Lk 9:18-22
18Once when Jesus was praying in solitude, and the disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” 19They said in reply, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.’ ” 20Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said in reply, “The Messiah of God.” 21He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone.
22He said, “The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.”
The Messiah of God: Peter’s confession of Jesus is contained in all three Synoptic gospels. In Mark and Matthew, the event takes place in the region of Caesarea Philippi, north of Israel. Matthew has an additional material: Jesus calls Peter “blessed” and gives him the keys to the kingdom of heaven (Mt 16:17-19). The Lucan setting is a deserted place near Bethsaida by the Sea of Galilee, while Jesus prays in solitude.
When asked what people say about who their Master is, the disciples answer: John the Baptist, Elijah, or one of the ancient prophets. According to the “rule of three,” the emphasis is on the last of the three opinions. Jesus is therefore compared with the “ancient” or classical prophets who popular Jewish beliefs hold did not die, but were taken up into heaven. Though popular opinion gives him an honorable status, Jesus calls upon the disciples to give an alternative evaluation. Speaking for the group, Peter tells Jesus that he is the Messiah.
The Messiah (Greek Christos, “anointed”) would have been understood by Peter and companions in the popular Jewish sense of an anointed agent in the Davidic, kingly, and political tradition. The appellation “of God” would make Jesus one sent from God, one who has a special relationship with God. Peter, however, would not have understood that Jesus, the Messiah, would suffer greatly, be rejected, and be killed—as Jesus predicts after the confession. It is for Luke, writing in the light of Jesus’ resurrection and the grace of the Holy Spirit years later, to present the true and complete picture of the Messiah. Jesus is the Davidic Messiah because he is the true heir to God’s promise to David about the latter’s lasting dynasty (Lk 1:33). Jesus is “of God” because he is conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit (Lk 1:35). He will suffer because “Moses and the prophets” (Scriptures) say that it is necessary that the Messiah should suffer before he enters into his glory (Lk 24:26). Unless Jesus is seen and accepted as a suffering Messiah, any confession will fall short.