(Matthew 16:15)

In Matthew 16, we read that Jesus and his disciples made their way into the district of Caesarea Philippi. Located some 25 miles from the Sea of Galilee, Caesarea Philippi was a Greco-Roman city known for pagan worship. It was in the midst of such religious confusion that Jesus inquired of his disciples who people were claiming him to be. His disciples responded with a variety of answers: “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets” (Matthew 16:14). Disheartened by their answers, Jesus turned to each of his disciples and asked them a personal, pointed, and perennial question that neither they nor all of humanity to come could evade: “But who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15).

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