The Milestone of Peter’s Confession (Matthew 16:13–20)

[Stephan Choe]

July 4, 2026

Key Verse 16: “Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!’”

In the past, there were stones along the roadside that indicated the distance to a destination. They were called “milestones.” In project management, a milestone refers to an event of particular significance.

Milestone [1]

The Gospel of Matthew tells us of the ministry of Jesus Christ, and Peter’s confession of faith marks a milestone in that ministry.

Anyone who wishes to lead a blessed, eternal life of faith needs such a milestone in his own life.

Let us therefore consider Peter’s confession of faith. We want to understand the significance of such a confession so that we, too, may experience a turning point in our faith.

1. Withdrawal to Caesarea Philippi (13a)

Jesus acted in accordance with the divine plan. On the one hand, He taught the crowds about the Kingdom of God and healed the sick. On the other hand, He chose twelve men from the very beginning and trained them to be His disciples and followers.

Yet the people he chose as his disciples were ordinary folk. Peter, for instance, was a fisherman on the Sea of Galilee. One day, Jesus sought him out after Peter had worked all night without catching anything. Jesus helped him make a huge catch of fish. Peter fell to his knees before him and said, "Lord, go away from me! I am a sinful man!" (Luke 5:8). Jesus answered him, "Do not be afraid! From now on, you will catch people" (Luke 5:10; cf. Matthew 4:18–19). From that moment on, Peter followed Jesus. Some of his friends joined him as well.

These people heard Jesus’ life-giving preaching and witnessed his miracles. Moreover, they came to know him through personal fellowship. In this way, they experienced his great love (5:44–48) and his forgiveness of sins (9:1–3). They saw how he calmed the stormy sea (8:23–27), raised the dead (9:23–26), miraculously fed the crowd (14:13–21), and did much more.

Jesus also sent them out in pairs to train them practically as disciples; in doing so, he empowered them to drive out evil spirits, heal the sick, and proclaim the Gospel in his name (10:1–15). Furthermore, they learned from Jesus about prayer and faith in God (6:7–15, 33).

When Jesus fed a large crowd to the point of satisfaction for the second time using only a few loaves and fish (15:32–39), everyone regarded this event as a milestone. Jesus himself, however, did not view the feeding as a milestone in his work of redemption, for he was well aware that the crowd clung to the mistaken notion that he was an earthly Messiah (John 6:66).

From the very beginning, Jesus intended to train his chosen disciples to carry on his work. They were to come to know Jesus and his ministry truly, so that they would believe in him as the Christ and Son of God, profess their faith, and continue his work. He wanted to make his disciples the firm foundation of his church. They were to proclaim the Gospel, make disciples of Jesus, and spread the Gospel throughout the world.

This text reports that Jesus and his disciples had traveled from the eastern shore of the Sea of ​​Galilee (16:5) to the pagan region of Caesarea Philippi (13). Caesarea Philippi, located in the province of Iturea, was a city at the foot of Mount Hermon in northern Israel.

Why did Jesus go to Caesarea Philippi?

Herod Antipas, a son of Herod the Great, ruled in Galilee. He was a cruel ruler, as evidenced by the execution of John the Baptist (14:1–12). In Iturea—whose territory included the city of Caesarea Philippi—Herod Philip ruled as tetrarch from 4 BC to AD 34 (see Luke 3:1). Jesus’ ministry took place during his reign, and Jesus died in AD 30 or 31.

Although Herod Philip was also a son of Herod the Great, he was regarded as a level-headed and sensible man. The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus wrote of him: "He was a kind ruler to his subjects and of a calm disposition" (Antiquities of the Jews, XVIII 4.6).

Jesus found peace in his territory. He withdrew to that region, prayed (Luke 9:18), and sought God’s guidance. God gave him the direction and led him to guide his disciples toward a confession of faith—a step that marked a milestone in his messianic ministry.

2. Peter’s Confession of Faith (13b–20)

After Jesus had prayed, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” (13).

With this question, Jesus wanted to know what his disciples had heard from the general public about him. In other words, he wanted to find out who ordinary people took him to be.

The disciples answered him, “Some say you are John the Baptist (risen from the dead), others say Elijah, and still others say Jeremiah or one of the prophets” (14).

Herod Antipas, who had had John the Baptist executed, believed Jesus to be the risen John the Baptist because Jesus—like John—called for repentance. Others took him for the risen Elijah, since Jesus performed miracles and preached repentance. At that time, many people were expecting the coming of Elijah because Malachi had prophesied, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes” (Malachi 3:23).

Still others took Jesus for Jeremiah, just as the Book of Maccabees recounts Jeremiah’s return (2 Maccabees 15:13). Others, in turn, saw him as Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15; cf. John 6:14) or another prophet.

Opinions differed. Yet all agreed that Jesus must be a great prophet—but that he was, ultimately, a human being.

After Jesus had asked his disciples about people's opinions, he asked them about their personal conviction, "Who do you say I am?"

Simon Peter answered: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!" (16).

How did Peter arrive at this confession? What did he mean by it?

Peter was a devout Jew. All devout Jews believed in the one God.

What did Peter intend to express with his confession?

