Bible School · New Testament survey · Class 6 of 53

Peter's confession and the transfiguration: the Christ must suffer, the Son must be heard

Matthew 16–17 · about 22 minutes · Peter's confession; the transfiguration

By the end of this class you should be able to

Explain why Matthew 16:13-28 is the turning point of the Gospel and what changes at 16:21.
Describe Peter's confession, the promise of 16:17-19, and the main traditions of interpreting the rock, the keys and binding and loosing.
Interpret the call to take up the cross and the saying about the Son of Man's coming in 16:24-28.
Read the transfiguration (17:1-13) in the light of Exodus 24 and 34, Daniel 7 and Deuteronomy 18:15.
Explain the healing of the boy and the temple-tax episode (17:14-27) as teaching about faith and about the Son.

Read the passage

16Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came and tested Jesus by asking Him to show them a sign from heaven. ²But He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘The weather will be fair, for the sky is red,’ ³and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but not the signs of the times. ⁴A wicked and adulterous generation demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Then He left them and went away. ⁵When they crossed to the other side, the disciples forgot to take bread. ⁶“Watch out!” Jesus told them. “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” ⁷They discussed this among themselves and concluded, “It is because we did not bring any bread.” ⁸Aware of their conversation, Jesus said, “You of little faith, why are you debating among yourselves about having no bread? ⁹Do you still not understand? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? ¹⁰Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? ¹¹How do you not understand that I was not telling you about bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” ¹²Then they understood that He was not telling them to beware of the leaven used in bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. ¹³When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He questioned His disciples: “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” ¹⁴They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” ¹⁵“But what about you?” Jesus asked. “Who do you say I am?” ¹⁶Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by My Father in heaven. ¹⁸And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. ¹⁹I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” ²⁰Then He admonished the disciples not to tell anyone that He was the Christ. ²¹From that time on Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and that He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. ²²Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. “Far be it from You, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to You!” ²³But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me. For you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” ²⁴Then Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. ²⁵For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. ²⁶What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? ²⁷For the Son of Man will come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will repay each one according to what he has done. ²⁸Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”

Open Matthew 16 in the reader (BSB)

17After six days Jesus took with Him Peter, James, and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. ²There He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. ³Suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared before them, talking with Jesus. ⁴Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If You wish, I will put up three shelters—one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” ⁵While Peter was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him!” ⁶When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown in terror. ⁷Then Jesus came over and touched them. “Get up,” He said. “Do not be afraid.” ⁸And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus. ⁹As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Do not tell anyone about this vision until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” ¹⁰The disciples asked Him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” ¹¹Jesus replied, “Elijah does indeed come, and he will restore all things. ¹²But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him whatever they wished. In the same way, the Son of Man will suffer at their hands.” ¹³Then the disciples understood that He was speaking to them about John the Baptist. ¹⁴When they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus and knelt before Him. ¹⁵“Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering terribly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. ¹⁶I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not heal him.” ¹⁷“O unbelieving and perverse generation!” Jesus replied. “How long must I remain with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy here to Me.” ¹⁸Then Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment. ¹⁹Afterward the disciples came to Jesus privately and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” ²⁰“Because you have so little faith,” He answered. “For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” ²²When they gathered together in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men. ²³They will kill Him, and on the third day He will be raised to life.” And the disciples were deeply grieved. ²⁴After they had arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax came to Peter and asked, “Does your Teacher pay the two drachmas?” ²⁵“Yes,” he answered. When Peter entered the house, Jesus preempted him. “What do you think, Simon?” He asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs and taxes: from their own sons, or from others?” ²⁶“From others,” Peter answered. “Then the sons are exempt,” Jesus declared. ²⁷“But so that we may not offend them, go to the sea, cast a hook, and take the first fish you catch. When you open its mouth, you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for My tax and yours.”

Open Matthew 17 in the reader (BSB)

01Background

and 17 come at the centre of Jesus' public ministry. He has taught in Galilee, healed, and been refused by many. The two chapters mark a shift, and Matthew signals it with the phrase 'from that time' in , as he did in . The Gospel's author and date are discussed in the class on and 2. Here the setting is first the Sea of Galilee, where the Pharisees and Sadducees, who usually opposed each other, come together to test Jesus, and then the region of Caesarea Philippi.

