S. Peter’s Great Confession

S. Mark viii. 27–33

From Bethsaida-Julias our Lord, at one of the greatest crises in His ministry, retired from His favourite haunts by the Sea of Galilee, and went northwards through the “coasts” and villages of Caesarea Philippi. Whether He had visited this place before is not certain, but the interest belonging to the physical features of the country, as well as to its historic associations, was such that He would naturally desire to see it. The situation of the town is unique, and combines elements of grandeur and beauty in the mighty overhanging Hermon and the rich luxuriant plain watered with the springs of the Jordan. If its identification with Laish or Dan be abandoned, its ancient history is wholly Pagan. Under the name of Panium it obtained notoriety for its sanctuary of the god Pan. In Herodian times it was enlarged by the Tetrarch Philip, and its name changed to commemorate both himself and the Emperor. But its old heathen appellation was soon revived. Paneas became the seat of a Christian bishopric, and the ruins of the place are found in the site of the modern Banias.

It was a turning-point in our Lord’s history, and He felt the necessity of undisturbed intercourse with His disciples. He was anxious for an opportunity of talking over with them the progress of events, and ascertaining from their lips the general impression which His works and teaching had made upon the people at large. Two years at least had passed — two-thirds of the appointed time — amply sufficient to enable them to form a decided judgment upon His claims. At first He inquired about the opinions current among those who had in no sense joined His society. What do “the men” say? What do “the multitudes” say about Me? The disciples had often, no doubt, heard the subject freely canvassed, and they gathered up the floating ideas of His Person into three main convictions.

One party, influenced perhaps by the superstitious Antipas and the Herodians, imagined that He was the murdered Baptist risen from the dead; another recognised in His wonder-working power the long-expected Elijah; while a third, impressed by His anxious and sorrowful look, which had deepened so much during the last weeks, as well as from a hope that the lost treasures of the Temple were about to be restored, thought that He was Jeremiah, or “one of the prophets.” Such was the popular judgment. It was perhaps neither more nor less than He looked for. It showed that He had got hold of the people; that they were satisfied that He was some “Great One,” and that there was considerable diversity in the character of His work, for He had revived the memory of not one merely, but of several of their greatest; but no real progress had been made towards a general acceptance of His true Mission as the Messiah. The Jews had become so wholly engrossed in the idea that their future Deliverer must restore their political independence, that they had no eye for One Who seemed careless of their national hopes and prejudices, and bent only upon the restoration of spiritual privileges. Even the Baptist had need to be reminded that there were other characteristics of the Messiah than the power of deliverance from the hands of an enemy.

Fully convinced of the fact that, as far as the public at large was concerned, there was no recognition of His Messiahship, He turned to His near companions, with satisfaction, no doubt, but not without anxiety, for “many of His disciples had gone away backwards,” and the shock may have been felt by the Twelve; and He asked with an earnest emphasis, “Butjjw — who do you say that I am?” It was a critical moment. There was some excuse for the people. They had only seen Him at intervals; they had witnessed one miracle here, and another there; but the inner circle of disciples had been with Him from the beginning. Had that prolonged training been only labour lost? There was no hesitation in the answer. With characteristic impetuosity, as the mouthpiece of all, confident that none would contradict him, S. Peter broke out into the great confession, “Thou art the Christ.” It was a noble witness to the truth, and it called forth a blessing upon him who bore it, though wTith a praiseworthy modesty it is suppressed in the Gospel which was so peculiarly his own.

If we notice here the memorable words by which our Lord followed up His blessing — words round which so much ecclesiastical controversy has gathered, it is not to reopen the unhappy strife, but simply to exemplify once more the custom which He so largely adopted, and which gave to His teaching a freshness unknown to the Rabbis, viz., of seizing His illustrations from the sights by which He was surrounded.

