“But whom say ye that I am?”
The full verse · Mark 8:29 · KJV
unto , that ? and unto , the .
Asked by
Jesus: the Son of God and promised Messiah, traveling with His disciples to the towns of Caesarea Philippi (Mark 8:27)
The Scene
On the way to the towns of Caesarea Philippi, the disciples have just told Jesus that people call Him John the Baptist, Elijah, or one of the prophets (Mark 8:27-28).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionThis was the question Jesus had been leading to. The word "But" sets the disciples apart from the crowds: you have told Me what others say, now what do you say? Gill puts it plainly: "It was for the sake of this question he put the former."
It comes right after a chapter full of the disciples' slowness (Mark 8:17-21). The question asks whether, after all they had seen, they knew who He was. Barnes, commenting on the parallel in Matthew, explains that "the Christ" means "the Messiah, the 'Anointed' of God."
The Response
What Scripture recordsPeter answered for the group: "Thou art the Christ" (Mark 8:29). Gill notes that all the apostles agreed with Peter's confession. Jesus then "charged them that they should tell no man of him" (Mark 8:30) and began to teach them that "the Son of man must suffer many things ... and be killed, and after three days rise again" (Mark 8:31). Peter, who had just confessed Him, "began to rebuke him," and Jesus rebuked Peter in turn (Mark 8:32-33).
Historical Context
The world behind the words"Christ" is the Greek form of the Hebrew title Messiah, meaning "Anointed." Gill describes Peter's answer as naming "the Messiah that was long ago promised and so often prophesied of in the books of Moses and the prophets."
Each Gospel words Peter's answer a little differently. Mark has "Thou art the Christ." Luke has "The Christ of God" (Luke 9:20). Matthew has "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God," and adds Jesus' reply that "flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 16:16-17). Luke also notes that Jesus had been "alone praying" before He asked (Luke 9:18).
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyEarlier in Mark, people kept wondering who Jesus is. The disciples asked, "What manner of man is this?" (Mark 4:41), and Herod heard many guesses (Mark 6:14-16). Now one of Jesus' own followers says it plainly. Matthew Henry writes, "To be a Christian indeed, is, sincerely to believe that Jesus is the Christ, and to act accordingly."
Yet the next scene shows that seeing who Jesus is does not yet mean seeing what He came to do. Peter had the right title but rebuked Jesus for speaking of suffering (Mark 8:31-33). Like the man at Bethsaida who first saw "men as trees, walking" (Mark 8:24), the disciples saw truly but not yet clearly. Jesus answered that by teaching them about the cross (Mark 8:34-35). In Matthew's account Jesus says this confession came from the Father, not from human reasoning (Matthew 16:17).
Look Closer
What is the main difference between this question and the one in Mark 8:27?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Lord Jesus, You asked Your disciples who they said You are; who do I truly believe You are, and how do You want that answer to shape the way I follow You?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- Jesus asked for each disciple's own answer, not the crowd's. What makes it easy or hard for you to say for yourself who Jesus is?
- Peter was right about who Jesus is but struggled with His path of suffering. When have you found it hard to accept the way Jesus works?
- Tell about a moment when Jesus became more than a name you had heard about.
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
At some point the question becomes personal. You can know what everyone else says about Jesus and still need to answer this for yourself: who do you say He is?
Peter's answer was right, and it was only the beginning. Right after confessing Jesus as the Christ, he had to learn that following the Christ means to "take up his cross, and follow me" (Mark 8:34). Your confession is meant to grow into a way of life, as Matthew Henry says, to "act accordingly."
This does not mean you must have everything figured out before you can confess Him. Peter did not. Jesus received his confession and kept teaching him.
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources
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