answer"—the right thing to say is almost always "Jesus." But is that something you've been told, or something you believe? Is it personal conviction or general opinion?

Many of us are YouTube mechanics. I'll watch a video and gain knowledge of how to fix something—but until I get my hands dirty, I have no actual experience. In the same way, many sit in church year after year and can say, "I've seen what a Christian looks like; I look a lot like one." But you may never have confessed that Jesus is Lord as Peter did, never made a personal profession of faith.

Maybe this morning the Holy Spirit is convicting you—that feeling in your chest, that conviction opening your spiritual eyes. You need to humbly submit and say, "I believe; Lord, help my unbelief. You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Until you make that profession, you are only in the audience, hearing general opinion with no personal conviction. There comes a moment when inherited faith must become personal faith—you yourself saying, "I believe this now," not merely "my church believes this."

In our culture, people get emotionally charged about opinions they've heard but cannot defend, because they don't really hold them. The Bible says every Christian has an obligation to give an answer for the hope we have. Can you do that this morning? And if someone asks a question you can't answer, the good response is, "I'll go find out in Scripture, because I know Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God." So if Jesus asked you today—not what others say, but who you say He is—what would your answer be?

Peter's Confession

When Jesus asked, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter—of course—piped up first. "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." I think he spoke for all the disciples. That confession captures two essential truths: that Jesus is the Messiah, the promised, anointed Deliverer foretold in the Old Testament, and that Jesus is the Son of the living God—fully God and fully man.

Point Two: True Spiritual Knowledge Comes from Above

Jesus answered, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by My Father in heaven." True spiritual knowledge comes from above, not from around. Peter did not reach this by intelligence, education, or merely observing miracles. It came by divine revelation.

You cannot reason your way into faith, and you cannot be argued into the kingdom. This is why many intelligent people miss it while children understand it—it's not about intelligence, it's about revelation. Before we believe, our spirit is darkened and cannot grasp spiritual truth. When we confess faith in Jesus and believe God raised Him from the dead, we receive the Holy Spirit, who opens our spiritual eyes. As 1 Corinthians 2 says, "The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God... because they are spiritually discerned."

And this requires humility—to come before a holy God as a broken, sinful rebel and say, "God, forgive me." Jesus reminds Peter of his roots, calling him "son of Jonah," the fisherman; He is not praising his intelligence but showing that the Father revealed it. So if you're struggling to understand who Jesus is, the answer isn't more information—it's revelation. Get on your knees and ask, "God, reveal Yourself to me." He promises that when we seek Him with all our heart, He will be found, because He wants to be found by you.

Point Three: The Foundation Determines Everything

Christ is our unshakable rock. "On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand." It is easy to put on a face and act like we're part of the club while never truly confessing Jesus as Lord. But Christ must be the foundation for everything, or your house will collapse in the first storm.

Jesus uses a play on words: "You are Peter (Petros), and on this rock (Petra) I will build My church." I believe the rock on which He builds is not Petrine succession but the confession Peter just made. The church cannot be the church unless we believe Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God. On that confession He builds His church.

The church belongs to Jesus—not to me, not to Pastor Miles, not to Pastor Jason. He is the architect, builder, and owner, and He promises that the gates of hell will not prevail against it. Gates are defensive structures; they don't attack. Jesus is saying His church won't cower behind walls, barely holding on. The church is on the offensive, sent out in the Great Commission to proclaim that Jesus is the Messiah. As 1 Corinthians 3 says, "No one can lay a foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ." What are you building your life on today?

Point Four: Saving Faith Is a Gift from God

True saving faith is a gift from God, and it sustains us. Jesus promises the gates of hell will not overcome His church, and Ephesians 2 says, "By grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast." The same power that gave Peter revelation gives you faith. Salvation is 100% God's work and 0% ours. We get on our knees, humbly confess that Jesus is Lord, and He does the rest.

So think about the question Jesus asked His disciples, the same one posed to each of us today. Not what others say about Him. Who do you say that Jesus is? It comes down to you.

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, I thank You for everyone here. Father, I believe there are people here You have been working on and ministering to, tugging at their heart. Even now they feel the prompting of Your Holy Spirit to humbly confess that You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Lord, I'm sorry for my past sins—forgive me. I believe that You are who You say You are. Father, we long to see more people come into the kingdom and know You as Lord and Savior. May Your Holy Spirit do a mighty work in us as we praise You. In Jesus' name. Amen.