←
Explanation for:
Matthew
16
:
16
Simon Peter answered and said: Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God.
12
more explanations
& daily audio-books
spoken by
– enjoy in Theosis App –
Start your
Bible-journey
with explanations
& daily audio-books
only 4$* per month
{"arr":[{"author-name":"Ephraem the Syrian","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88b589fc3e99eb7bb1839_Ephraem%20the%20Syrian.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"Simon, the leading apostle, proclaimed, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ To this, the Lord responded, ‘Blessed are you, Simon. The gates of hell shall not prevail against you’ (cf. Matt. 16:15-18), signifying that true faith remains unshaken. For who can dismantle what God has constructed, and who can revive what God has laid low? The Assyrian sought to annihilate the temple God had established, yet his own kingdom was shattered. Similarly, Nicanor faced defeat (2 Mac. 8:34-36). Ahab aimed to restore the fallen city of Jericho, but his endeavors were in vain. \\n\\nIn establishing His church, the Lord laid a foundation that is capable of supporting all that is built upon it. When humanity's single language was divided into many, (the Lord scattered them) to prevent their ascent to heaven (Gen. 11:4-8). This division prompted them to seek refuge not in the tower of their own making, but in the ultimate truth. Even the vast depths of the flood would not have harmed them had they sought shelter on higher ground, but their wickedness led to their downfall, while true repentance delivered them. Their dispersion acted as a hindrance to the completion of the earthly tower as well as the heavenly structure; yet later, the Savior established a tower that reaches to heaven and a tree whose fruit is the healing for life. \\n\\n‘You are a stone’ (cf. Matt. 16:18) — the very stone which the Lord set, causing Satan to trip over it. However, when Peter implored the Lord, ‘Let it not be so, ...Lord!’ (cf. Matt. 16:22), Satan attempted to use that stone to lead the Lord to stumble. We would hesitate to assume that Satan held this precise thought had not the One who perceived all revealed it, saying, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me!’ (Matt. 16:23). The Lord then took this stone and cast it away from Him, so that the followers of Satan would trip over it, leading them to ‘fall backward and prostrate themselves on the ground’ (cf. Jn. 18:6)."},{"author-name":"John Chrysostom","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88ea76859f9f8e2ffd3ee_John%20Chrysostom.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"In response to a question directed toward the group, He provides an answer based on His own perspective. When Christ sought to know the thoughts of the crowd, everyone responded to His inquiry; however, when asked about their personal beliefs, Peter, unable to contain himself, admonishes them by declaring, ‘Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God’ (v. 16)!"},{"author-name":"Marcus the Ascetic","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c894db4cf63c9754af102d_Marcus%20the%20Ascetic.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"Hear what the Lord proclaims to His followers, \\"Whom do people say that I, the Son of Man, am?\\" It is significant that He referred to Himself as the Son of Man rather than the Son of God. When He learned that some thought of Him as John the Baptist and others as Elijah, He asked them, \\"But who do you say that I am?\\" Peter, the cornerstone of the apostles, replied, \\"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.\\" In response, the Lord declared, \\"Blessed are you, Simon Peter, son of Jonah, for this revelation was not made known to you by mere human understanding, but by My Father who is in heaven.\\" When Peter spoke of the Son of Man, he acknowledged the Son of God. What else did the Lord say to him? \\"You are Peter, and upon this rock, I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it\\" (Matt. 16:13-18). Therefore, if you too, moving beyond human reasoning, confess the Son of Man born of Mary as the Son of God, He will bless you as He did Holy Peter, and will establish the entire assembly of your faith on this foundation of belief, and the gates of hell shall not overcome it. He also liberated these bonds when He descended, by His holy body, to save those who wholeheartedly believe in Him."},{"author-name":"Jerome of Stridon","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88dcd3432c6dd41375498_Jerome%20of%20Stridon.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"It is astonishing that certain interpreters justify the misconceptions held by individuals and create extensive rationales explaining why some perceived John in our Lord Jesus Christ, while others identified Him as Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. In truth, their confusion regarding Elijah and Jeremiah parallels Herod’s error in identifying John, as he exclaimed, \\"This is John, whom I beheaded; he rose from the dead\\" (Mark 6:16). According to the Synodal translation referenced, John, whom I beheaded; he himself rose from the dead, and in him the display of power is evident. \\n\\nAnd He asked, \\"But who do you say that I am?\\" To which Simon Peter replied, \\"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.\\" It is essential for the discerning reader to recognize that from the context that follows, the apostles are referred to not merely as humans but as gods. Indeed, when He questioned, \\"Who do people say the Son of Man is?\\" He subsequently asked, \\"And who do you say I am?\\" The first question targets those who think in mortal terms, as they are mere men. But to you, who are gods, whom do you say I am? Peter, speaking on behalf of all the apostles, affirms, \\"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.\\" He refers to Him as the living God, contrasting Him with those other deities that are mistakenly regarded as gods but are ultimately lifeless, such as Saturn, Jupiter, Venus, Minerva (or Ceres), Libera, Hercules, and various other idols."},{"author-name":"Isidore of Pelusium","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88d94130e668938c9ae9d_Isidore%20of%20Pelusium.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":5,"exegesis-text":"The declaration, You are the Christ, the Son of God, represents the harmonious union of the two natures that the Son of God has graciously fulfilled in Himself for our salvation."},{"author-name":"Cyrill of Alexandria","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88a8ea5c988a4fc073480_Cyrill%20of%20Alexandria.