The Bible Study Podcast, episode 442. Today, the Bible Study podcast continues the study of Matthew

with Chapter 16. Welcome to the Bible Study podcast. I'm your host, Chris Christensen.

Last week, you may remember that we had the Pharisees demanding a sign and Jesus saying, beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. And the disciples being a little dense because they thought that Jesus was talking about bread.

Well, this time we get one of the disciples who gets a clear idea of who Jesus is and who does say the right thing. Peter declares that Jesus is the

Messiah. When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples,

who do people say the son of man is?

They replied, some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.

But what about you, he asked?

Who do you say I am?

Simon Peter answered, you are the Messiah, the son of the living God.

Jesus replied, blessed are you, Simon's son of Jonah,

for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my father in heaven, and I tell you that

you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth

will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Then he ordered

his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. So Peter has this one great, clear moment.

It's certainly not the first time that Peter seems to have an idea who Jesus is.

Peter still has some problems ahead of him, including just a few verses from now.

But he does at this time understand that the people are wrong.

The people think that Jesus is.

Maybe John the Baptist come back.

Maybe Elijah, maybe one of the prophets.

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