Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Matthew: Chapter 16].
vague ideas about him. How much did the disciples understand and
how far have they come in their development of faith? Are they
still loyal?
16:15 {But who say ye that I am?} (\h–meis de tina me legete
einai?\). This is what matters and what Jesus wanted to hear.
Note emphatic position of {h–meis}, "But _you_, who say ye that I
am?"
16:16 Peter is the spokesman now: "Thou art the Christ, the Son
of the living God" (\Su ei ho Christos ho huios tou theou tou
z•ntos\). It was a noble confession, but not a new claim by
Jesus. Peter had made it before (Joh 6:69) when the multitude
deserted Jesus in Capernaum. Since the early ministry (John 4)
Jesus had avoided the word Messiah because of its political
meaning to the people. But now Peter plainly calls Jesus the
Anointed One, the Messiah, the Son of the God the living one
(note the four Greek articles). This great confession of Peter
means that he and the other disciples believe in Jesus as the
Messiah and are still true to him in spite of the defection of
the Galilean populace (John 6).
16:17 {Blessed art thou} (\makarios ei\). A beatitude for Peter.
Jesus accepts the confession as true. Thereby Jesus on this
solemn occasion solemnly claims to be the Messiah, the Son of the
living God, his deity in other words. The disciples express
positive conviction in the Messiahship or Christhood of Jesus as
opposed to the divided opinions of the populace. "The terms in
which Jesus speaks of Peter are characteristic--warm, generous,
unstinted. The style is not that of an ecclesiastical editor
laying the foundation for church power, and prelatic pretentions,
but of a noble-minded Master eulogizing in impassioned terms a
loyal disciple" (Bruce). The Father had helped Peter get this
spiritual insight into the Master's Person and Work.
16:18 {And I also say unto thee} (\k'ag• de soi leg•\). "The
emphasis is not on 'Thou art Peter' over against 'Thou art the
Christ,' but on \Kag•\: 'The Father hath revealed to thee one
truth, and I also tell you another" (McNeile). Jesus calls Peter
here by the name that he had said he would have (Joh 1:42).
Peter (\Petros\) is simply the Greek word for Cephas (Aramaic).
Then it was prophecy, now it is fact. In verse 17 Jesus
addresses him as "Simon Bar-Jonah," his full patronymic (Aramaic)
name. But Jesus has a purpose now in using his nickname "Peter"
http://www.ccel.org/r/robertson_at/wordpictures/htm/MT16.RWP.html (3 of 9) [28/08/2004 09:03:14 a.m.]