"You are the Christ!" by Sam Reeve, 16 December 2007, Matt 16:1-20

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Intro: Christmas. What are the big issues you are grappling with this
week? How to pay for the holiday? How you are going to pay the credit
card off after Christmas? How to avoid conflict in the family, when
they all get together? How to get the family together? Or maybe it’s
the fact that you can’t be with loved ones. I’m sure there are heaps
of things pressing in on you, questions that loom large.
The big question/issue in the gospels, and the big question of
Christmas, is “Who is Jesus?” When He hit the world stage, people
tried to put him in all sorts of boxes. Healer, teacher, Rabbi, rabble-
rouser, party-animal, carpenter’s son, demon-possessed, mad, etc. The
list is almost endless. The turning point in the gospels comes when
Jesus himself asks the question. And that is what happens in the
passage that we are looking at today. Who do you say that I am? It’s
the most important question that you will ever have to answer. Who is
Jesus?

1. The sign-seekers v1-12
This passage begins with a most unusual alliance that we would most
likely miss, not being first century Jews. Pharisees and Sadducees.
The Pharisees were a strict group of orthodox Jews who not only wanted
to obey every law in the OT, but had made heaps of other laws that
tried to define practically how to keep the OT laws. They not only
wanted to make sure that they kept these rules, but made it their
business to make sure everyone else did too. They were like the
Taliban of the 1st C. The Sadducees, on the other hand were much more
liberal, in every way. They had turfed out some key beliefs, like
resurrection from the dead, the after-life and final judgment. It’s
not hard to see that these 2 would be at loggerheads with each other
often. Yet here they are joining together. What is the event? To test
Jesus. These sworn enemies come together for one purpose, to test the
Son of God. It’s a ludicrous concept isn’t it? It’s like the newest
student at Uni fronting up to the prof, head of faculty and saying “I
just want to give you an exam, to make sure you know your stuff.
Please write your answers here and return it to me at the end of the
hour”. They want a sign. As if there haven’t been enough already! He’s
just fed 2 crowds of thousands of people with next to nothing. Demons
have been cast out of people who have been tortured for years. He’s
been walking on the water. He’s been teaching in a way that makes it
clear that He’s someone of immense godly wisdom and insight. He’s
raised a girl from the dead, healed a quadriplegic, calmed a violent
storm, simply by speaking, etc, etc. It is just simply ludicrous to
come to him and say, “show us a sign”. They are avoiding the issue –
this is a diversion. They don’t want to face the reality that Jesus is
someone sent from God. Faithless response. Jesus rightly refuses to
play their little game.

• The real sign v4 (12:41,42)
He tells them plainly that the only sign they are going to get is the
sign of Jonah. This is not the first time He says this. Back in Ch 12,
He tells the Pharisees the same thing. What is the sign of Jonah?
12:41, 42. As Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for 3 days, so
the Son of Man will be 3 days in the earth. The death and resurrection
of Jesus will be the sign that they will get – that He is the Messiah,
the promised one. Jesus warns them that the people of Nineveh will
condemn them on the judgment day, because they repented when they
heard the message. These people have heard the message and the call to
repent and believe, but have ignored it. Instead they have been
consumed with the way Jesus washes his hands and other trivia.

• Watch out for teaching that’s not Christ-centred v5-12
Jesus warns his disciples to watch out for this pernicious unbelief
that the Pharisees epitomise. They think that they are going to be
saved because they keep a list of rules. The Sadducees have gutted the
message by leaving huge chunks of it out. These are the 2 great traps
that are there for God’s people. To get diverted into developing a
system that we think gives us a privileged place with God on the basis
of our own efforts, rather than on the grace of God alone. The other
is to leave out the bits of the message that call us to account. To so
water it down that there’s nothing left. “I can’t believe in a God who
would send people to hell” “I can’t believe in a God who let’s people
suffer”, etc, etc. And we fashion a god(let) who is more to our
liking, more controllable, more open to doing our bidding. Of course
once your go down that track, you end up with something that isn’t God
at all. God is God, and we must deal with him on his terms, not ours.
We must avoid these 2 things like the plague – turning the basis of
our relationship with God from what He has done to what we do, and
throwing out the bits of the Bible that don’t suit us. It all has to
do with what we make of Jesus. Who is He? That’s the question. Jesus
asks His disciples. 3 things.

