Who Do You Say I Am? a commentary on Matthew 16

Andrew Fouts
Sep 17
6 min read

A lot has happened over the past week, and the response so far has signaled an end to an era of a supposed illusion. For the past 10 years, we have been told repeatedly that Christian Nationalism did not exist, or was a fringe movement, or was just a Marxist boogeyman. I was told to forget about it and “just preach the gospel”. The past year, however, has presented a new objection as the term became commonplace in Washington, DC. Suddenly, the issue became the definition we used, or that we only found ourselves in situations where we only saw the worst of the worst. Up until a few days ago, the attitude of most pastors was to not condemn the movement but not necessarily endorse it either. That is, until Charlie Kirk was horrifically assassinated on September 10. The turmoil that followed ended this era in American Christianity. Now, suddenly, we have pastors and congregants removing the mask and fully embracing a version of the gospel they claimed for years didn't even exist. I write this as an attempt to hopefully allow some to see the reality of the change they have made. We all need to stop for a moment and answer a question Jesus asked in Matthew 16, “Who do you say that I am?”

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But you,” He asked them, “who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God!” And Jesus responded, “Simon son of Jonah, you are blessed because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the forces of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth is already bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth is already loosed in heaven.” And He gave the disciples orders to tell no one that He was the Messiah.

MATTHEW 16:13-20

WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM?

Before answering this question for yourselves, I want us to look at how Peter responds first. Peter gives us a 3-part answer: The Messiah, The Son of God, The Living God. In response to this answer, Jesus tells Peter he is going to build His church on this declaration. Peter answered correctly, and because of this, we should take a moment and remind ourselves of what it meant.

THE MESSIAH

This is a massive claim! Saying that Jesus was the Messiah was making a largely political statement for the time. This meant that Peter saw the fulfillment of millennia’s worth of prophecies wrapped up in the person of Jesus. He believed that Jesus would bring peace to the earth. That Jesus would unite the world under His Justice. That Jesus would end violence by turning swords into plowshares. That Jesus would bring about the kingdom of God, and allow for unity and justice to reign. This claim that Jesus was the Messiah came with a lot of conditions and was a dangerous claim, as it would ultimately signal rebellion against the Roman powers.

THE SON OF GOD

If Peter was putting himself in danger with the political comment before, he is now going a step further and putting himself in danger by making a claim that, if not true, was blasphemy. The claim that Jesus was the Son of God goes a step further than the claims made before. For all the physical work that was coming from the Messiah, the Son of God was capable of doing the same in the Spiritual realm as well.

THE LIVING GOD

If Peter was not specific enough, he doubles down now that he is declaring Jesus to be the God of Scripture. The God that creates life, sustains life, and will ultimately defeat death.

So, looking at this list, the testimony that Jesus is building his church on is this: That Jesus is the messiah who will rule creation with peace and justice, he will end violence and oppression, and turn weapons of destruction into tools of life and cultivation. He is the Son of God who will take away the sins of the world and bring about an end to the oppression of sin and death. He is the Living God. A God that redeems and sustains and gives purpose and meaning. This is the testimony of Peter in Matthew, and this is the testimony that Jesus calls His church to uphold.

SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN

This is the declaration that Jesus tells Peter He will establish His Church on. It is the very identity of what He is calling the Church to be. Peacemakers, Justice Seekers, nonviolent, anti-oppression, bringers of change in the world that cultivate growth and life in both the physical and spiritual world. We are supposed to seek redemption in the world and see everyone in the same manner that Christ does, with dignity and value.

Most would agree with this description of Jesus from Peter. However, the moment we shift into application for the Church, suddenly this description no longer becomes acceptable. We see this often in the responses we receive from people.

We are told that the Jesus Peter professed is effeminate and weak and pathetic, compared to the warrior king they champion.

We are told that the Jesus, Peter professed, is impractical with his teachings on caring for others as greater than ourselves.

We are told that the Jesus Peter professed is just a misguided Marxist who doesn't understand geopolitical consequences or the dangers of Islam.

We are told that the Jesus Peter professed is a leftist creation to slander the true believers. The believers who know that God’s Kingdom is America First, carrying assault rifles, and are worried much more about the sexuality of a community than whether or not the kids there can eat or see the doctor.

We are told that the Jesus Peter professed is one who is simply not suitable for leadership, and that would be overrun by every other power.

The Christ of Christian Nationalism is not the Christ that Peter professed. The Christ of Nationalism instead fits the description we see in Philippians 3.

“Their end is destruction; their god is their stomach; their glory is in their shame. They are focused on earthly things,”

Philippians 3:16

WHY DOES THIS MATTER

The division and outrage we see around us right now is found in the answer to Jesus’ question. Who do you say that Jesus is? Which Jesus is it that you are following after? The issue at hand is not that others professing to be Christians do not have faith or a love for Jesus. The issue lies fully in the Jesus that they are following. One leads to life, through humble service and sacrifice. The other leads to destruction, through greed and oppression. The divide in the American Church today is not a lack of faith on either side of the discussion, but fully in the identity of the Jesus being followed. So we all now need to ask ourselves the question Jesus asked Peter, and then take the next step in applying that answer to how you will serve Him.

So who do you say that Jesus is?

What are you going to do about it?

This post was written by Andrew Fouts. The founder and main content creator for Ministry Misfits. He is also one of the writers for the Overwhelming Victory Blog, as well as one of the directors and writers for KFM Broadcasting Network.