The Life of Christ

The district of Caesarea, Philippi, stands as one of the most picturesque locations of all Galilee.

• It was located at the far north end of Galilee and hosted the headwaters of the Jordan River, which then fed into the Sea.

• Snowmelt from nearby Mt. Hermon supplied underground springs that created a true garden-like luscious environment.

• At the western side of the steep mountain, crowned by an immense cavern, stands an abrupt rock wall. From here an underground spring emerges and marks the beginning of the Jordan River.

• This cave served as an ancient heathen sanctuary for multiple heathen deities that include Pan, Zeus, Caesar, and Augustus.

It was against this backdrop of assorted deities that Jesus questioned His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I am?”

• We also note a rare but revealing difference between how Matthew and Luke recorded these very words of Jesus. • Matthew 16:13 records Jesus saying, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

• Luke 9:18 records Jesus saying, “Who do the multitudes say that I am?”

• The meaning is the same, but the sentence structure is different.

• This simple difference shows that the Gospel writers do not write down Jesus’ words as though they were a transcription into a recording device; instead, they write the pure essence of what Jesus said.

We see the same type of distinction in Mt. 16:16; Mk. 8:29; Lk. 9:20.

• Mt. 16:16: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Mk. 8:29: “You are the Christ.”

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Lk. 9:20: “The Christ of God .”

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Mt. 16:13-14 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He began asking His disciples, saying, “Who do people say that the Son of Man i s?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”

Although the literal reappearance of Elijah, and possibly Jeremiah were expected, the Pharisees did not teach, nor did the Jews believe in, a transmigration of souls.

• Some may have seen Jesus as merely finishing out what John began — to prepare the way for the coming Messiah.

• Up until now nobody is willing to commit to predict who the Messiah would truly be.

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