It was, it is almost certain, as He looked upon the gigantic rock crowned with the castle of Subeibeh, unassailable from its strength and position, that He saw no inapt figure of the solid foundation upon which His spiritual kingdom was to rest, and turning to the “Rock-man,” whom He Himself had named, He said, “Thou art Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

That splendid eulogy was soon to be followed by a severe rebuke; for the hopes which his confession had kindled, that at least the Apostles realised His Mission, were immediately dashed by the clearest evidence that their chief had wholly misunderstood that the Messiah must be “despised and rejected of men, a Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.”

The anticipation of the Cross, which was always present in His mind, had found expression from time to time, but only in enigmatical predictions. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.” “He that taketh not his cross and followeth after Me is not worthy of Me.” But they were passed by without notice. Jewish ideas at that time hardly admitted of a suffering Messiah; indeed so wholly had the prophecies of His humiliation dropped out of sight, that it has been said that no Rabbi of our Lord’s generation had ventured to teach that He must suffer.

The time had arrived when the truth must be revealed “openly,” without reserve or disguise, and so “He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things,” and be publicly rejected by the great council of the nation, and put to death. He did not fail to add that which should have brought them consolation, that though death must be endured He could not be holden of it, but would rise again after three days. But this part of the announcement was wholly lost upon the bewildered Apostle. His ambitious views, and his intense personal love for his Master, made him rebel against

East, and equal in extent even to the pride of European castles at Heidelberg.” — Stanley, Sin. and Palest. 397. The origin of the name Subeibeh, given to it in the Crusades, is doubtful. the bare possibility of suffering and death, and taking Him aside he remonstrated with Him, and protested that it must not be. “God forbid! it must not, it shall not happen unto Thee.” It was a temptation to Jesus to turn aside from His predestined path. It was an echo of the voice which He had heard in the wilderness at the outset of His Mission, bidding Him exercise His power for His Own deliverance, and it called for a rebuke not a whit less severe.

“Stand not in the way before Me; thou art a stone of stumbling and rock of offence, ‘Get thee behind Me, Satan,’ 1 for your mind is set on earthly things, you cannot grasp the counsel of the Most High. It is through suffering that I must reign; My Crown can only be won when I have borne the Cross.” It sounds harsh to our ears that our Lord should repeat to a misguided but well-intentioned disciple language which He had used to the subtle and malignant Tempter. But he had been blessed in the highest terms for His confession, though our Lord allowed that it could only have been made under the inspiration of God; even so is he most severely rebuked now, though the temptation was recognised by Christ as the suggestion of the Evil One. It was an outspoken reproof calculated to awake him to a consciousness of what he was doing, and by whose influence he was being led; and if we could read the story of his after-life, it would doubtless testify to his gratitude for the revelation which it made to him of the true nature of the Messiah’s Kingdom.

Note: Herod the Great built a temple in honour of Augustus; Philip called it Csesarea, and added his own name, both for his own honour and to distinguish it from Cassarea, Turris Stratonis, the well-known sea-port of Palestine. Cf. Joseph. Antiq. xv. 10. 3.

Note: The position of the pronoun is very emphatic in the Greek: vfiels 5e riva fie Xeyere etvai;

Note: The Anointed. He received this title as embracing in His Own Person the three offices of Prophet, Priest, and King, to which men were admitted by unction. Cf. i Kings xix. 16; Exod. xl. 15; 1 Sam. x. 1.

Note: It rises to the height of 1500 feet, and is guarded on all sides by inaccessible gorges. It has been described as “the largest of its kind in the

Note: Geikie, in a note on Die Leiden des Messias, by August Wiinsche, has maintained that the extracts from Rabbinic writings, supposed to contradict this theory, are all indecisive. Cf. chap. xlvi. n. g.

Note: It is quite true” that “Satan” is used in the Old Testament merely for an “adversary,” as, e.g., “Let Satan stand at his right hand,” but it is almost impossible to soften the language, which is precisely identical with that used to the Tempter, because S. Peter’s suggestion was in spirit an exact echo of his.