Matthew 16:15 Commentary and Bible Study

Now he puts the same question to the disciples. Do they say the same about him? It has been pointed out that the Greek puts great stress on the word ‘you’ – ‘But you, who do you say that I am?’ Christ know his disciples, and he knows the work which the Father has done in their hearts is genuine. They have been give true light from heaven and they see who he truly is. ‘No’, say the disciples, ‘We are at close quarters to him. We know him, we see him.’ Peter answers for them all: ‘You are the Christ, the Messiah, the one long foretold in Scripture, the one we have been waiting for, the hope of Israel. You are ‘the Son of the living God.’ The disciples knew him to be the Messiah, the one sent into the world directly by the Father. This is the great confession on which the church is founded. This must be believed if we are to be saved. It is that foundation of truth which can never be moved or give way. It is the faith of the martyrs and enables them to be faithful unto death. But, of course, it follows from this truth that all that Christ taught is to be received as the word of God. If he is the Son of the living God then his word is authoritative, his commandments must be obeyed, and his doctrine must be believed – all of it. It follows also that he must be victorious over Satan. he must spoil the strong man. And his mission to redeem his elect must be successful: he must fully pay the price of sin and make an atonement acceptable to God. He must triumph over the grave and rise from the dead.What did the Old Testament system of sacrifices teach the people? That there would have to be an atonement made for sin, that sin could not just be dismissed, even by Almighty God, because of his holy character. Because of his just character, God must be God. He is, in the very best sense of the word, angry against sin. His righteous indignation, his pure, pure righteous indignation against sin must be expressed. It is not like our anger which is peevish and unworthy and only reflecting our hurt in some way. God’s anger, his wrath, is pure and holy and just, because he is perfect and holy and because sin is so vile and damaging. God’s anger is against sin and the sacrifices taught the people that there must be price paid, an atonement made, that punishment must be given. God would find a way of taking that punishment away from man and even the Old Testament taught about the coming of a Saviour, that God would come in the person of his Son, Jesus Christ. There are three persons in the Godhead, and the second, glorious person, equal with the Father, is Jesus Christ, and he was predestined to come and put himself in the place of man and take the wrath of God on our behalf, the divine indignation against sin. The disciples had to come to realise that.