Caesarea Philippi lay some twenty-five miles north of the Sea of Galilee at the foot of Mount Hermon, near a source of the Jordan. The Greeks had worshipped the god Pan there, and Philip the tetrarch, a son of Herod the Great, rebuilt the city and named it in honour of the emperor and himself. It was a place full of pagan religion and imperial claims. In that setting Jesus asks who people say he is. Many answers were in circulation: John the Baptist risen, Elijah, who was expected before the Messiah (), Jeremiah, or another prophet. The Messiah was widely expected as a Davidic king who would restore Israel, and the idea of a Messiah who dies was not a common expectation.

takes place 'six days later' on a high mountain. Christian tradition since late antiquity has named Mount Tabor, though many scholars favour Mount Hermon, closer to Caesarea Philippi. The text does not say. The chapter closes in Galilee and Capernaum, where the collectors of the temple tax ask for payment. This half-shekel was due from adult Jewish males for the upkeep of the temple, on the basis of .

02Outline

The demand for a sign, the sign of Jonah and the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees
Peter's confession at Caesarea Philippi and the promise of the church
The first prediction of the passion and Peter's rebuke
Take up the cross: the cost of following and the coming of the Son of Man
The transfiguration and the question about Elijah
The boy the disciples could not heal
The second prediction and the temple tax

03How to read it

This is Gospel narrative with dialogue, and it is built on a pattern. Jesus asks, Peter confesses, Jesus announces his death, Peter objects, and Jesus teaches the cost of discipleship. A second prediction follows in , and a third in . The structure shows that the confession is not the end of the story. The Messiah's identity is joined to his suffering, and the first statement in the Gospel that he must go to Jerusalem to be killed comes right after Peter's confession.

Much of the language is figurative. Keys, binding and loosing, the gates of Hades and a mountain moved by faith are images, and they need to be read with the Old Testament and Jewish usage. The keys echo , where the steward Eliakim receives the key of the house of David. 'Binding and loosing' was Jewish language for declaring what is forbidden and what is permitted, and it appears again in . The transfiguration is written in the language of theophany, an appearance of God, drawing on and 34 and and 10. Reading it requires asking what each detail recalls.

On 16:18, the Greek Petros (Peter) is masculine and petra (rock) is feminine, a difference some use to separate Peter from the rock, and others explain as a matter of grammar since a man's name cannot be feminine. Jesus probably spoke Aramaic, in which Peter's name Kepha (Cephas, ) is the same word for rock. The meaning is discussed in the tradition note. And 16:28 requires care: the saying that some standing there will not die before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom has been taken to mean the transfiguration, the resurrection, Pentecost, the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 or the final coming. Its place just before the transfiguration favours the first.

04What the text says

. The Pharisees and Sadducees ask for a sign from heaven. Jesus refuses all but the sign of Jonah, which he explained in as his three days in the grave. He warns the disciples about the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees, and after they think he means bread, he tells them that he means their teaching. They are called people of little faith.

. Jesus asks who people say the Son of Man is, and then asks the disciples who they say he is. Peter answers that he is the Christ, the Son of the living God. 'Christ' means the anointed king. 'Son of the living God' places him in a unique relationship, more than the title of any king (compare ). Jesus calls Peter blessed, because the Father in heaven, not flesh and blood, has revealed it. He renames Simon Peter and says he will build his church on this rock. 'Church' (ekklesia) is the word the Greek Old Testament uses for the assembly of Israel. The gates of Hades will not overcome it, a figure for death's power. Peter is given the keys of the kingdom and the authority to bind and loose. Then Jesus orders the disciples to tell no one that he is the Christ, because the title still needs to be understood in the light of the cross.

. 'From that time' Jesus begins to show that he must go to Jerusalem, suffer at the hands of the elders, chief priests and scribes, be killed and be raised on the third day. Peter rebukes him. Jesus turns and says, 'Get behind Me, Satan!' and calls Peter a stumbling block to him. This repeats the word to the tempter in , and being 'behind' Jesus is the place of a follower. Peter, who spoke by revelation, now speaks with human reasoning.

. Following means denying self and taking up a cross, the instrument of Roman execution. Whoever saves his life will lose it, and whoever loses it for Jesus' sake will find it. Nothing a person gains equals the soul. The Son of Man will come in his Father's glory with his angels, and repay each according to deeds, language from and .

. After six days Jesus takes Peter, James and John up a high mountain. He is transfigured (metamorphoo): his face shines like the sun and his clothes become white as light. Moses and Elijah appear and speak with him. Moses, who received the Law on Sinai (; ), and Elijah, who heard God on the mountain (), stand for the Law and the Prophets. Peter offers to make three tents, perhaps recalling the Feast of Tabernacles or the tent of meeting. A bright cloud, the sign of God's presence (; ), covers them. The Father's voice repeats the words at the baptism and adds, 'Listen to Him!' The disciples fall down in fear, Jesus touches them, and when they look up they see no one except Jesus.

. As they come down, Jesus tells them not to speak of the vision until the Son of Man has been raised. When they ask about Elijah, he says Elijah has already come, and they realise that he means John the Baptist.

