Banias

So turn, if you will, to Matthew chapter 16.

We're going to talk today about the journey to Caesarea Philippi.

So the journey to Caesarea Philippi, we're going to be in Matthew chapter 16. looking at verse 13.

Matthew 16 and 13.

Jesus is traveling with his disciples as he did.

They weren't riding horses or driving a car, any of those things.

They were on foot traveling around Israel.

And so they find themselves traveling into the region that is known as Caesarea Philippi.

We have a great confession here.

Jesus came onto the coast of Caesarea Philippi.

He asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I, the Son of Man, am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist, some Elias, and others Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.

He said unto them, a very important question that we ourselves deal with and should ask ourselves, But whom say ye that I am? Do we know? Do we have this for ourself? a revelation of who Jesus is.

13 to 20, okay, I have it here.

Now, when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he was asking his disciples, hey, who do people say that the Son of Man is? And they said, some say John the Baptist and others Elijah, but still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.

He said to them, but who do you say that I am? And Simon Peter answered, you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.

And Jesus said to him, blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

And during that journey has featured the formation, the training of his disciples.

It opened with Peter's confession at Caesarea Philippi.

You are the Christ, the son of the living God.

Although not reported in our lectionary for the year of Matthew, it ends with another confession of faith as the two men from Jericho proclaim Jesus as the son of David.

For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world, but forfeit their life? For what will they give in return for their life? For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what he has done, for what has been done.

Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.'" Jesus led his disciples to Caesarea Philippi, to this probably obscure place that they thought, "What the heck are we doing here?" And it's said that Jesus probably led them to a specific place where there was a great, uh, cliff face, a rock cliff face, and there were little pebbles on the beach.

A place where many gods were worshiped.

There was a statue in the shape of a man, in the form of a man, of a god that they worshiped, and they worshiped Caesar, a man, as God.

The Self Life.

Matthew chapter sixteen, verse twenty-four, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." In the thirteenth verse we read that Jesus at Caesarea Philippi asked His disciples, "Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?" When they had answered, He asked them, "But whom say ye that I am?" And in verse sixteen Peter answered and said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus answered and said unto him, "Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jonas: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Then in verse twenty-one we read how Jesus began to tell His disciples of His approaching death.

And in verse twenty-two how Peter began to rebuke Him, saying, "Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee." But Jesus turned and said unto Peter, "Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offense unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men." Then said Jesus unto His disciples, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."

Now, some have said Mount Hermon.

because maybe it's a little closer to Caesarea Philippi.

But Mount Tabor, which has the longer tradition among Christians as being the Mount of Transfiguration, both of them are very, very high mountains, and it says an exceedingly high mountain where this took place.

But there's Moses and Elijah, and Now, when I think about Moses, I think about the burning bush.