Matthew 16 Devotional

Truth the Father Reveals

“Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by My Father in heaven.”Matthew 16:17 (BSB)

Jesus asks his disciples what people are saying about him, and the answers are respectful but wrong: John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, another prophet (16:13-14). Then he asks them directly, and Peter confesses him as the Christ, the Son of God (16:16). Jesus calls him blessed and tells him why. No human being showed him this. The Father in heaven revealed it (16:17). Then Jesus promises to build his church, and says not even the gates of Hades can overpower it (16:18).

A few verses later, the same Peter rebukes Jesus for saying he must suffer, die, and rise, and Jesus tells him he is thinking like people, not like God (16:21-23). Seeing who Jesus is was a gift. Paul says that confessing Jesus as Lord is possible only by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3). If you see Jesus for who he is, that sight was given to you. You can follow him on the road of losing your life for his sake (16:24-25), trusting the one who opened your eyes.

To think about: How does knowing that your faith in Jesus was a gift from the Father change the way you face what following him costs?