Section 16:13–20

Peter declared that Jesus is the Christ

In this section, Peter declared that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus agreed with Peter that he was the Messiah. But then he told the disciples that they must not yet tell this truth to other people. Jesus also described the community which he was creating—the church. And he told them that Peter would have a very important part in it.

Here are some other possible headings for this section:

Peter’s Confession of Christ (New International Version)
-or-
Peter declared his belief that Jesus is the Messiah

There are parallel passages for this section in Mark 8:27–30 and Luke 9:18–22.

Paragraph 16:13–16

The story in 16:13–16 began sometime after the story in 16:5–12 ended. The Greek text does not say how much time passed between these two stories. In some languages, it is natural to begin a story with a time word or phrase. If your language does that, use an expression here that is not too specific. For example:

Then

16:13a

When Jesus came: This clause implies that this story happened after Jesus and his disciples arrived near Caesarea Philippi (see map above). They were still on the journey which started when they crossed the Sea of Galilee (in 16:5).

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

When Jesus came ⌊with his disciples⌋
-or-
Then Jesus ⌊and his disciples⌋ arrived

to the region of Caesarea Philippi: The words Caesarea Philippi refer to a town in far northern Israel. The name of the town comes from the names of two men: Emperor Augustus Caesar and Herod Philip. Herod Philip had enlarged a small village there and named it after Caesar and himself. This town is different than the town of Caesarea located along the coast.

The phrase the region of Caesarea Philippi refers to the land around this town.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

to the district of Caesarea Philippi (English Standard Version)
-or-
to the territory near the town of Caesarea Philippi (Good News Translation)
-or-
near the town of Caesarea Philippi (Contemporary English Version)

16:13b

Who do people say the Son of Man is?: This question is asking more than who Jesus’ parents were, where he grew up, or what his name was. Jesus knew that the people who saw him do miracles had an opinion about how he got such power. The disciples’ answer shows that the people believed that Jesus was John the Baptist or one of the prophets. Translate this question in a way that fits the answer in 16:14a–c.

Here are some other ways to translate this question:

Who do people think that the Son of Man is?

-or-

Who do people believe that the Son of Man is?

say: In this context the verb say refers to what the people thought or believed, as well as to what they said. In some languages it may be more natural to use a verb like “think” or “believe” here.

the Son of Man:
Jesus often referred to himself as the Son of Man. In some languages it may be necessary to make it clear that Jesus was referring to himself. For example:

⌊I,⌋ the Son of Man

In Matthew, this phrase first occurs in 8:20b. See the Note there for more information on translating this phrase. This phrase last occurred in 13:41a.

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