Why did Jesus ask the disciples, 'Who do you say that I am?'

TL;DR:

Jesus asks His disciples “Who do you say that I am” because He wanted them to recognize Him as the Son of God. Our salvation depends on acknowledging who Jesus is.

In Matthew 16:15, Mark 8:29, and Luke 9:20 Jesus asks His apostles, "Who do you say that I am?" He wanted to reveal the truth to them through the answer. In Luke’s account, the prelude to asking this question was Jesus sending His disciples to preach the gospel, giving them power to perform miracles, and Him performing the miracle of the loaves and fishes (Luke 9:1–17). Naturally, these events caused people to wonder who Jesus really was. After asking His disciples, who others said He was, He asked them "Who do you say that I am?" (Luke 9:18–20; Matthew 16:13–20; Mark 8:27–30). After this time, Jesus started to speak to them about His upcoming death and resurrection (Matthew 16:21; Mark 8:31; Luke 9:21–22). Despite the disciples’ faith in Jesus and their knowledge of Hebrew scriptures related to the Messiah, they still had trouble understanding when Jesus told them what was to happen to Him (Matthew 16:22–23; Mark 8:32–33). They full mystery of the gospel was veiled (Romans 16:25–17; 1 Corinthians 2:7–10; Ephesians 3:3–6; Colossians 2:1–15). Jesus’ exchange with His apostles shows His desire to help them come to knowledge of Him progressively (Luke 24:36–49). Jesus saves because He has the authority to as Son of God (Matthew 28:18). “Who do you say that I am?” is the most important question we will ever answer and has eternal significance.

from the old testament

Psalm 2:7 is both a reference to the Davidic kingdom and a Messianic prophecy: “I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, ‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you.’” God referred to David’s kingdom as everlasting (2 Samuel 7:13) and presented Himself as Father to David’s descendants (2 Samuel 7:13–14). This psalm points to Jesus as the Son of the Living God, as Peter identified him in Matthew 16:16.
Isaiah 53:12 present this messianic prophecy: “Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.” This is one of many messianic prophecies from the Old Testament. Jesus quotes part of this passage in Luke 22:37, pointing to Himself as the fulfillment of the prophecy.

from the new testament

In Luke 9:20, Jesus asks His apostles a most important question: “Then he said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ And Peter answered, ‘The Christ of God.’” After having given His apostles power to perform miracles in His name, and after having miraculously fed the five thousand, Jesus wanted the apostles to articulate who He was. Peter answered rightly because God opened his mind to the truth (Matthew 16:17).
The same exchange is recorded in Matthew 16:15–17: “He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter replied, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.’” In Matthew’s account, Peter affirms Jesus as Lord and as the Son of God incarnate.
John 3:18 says, “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” Like Peter, we must acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God. Our salvation depends on acknowledging the truth: Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah prophesied of in the Old Testament.

implications for today

Who is Jesus? Our salvation depends on our answer to that question. Many people today respect Jesus as a great moral teacher. But as Christian theologian C.S. Lewis asserts in Mere Christianity, we can’t think of Jesus as just a wise teacher because that isn’t who He claimed to be. Jesus claimed to be the Son of God (Matthew 16:15–17). As Lewis logically points out, we must accept His claim, for the only alternatives are that He wasn’t truthful or wasn’t sane—either of which would negate the notion of Him being a great moral teacher. Jesus is exactly who He claimed to be: God’s Son, the Messiah. The Pharisees who opposed Him recognized that only God could forgive sins but wouldn’t connect that to Jesus forgiving sins and performing miracles in their presence (Luke 5:21). We must acknowledge Jesus for who He is and put our faith in the One who has made it possible for our sins to be forgiven. As Christians, when we talk to others about Jesus, we must proclaim Him by His true identity: Son of God, not merely a wise teacher. Our sins aren’t wiped clean by just a wise teacher. Who is Jesus? Like Peter, all believers know the answer is “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). Jesus saves because He has the authority to as the Son of God (Matthew 28:18).

understand

Jesus' question highlights the importance of recognizing Him as the Son of God for salvation.
Acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah is essential for faith and challenges the view of Him as just a moral teacher.
How we answer who Jesus is determines our eternal destiny.

reflect

How do you personally define who Jesus is in your life? How does that understanding impact your faith?
How has your understanding of who Jesus is grown and changed as you’ve known and encountered Him?
How can you deepen your understanding of Jesus as the Son of God and let that truth impact your daily life?

engage

What are some common misconceptions about Jesus today? How can we effectively address these in conversations with others?
How does acknowledging Jesus as the Son of God influence our understanding of salvation and forgiveness of sins?
In what ways can we encourage each other to grow in our recognition of who Jesus is, especially during times of doubt or struggle?

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