Devotional: Matthew 16: 13-16

Matthew 16:13-16 KJV

¹³ When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?  ¹⁴ And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. ¹⁵ He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? ¹⁶ And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Identity holds immense importance in society. Some of us recall teachers dutifully memorizing the pronunciation of students’ names because identifying someone correctly evokes an accepting atmosphere. When we identify the Lord for who He is, we forge an atmosphere that invites and provokes God to reveal deeper depths of His glory. Amazingly, the Lord will repeatedly prove to us that He is the God we affirm to be true from His word. However, we must persevere in faith to continue affirming the truth of God’s identity as stated in scripture. In Matthew 16:16, Peter did not reference a tangible written scripture identifying Jesus as the Messiah. Peter received a revelation from God that revealed Jesus being the Messiah. Today God’s written word reveals unto us the same revelation Peter received because they are the same. In the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1 KJV). This justifies us going to God’s word to find and learn about God. As we read what He has done, our mind begins developing identifying factors. We begin identifying God as victorious, merciful, loving, holy, and miraculous in nature. These identifying factors work to solidify our faith in Christ Jesus. When Jesus asked, “whom say ye that I am?”, Peter did not resort to the classifications others set. Instead, Peter most likely pondered Jesus’s character until God’s revelation solidified in his heart the truth of Jesus being the Messiah. Likewise, this happens to us when we read God’s word. We ponder the text until the Holy Spirit solidifies in our hearts the truth of God being who He says He is. Let not our faith begin to waver from what others say. Let not the lust of the flesh and eyes, and pride of life diminish the revelation of Christ Jesus in our hearts. Let us be steadfast in honoring the Lord with our affirmations of Him being our everlasting God.