They were at the gates of hell when Jesus asked the question.
“Who do you say that I am?”
It must have seemed to the disciples like a bizarre place for the discussion.
The Gates of Hell
Jesus had taken them to Caesarea Philippi, a center for pagan worship at the base of a cliff about 25 miles from Galilee. It boasted temples to Zeus and Augustus Caesar, the Tomb Temple to the Sacred Goats, and a courtyard dedicated to the worship of Pan. Statues of deities were displayed in five niches hewn into the rock wall, including Echo, the mountain nymph who was Pan’s consort, and Pan’s father, Hermes.
Pan, the half-man, half-goat god, was said to have been born there in a cave. His temple sat in its mouth, where a large spring was located. Although Pan was thought to keep watch over shepherds and their flocks, he was most well-known for his carnality. (Contrast with Jesus, the real good shepherd.)
Pan and other fertility gods were thought to go underground during the winter, only to be wooed back in spring by fertility rites. Thus, the cave’s entrance became known as the gate to the underworld (Hades) or the gates of hell.
Caesarea Philippi wasn’t a place you’d take your non-pagan friends to.
Peter’s Declaration
Jesus was there, however, for a reason. His disciples had been with him for three years, and Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem to die on a cross. It was time to clearly reveal his identity to them and talk about the future.
So he asked them, “Who do you say that I am?”
“You’re the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God,” said Peter. And then Jesus talked for the first time about his church, a community that would begin with Peter’s declaration:
“You are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out.”
A church that would overcome evil! What do you imagine the disciples were thinking then, looking out from the rocky cliff at the pagan gods and their many temples?
If only they could have seen into the future that Jesus talked about! Caesarea Philippi, now called Banias, is a nature reserve where people travel to view the remnants of what was once there. And the community of Jesus will number more than 2.6 billion this year.
Who Do You Say Jesus Is?
How would you answer Jesus’ question to his disciples? How confident are you in your answer?
Perhaps you have been put off by people or churches who claim the name of Jesus but don’t live like Jesus. Or maybe you believe but don’t know Jesus in a way that has transformed your life. If so, please consider meeting the real Jesus.
Jesus changes lives, and he is the very reason that we may “have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).
Two thousand years ago, he entered into our broken world to announce the good news of his kingdom, a kingdom that someday will be free from evil and strife. Jesus was also on a rescue mission that would allow his wayward creation (us) to be part of this kingdom. That mission required that he defeat death and the power of evil through his own death and resurrection.
The evidence for the existence of Jesus—including the empty tomb and his resurrection—is solid in both biblical and secular history. Writings from both Jewish and Roman historians bear witness to the New Testament’s description of the life and death of Jesus. At least thirty-nine ancient sources corroborate more than one hundred facts concerning Jesus’ life, teachings, crucifixion, and resurrection.
For example, Josephus was a Pharisee of the priestly line and a Jewish historian who wrote about Jesus in Antiquities of the Jews (A.D. 93). About fifty years ago, an Arabic manuscript was recovered from the 10th century that is thought to accurately record this excerpt of Josephus’ original writing (20:197-203).
“At this time there was a [1] wise man who was called Jesus. His conduct was good and (he) was known to be virtuous. [2] And many people from among the Jews and the other nations became his disciples. [3] Pilate condemned him to be crucified and to die. [4] But those who had become his disciples did not abandon his discipleship. [5] They reported that he had appeared to them three days after his crucifixion, and that he was alive; accordingly he was perhaps the Messiah, [6] concerning whom the prophets have recounted wonders.”
While his family didn’t believe in him as Messiah until after his resurrection, no one thought that he was made up. His closest disciples were martyred and imprisoned because they followed Jesus, as have millions of followers since then.
Why would anyone do that unless they absolutely believed Jesus was the Messiah, the real deal, the long-awaited one who would rule and save the world?
The Invitation
Jesus invites us to join his kingdom through believing that he is Lord and turning away from our own path and following his. It’s the only path to God, Jesus said:
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me (John 14:6).
Come, Jesus says. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe. And share it!