. At the foot of the mountain the disciples have failed to heal a boy with seizures. Jesus calls the generation faithless and twisted, language from , and says faith as small as a mustard seed can move a mountain. He predicts his death again, and the disciples are grieved. At Capernaum the tax collectors ask whether Jesus pays the temple tax. Jesus tells Peter that the sons of kings are free from tax, but so as not to cause offence he sends him to catch a fish and pay with the coin in its mouth, enough for them both.

05Key terms

Christ christos (Hebrew mashiach): Anointed. The promised king of David's line.
Son of Man ho huios tou anthropou: Jesus' favourite title for himself. It draws on the heavenly figure of and can also mean simply 'a man'.
church ekklesia: An assembly. The Greek Old Testament uses it for the gathered people of God.
rock petra (Petros, Aramaic kepha): A mass of stone. Peter's name is the masculine form; in Aramaic it is the same word.
bind and loose deo, lyo: Jewish idiom for forbidding and permitting, and later for discipline ().
transfigured metamorphoo: Changed in form. Jesus' glory is shown through his body.

06In the whole Bible

The chapters join the two truths that Jesus is the Christ and that the Christ must suffer. This is the heart of New Testament teaching on the cross. to 53:12 had set the suffering servant beside the exalted one, and Jesus brings them together on the way to Jerusalem. The rejection of an easy Messiah, 'Get behind Me', warns against any presentation of Jesus that omits the cross.

The chapters also teach that knowing Christ is a gift of revelation. Peter's confession comes from the Father, as the Bible teaches elsewhere (). They introduce the doctrine of the church, Jesus' own community, which he promises to build and which death cannot overcome. The authority of binding and loosing is given again to the church in .

The transfiguration contributes a doctrine of glory. The glory of Sinai now shines in Jesus, and the Father commands the church to listen to him. Peter himself looks back on the event in as an eyewitness of Jesus' majesty. The Orthodox church has made it a central feast, and Gregory Palamas in the fourteenth century taught that the light on the mountain was uncreated divine light. Finally, and teach that faith, even small, is the way to God's power, and that the Son is free yet chooses to serve.

07Where Christ is

This is among the clearest passages on who Jesus is. Peter's confession is fulfilment: Jesus is the long-promised Christ, God's anointed King, and the Son of the living God. Jesus accepts it and says the Father revealed it. His title Son of Man coming in glory with angels () echoes , now joined to the shocking announcement that this Son of Man must die. The sign of Jonah is a type that Jesus himself explains in , with Jonah's three days in the fish pointing to his burial and resurrection.

The transfiguration shows him as the one greater than Moses and Elijah. They speak with him and then fade, leaving no one except Jesus, and the command 'Listen to Him' echoes Moses' promise of a coming prophet (), which applies to Jesus. The cloud and the shining face recall Sinai, but the glory is now in a person. Jesus also names John the Baptist as the Elijah of (; compare ), so the forerunner has come and the Messiah is here.

The temple-tax episode is a quiet claim. The kings of the earth do not tax their own sons, and Jesus, as Son, is free from the temple of his Father, yet he pays. The one who is Lord of the temple () submits so as not to cause offence, and this anticipates the willing humility of the cross. contrasts Moses as a servant in God's house with Christ as a son over it.

08How traditions read it

The meaning of 'on this rock' in divides Christian traditions. The Catholic Church teaches that the rock is Peter himself, and that Peter's office passes to the bishop of Rome; the First Vatican Council in 1870 defined papal primacy on this basis. Many Eastern Orthodox writers have read the rock as the faith Peter confessed, or as Peter as the first among equals, without a universal jurisdiction. The Reformers generally read the rock as Peter's confession or as Christ himself. Augustine in his Retractations noted that he had interpreted the rock sometimes as Peter and sometimes as Christ, and left the reader to choose. Some modern Protestant scholars hold that Peter is the rock but deny that the office passed to successors. All traditions agree on the confession itself.

09Review questions

Why do and both begin with the phrase 'from that time', and what changes at ?
What does Peter confess in , and what do the keys, binding and loosing, and the gates of Hades mean in their Old Testament and Jewish setting?
Why does Jesus rebuke Peter with 'Get behind Me, Satan', and how does the call in follow?
Which Old Testament scenes lie behind the transfiguration, and what does the Father's command 'Listen to Him' add?
How does the temple-tax scene in combine a claim about Jesus' identity with his willingness to serve?

Prepared with AI assistance. A scholar's review is still to come; if you spot anything to correct, please tell us.

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Dashed outline: region boundary as scholars identify it. Locations are best identifications, not certainties.Geocoding: OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0) · Map: Natural Earth