By this, he meant that Jesus is God but came into the world as a human being. The Old Testament states that God Himself would come as the Redeemer to deliver humanity from sin, death, and the curse (e.g., in Isaiah 40:9–11; 41:14).

The Bible teaches us that no human being—however great—has the power to forgive people their sins (Isaiah 43:25; cf. Mark 2:7). God alone has the power to forgive people their sins. The scribes knew this. That is why they considered Jesus an impostor and a blasphemer.

Although Jesus came into the world as a human being, He is nonetheless truly God. Because He is God, He is sinless; He was able to become the atoning sacrifice for us and redeem us from sin.

Peter experienced that Jesus has the power to save people from the dominion of sin, death, and the devil, and to grant them forgiveness and life.

Through his confession of faith, Peter expressed that Jesus is God and came as the Christ for the redemption of humanity. He thus confessed that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God. That is true!

How was Peter able to recognize that Jesus is the Son of God and the Christ? On the one hand, because he had come to know Jesus truly through accompanying Him for three years; on the other, because God had revealed Himself to him through the Holy Spirit.

We are to come to know Jesus with an open heart through God’s Word and our practical lives. This is the way to recognize Jesus as the Christ and the Son of God and to believe in Him. This is a human aspect of the confession of faith.

Another aspect is that the Holy Spirit helps us to recognize Jesus as the Son of God and as the Christ, to believe in Him, and to confess Him. This is a divine aspect. That is why Jesus said to Peter, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven” (17).

Without the help of the Holy Spirit, no one can truly recognize Jesus as the Christ and the Son of God, believe in Him, and confess their faith. Faith in Jesus Christ is therefore entirely a work of God’s grace. We should thank God for His grace.

On various occasions, some of Jesus’ disciples had already acknowledged that Jesus must be the Christ and the Son of God. For instance, upon his calling, Peter had said, “Lord, go away from me! I am a sinful man!” (Luke 5:8). Likewise, after the storm had been calmed, Peter and other disciples asked, “What kind of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?” (8:27). When they saw Jesus walking toward them on the waters of the Sea of Galilee, they fell down before him and confessed, “You are truly the Son of God!” (Matthew 14:33).

Yet up to that point, Jesus had not asked his disciples, “Who do you say I am?” He had taken his time. For his disciples needed to be—through his words, his deeds, and their personal fellowship with him—fully convinced that Jesus was the Christ and the Son of God. Thus, nearly three years passed during which the disciples accompanied Jesus.

When the time had come, Jesus asked them, “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Then Jesus said, “Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah; for no human being has revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. I tell you, You are Peter (Peter literally means ‘rock’); upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (17–19).

Here Jesus teaches us the significance of this confession of faith:

Jesus intends to build His church upon Peter’s confession of faith. Thus, this confession has become the foundation of Christ’s church. If a church departs from this confession, it can easily be overwhelmed by the powers of hell.

But if it holds fast to this confession of faith, it will triumph over sin, the devil, and hell, and attain forgiveness, eternal life, and the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, this confession of faith is truly a firm foundation for our faith and our congregation.

That is why the Apostle John spoke of the purpose of the Gospel, “But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31).

Our church in Bochum began holding worship services on May 24, 1987. The Bible studies that Renate conducted together with the missionary Paula Kim paved the way for the founding of this congregation. As a pastor’s daughter, Renate had grown up as a believer; nevertheless, she harbored doubts about the assurance of her salvation. Assurance of salvation means that the salvation of those who believe in Jesus Christ is secure. Jesus expressed this certainty in verse 18 with the words, “The gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

Around mid-December 1986, Renate met the missionary Paula Kim at the university. When Renate told her that she did not yet have assurance of her salvation, Paula replied that God’s Word could certainly help her with that. Consequently, Renate began a Bible study with her and attended our church services in Dortmund. Renate’s Bible study was also one of the reasons why both our family and the family of Paula and Joseph Kim moved to Bochum and began holding services there.

After a period of Bible study, Renate gained the assurance of her salvation. She married Andreas, who had come to a personal faith through Bible study in Cologne. In many ways, the Schmeinck family is like a rock in our church. And God has used them to help many people.

Each of us must now personally answer Jesus’ question, “Who do you say Jesus is?” Do I regard Jesus as a benefactor? Do I consider him one of the great founders of religion, such as Muhammad or Buddha? Or do I see in him the Son of God and the Christ?

We ought to openly profess our faith. When we truly believe in Jesus Christ and profess our faith, Jesus rejoices greatly and warmly welcomes us into His kingdom.

However, if we are ashamed and do not profess our faith, Jesus will also be ashamed of us, as He says in Luke 9:26, "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels."

We are to come to know Jesus and believe in Him. We are to confess our faith. Through our confession of faith, we ourselves are strengthened in faith, others are encouraged to believe, and God is glorified. Through this confession of faith, we become a blessing to our family members, relatives, friends, and many other people. There is no better way to help others in this world than to encourage them to believe in Jesus Christ.

Finally, we ought to thank God for revealing Jesus to us as the Christ and the Son of God. God is the Originator, the Perfecter, and the One who brings our faith to maturity. Praise be to God! Amen!

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[1] https://www.spexard.de/cgi-bin/gettext?textnumber=22450.129243010728718