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":5,"exegesis-text":"Peter did not proclaim “You are the Christ or the Son of God,” but rather declared Christ as the Son of the living God. While there are many who are anointed by grace and possess the status of sonship, only one holds the title of Son of God by essence. Thus, he specified with the definite article, Christ, the Son of God (ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ). By referring to Him as the Son of the living God, he emphasizes that He embodies life and is unaffected by death. Although His body experienced temporary weakness due to death, it was resurrected because the Word dwelling within Him could not be confined by the chains of death."},{"author-name":"Epiphanius of Pavia","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":6,"exegesis-text":"Did the Lord not understand the perceptions people had of Him? Yet, with this inquiry, He brought forth the confession from the apostle Peter, establishing a foundation of unwavering faith for future believers. The Lord's question was directed not just at Peter but at all the apostles when He asked, “Who do you say that I am?” To which one spoke for all: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God,” signifying the Messianic King who will judge the entire world; the Son of God; divine and human. Alas, the wretched Jews and unfortunate heretics, both now outsiders and destined for everlasting condemnation! If Christ is indeed the Son of God, then He is also God; for if He were not God, He could not be the Son of God. And since He is the Son, possessing all things from the Father, let us cling to Him wholeheartedly, for no one can escape His grasp."},{"author-name":"John Damascene","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88f1652142a026a0c6d53_John%20Damascene.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":8,"exegesis-text":"Peter, filled with passionate zeal and guided by the Holy Spirit, responded, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Thus, the one who referred to Himself as the Son of Man was recognized by Peter—indeed, by the Spirit speaking through Peter—as the Son of God. He is both fully divine and fully human. He is not the son of Peter, Paul, Joseph, or any other earthly father, but truly the Son of Man, for He had no earthly father, nor did He possess a heavenly mother."},{"author-name":"Euthymios Zigabenos","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":11,"exegesis-text":"Once more, Peter, characterized by his passionate nature, boldly declares a warning. He states, \\"He who is alive,\\" as it is recorded concerning Him, \\"The Lord is alive within you\\" (Num. 3:10); \\"I live, says the Sovereign Lord\\" (Num. 14:28), conveying a similar message—distinctively setting Him apart from lifeless idols."},{"author-name":"Symeon of Thessalonica","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c897e26d8de9e2f4f210fd_Symeon%20of%20Thessalonica.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":15,"exegesis-text":"What is sacred prayer? This holy invocation to our Saviour: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, is both a prayer and a vow. This prayer serves as: - a profession of faith; - a means of communion with the Holy Spirit; - a channel for Divine gifts; - a cleansing of the heart; - a banishment of evil spirits; - an indwelling of Christ; - a source of spiritual and Divine thoughts; - liberation from sins; - restoration of souls and bodies; - a mediator of Divine enlightenment; - an attraction of Divine mercy; - a bestower of revelations and Divine mysteries to the humble; - a foundation of salvation, as it embodies the saving name of our God. We have but one name to invoke - the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, ‘for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved’ (Acts 4:12), as the Apostle declares. Therefore, it is: - a prayer, as we seek Divine grace within it; - a vow, as invoking Christ commits us to Him; - a confession, as by it Peter was deemed blessed; - a granting of the Spirit, since ‘no man can say Jesus is Lord, but by the Holy Ghost’ (1 Cor. 12:3); - and a conduit of Divine gifts, for to Peter, Christ promised, ‘I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven’ (Matt. 16:17-19)."},{"author-name":"Michail (Lusin)","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c89550c567e172d15b3055_Michail%20(Lusin).png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"Simon Peter proclaimed, \\"You are the Christ.” Peter, known as the voice of the apostles, consistently bold and foremost among them, boldly declares, “You are the Christ” (Chrysostom, cf. Theophilus). - Christ refers to the Messiah, the Anointed One (see note on Matt. 1:1). - The title Son of God signifies the unique and singular Son of God, the only begotten of the Father, the second person of the Holy Trinity (Jn. 10:29, 36. Cf. note to the following verse). - The phrase Christ the Son of God encapsulates the core of Christian belief and confession (cf. Matt. 26:63, Jn. 11:27, Jn. 20:31, 1 Jn. 2:22, and Phil. 2:11). “He does not state, 'You are the Christ, the Son of God' without adding a specific title; rather, the Son is the one and only, begotten not by grace but from the essence of the Father. Many have been called ‘christs’ (without a specific title), including all kings and priests, yet the Christ (with a specific title) is singular” (Theophilus). - The Living One refers to the true God, distinct from the false deities of pagans that are lifeless and untrue. He alone is the source of life for all creation, both in time and eternity."},{"author-name":"Abbot Panteleimon about the Trinity","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"At that same moment, Simon Peter, often referred to as \\"the voice of the apostles,\\" known for his passionate and commanding presence, responded with fervor: \\"You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.\\" This declaration affirmed that Jesus is not merely a Son by grace but by His very nature—the unique, begotten Son, the second Person of the Most Holy Trinity and the source of life for all creation. This truthful acknowledgment emerged from the depths of Peter’s heart, filled with an unwavering faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God. It also reflected the shared belief of all the apostles, who had recognized Him as God's Son prior to this moment. Thus, far from the chosen nation of Israel, in the vicinity of the pagan city of Caesarea, which was dedicated to the Roman Emperor, our Lord Jesus Christ was proclaimed as the sovereign over the spiritual Israel of the world. He is the King for all who put their faith in Him, extending His reign from one end of the earth to the other. In this place, where His earthly crown would be none other than that of thorns, the Messiah-King, sent by the Father and incarnate as God, openly asserted His dominion over the entire world. This profound affirmation, expressed by Peter on behalf of all twelve apostles, was indeed a manifestation of divine revelation, as confirmed by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself."}]}
Support this project and get full access for only 4$/month
Commentarie text can’t be scrolled on PC at the moment. Please use your phone. We’re working on a fix.
