Why Does Jesus Ask ‘Who Do You Say that I Am?’ (Matthew 16:15)

In Matthew 16:15, Jesus asks his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” This question seems simple, but it actually has a deep meaning and is a turning point in the mission of Christ.

The importance of Matthew 16:15

At the beginning of Matthew 16, Jesus asks his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” (Matthew 16:13). The disciples answer Christ’s question: “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets” (Matthew 16:14).

After this answer of the disciples, Jesus asks another question: “But what about you?” What do you say I am? (Matthew 16:15). Just after Jesus asks this question, Peter answers, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).

Peter’s answer was correct and Jesus tells him that he is happy because the Father revealed this truth to Peter (Matthew 16:17-19). All the other disciples have heard Peter’s correct answer, because Jesus told his disciples not to tell anyone that he is the Christ (Matthew 16:20).

Why are we being asked this question?

Even though Christ asked this question to his disciples, he still asks the same question to us today. Christ asked his disciples this question to find out who the disciples thought he was.

As it is clear from the words of one of the disciples, some thought that Christ was John the Baptist, others thought that he was Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the prophets of the Old Testament (Matthew 16:14).

To be saved, one must truly know who Christ is—Christ, the Savior, God incarnate. If one believes that Jesus is John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or any other prophet, he cannot be saved. Likewise, many people today try to make Jesus out to be someone he is not, such as a moral teacher or a pacifist hippie.

Some have even claimed that Jesus suffered from schizophrenia. If someone believes that Christ had schizophrenia, then his message is not true and that person will never believe in Jesus as their Savior and Lord.

Suppose Christ were here today and asked someone, “Who do you say that I am?” Let’s say the person Christ is questioning is an atheist sociopath and answers Jesus “a schizophrenic”. In this case, Christ knew that this man did not have the correct knowledge of who Jesus really is, because the correct answer is that Jesus is the Lord, the Messiah, God incarnate.

Jesus did not suffer from schizophrenia or any other mental disorder. This is why it is so important to know who Jesus is, and why Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?”

Given that we live today in a postmodern Christian world that has grown further away from God over the years, it is not difficult for people to come up with a plethora of wrong answers to this question.

As Christians, we know that Jesus Christ is our Lord and the second member of the Trinity. Because we know this, we have faith in Jesus. However, if a person has a wrong view of who Jesus is, he cannot believe in Christ.

Why did Jesus ask his disciples who he was?

Jesus corrected his disciples when they made a mistake. But to his specific question in Matthew 16:15, Peter gives the right answer (Matthew 16:16), so Christ does not correct him. It is important to note that just because one has the right view of Jesus does not mean that one accepts Him as Savior.

Usually a person goes through a process of learning more about Christ before believing in Christ for salvation. While some people may believe in Him as soon as they find out that He is God, for most people, it is a process (learning more about Christ) to a point (accepting Jesus for salvation).

As Jesus asked Peter during his earthly ministry, Christ asks us today, “Who do you say that I am?” At best, the world tries to tell us that Jesus was just a good moral teacher, or at worst, a man suffering from a mental disorder. However, when a person says that Jesus is God, they go through a radical transition to accept Him.

Jesus asks this question because he wants to know if we believe that he is our Christ, our Savior, and our Lord. We have the choice to agree with Peter that he is the Christ and Savior of our souls, or we can go along with the world’s culture that makes Christ out to be someone he is not.

The Bible tells us that the whole world is under Satan’s control, and unbelievers are blinded from knowing the truth because of Satan’s deception (2 Corinthians 4:4). No wonder the world tries to make false claims about Jesus’ identity. For one to believe in Christ as God and to proclaim this truth to others, one must truly go against the grain of the culture.

In the contemporary era with multiple religions and a negative view of Christianity, Christians have a great duty to help lost souls to know the true identity of Christ as the Lord and Savior of all mankind.

Why is this important?

Like Christ, we must defend the faith in Christian apologetics and study Bible history to provide evidence for Christ’s divinity to help others recognize Christ’s true identity. Christ was not just a man, nor a hippie or a schizophrenic. Christ, Christ, Savior, our Lord, God incarnate (John 1:1).

Have you believed in Christ and accepted him as your savior? Who do you say is the Messiah?

If you have never come to faith in Christ and want to do so today, great! All you have to do is believe that Christ is God and that He died on the cross to save you from your sins and rose again three days later.

Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel that I preached to you, which you received and stand on. You are saved by this gospel, if you hold fast to the word that I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I delivered to you as a matter of great importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried, that he rose again on the third day according to the scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1 4-)

Today in the article : Why Does Jesus Ask ‘Who Do You Say that I Am?’ (Matthew 16:15)  We reviewed useful information about the Bible and the way of Jesus. If you wish, you can view other articles of Ali Vahidi about Christianity