2. The Christ v13-16

• Son of Man v13 (Dan 7:14)
Jesus refers to himself as the Son of Man. This is a common way that
he refers to himself. What does it mean? Does it simply mean that he’s
human? It certainly is that – He is fully human, as son of Adam. He is
born of a woman, Mary. Miraculously conceived, but fully human. But
there’s more to it than that. This is a term with a history. Dan
7:13,14. This Son of Man is one who is given the rule of God’s Kingdom
forever. Jesus is claiming that status.

• Christ v16
The Christ is the Greek form of the word Messiah – the anointed one.
Anointing has a long history amongst God’s people. When people were
set apart for some work for God, they were anointed. 3 kinds of
people. Kings, prophets and priests. Kings – those who ruled and led
God’s people. Prophets – those who told people God’s word – brought
God’s message, and also foretold what God would do. Priests – those
who represented the people before God and God before the people – made
the sacrifices that dealt with people’s sin. As we read the pages of
the OT, we see that these people were all inadequate. Kings failed –
even the great King David – the best of them. Prophets fell short.
Priests became corrupt. The OT looks forward to the Messiah – the
anointed one, who would be perfect. Peter, in his confession of Jesus,
says He is the Christ. Where the others had been inadequate rulers, He
would rule with righteousness and justice. Where the prophets had
failed to clearly bring the Word of God, Jesus is the word incarnate.
It is not something remote from Him. Where the sacrifices of priests
had not brought about the forgiveness of sin, Jesus came to make the
one sufficient perfect sacrifice that would make atonement for the
sins of the whole world.

• Son of the living God v16
Jesus is the Son of the living God. This describes his relationship
with God. The closest of possible relationships with God. Father/Son.
The King is described in Psalm 2 as the Son of God. Jesus is that one.
This Jesus is none other than the Son of the living God. He lives in a
relationship of perfect loving obedience to the Father. He does
exactly what the Father tells him, and they are so close that Jesus
calls him Abba – Dad. The Father loves the Son and glorifies him. This
is who Jesus is. You don’t go out to put someone like that to the
test. You respond with loving worship and obedient service.

3. The revealer v17
Jesus tells Peter that he hasn’t arrived at this conclusion with his
own insight and wisdom. It’s none other than God himself who has
revealed it to him. It is God who reveals God – no-one else can do it.
We are totally dependent on God to know him. If He doesn’t choose to
disclose himself to us, there is no way we can know Him. Thank Him
that He has – in the person of Jesus He has come to this earth so that
we can know Him.

4. The forgiver v18-20

• God’s forgiven victorious people v18
This is the first mention of church in the NT. Jesus is going to build
his church on this Rock – it’s a play on words – Peter’s name means
rock. On the rock of Peter’s confession, the one revealed to him by
God, Jesus is going to build his church. The gates of hell will not
prevail against it. How wonderful. As we face trials and tests as a
church, Jesus gives that assurance that the gates of hell will not
prevail against it.

• The message of forgiveness v19,20
These verses are unusual. People have taken them lots of different
ways. What are the keys? Why are they given to Peter? What do they
unlock? It’s to do with forgiveness. Binding and loosing of sins. The
message of the gospel is given to the apostles (spearheaded by Peter),
who will take this message that will bring release from sin, its guilt
and punishment, freedom to love and serve the living God. As you read
the book of Acts, you see this happening, as that message goes out to
Jews and Gentiles as Peter and the apostles proclaim the gospel, and
thousands of people come into God’s kingdom.

Jesus poses the question: Who do you say that I am? What is your
answer? Is He your King, the one who has your total allegiance? Your
prophet – the one’s who’s word you take to heart and obey? Is He your
priest – the one who made the sacrifice that brings your forgiveness
and entry into eternal life? Turn to him today, if you haven’t
already.