A Strange Place to Ask
Matthew 16:13–15
Jesus could have asked the most important question in the world anywhere. He could have asked it in the synagogue at Capernaum, or in the temple courts of Jerusalem. Instead, He walked His disciples some 40 to 50 kilometres north, to the foot of Mount Hermon, to a place called Caesarea Philippi.
It wasn’t on the way to anywhere. It’s a bit like Jesus saying, “Right, we’re all walking from Secret Harbour to the city, we’ll have a little Bible study, then we’re walking back.” There had to be a reason.
The reason was the backdrop. Caesarea Philippi was the “Sin City” of the region. It began as a centre of Baal worship. The Greeks later dedicated it to Pan, the half-man, half-goat god of the wild, and cut a shrine to him right into the rock face. There were temples to Zeus, and a gleaming white marble temple to Caesar, where “Caesar is Lord” was the confession of the empire. Even a nearby cavern was known as the “Gates of Hades.”
And there, surrounded by idols and man-made gods, Jesus turned to His friends and asked, “But who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15).
He asks it in the middle of the noise, not in a quiet place. Just as then for the disciples, your answer to this question will shape how you live here and where you spend eternity.
Pause and ponder: Where are you most tempted to keep your answer quiet?
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Next: Why everyone has an opinion about Jesus, and why opinions aren’t enough.