TEXT [Commentary]

III. To Jerusalem, Passion, and Vindication (8:27–16:8)

A. Passion Predictions and Discipleship Teaching (8:27–10:52)

1. Peter’s confession at Caesarea Philippi (8:27-30; cf. Matt 16:13-20; Luke 9:18-21)

27 Jesus and his disciples left Galilee and went up to the villages near Caesarea Philippi. As they were walking along, he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”

28 “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the other prophets.”

29 Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”

Peter replied, “You are the Messiah.[*]”

30 But Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.

NOTES

8:27 Caesarea Philippi. This town was north of the Sea of Galilee at the source of the Jordan River, southwest of Mount Hermon. It was a predominantly non-Jewish area ruled by Herod Philip. It was named after Caesar and Philip and was known for its beauty.

As they were walking along. The theme of “the way” appears frequently in Mark 8–10 (8:3, 27; 9:33-34; 10:17, 32, 46, 52). Jesus was on a divinely directed journey.

Who do people say I am? This question introduces the turning point in Mark’s Gospel.

COMMENTARY [Text]

This crucial passage in Mark concerns the disciples’ understanding of Jesus’ identity. Peter took the lead in confessing that Jesus was the Messiah. Once this confession was made, the discussion turned to the kind of Messiah Jesus would be, namely, one who suffered. But first, Jesus asked who other people thought he was. The point of the passage is the contrast between the crowd’s perceptions and that of the disciples.

The crowds thought that Jesus was either “John the Baptist . . . Elijah . . . [or] one of the other prophets.” The crowds respected Jesus as one through whom God was working, in contrast to the rejection from the Jewish leaders. The answer was significant in communicating the crowd’s regard for Jesus, but it was still inadequate. The reference to John the Baptist probably suggested that the spirit of John the Baptist was present in Jesus. Elijah pointed to the nearness of the eschatological age (Mal 4:5).

Jesus turned the question to the disciples, who had been with him for some time. Had their familiarity with him helped them understand who he was? Peter answered for the group by confessing, “You are the Christ.” Although there is some difference in this answer in each synoptic (Matthew has “Christ, Son of the Living God” and Luke has “the Christ of God”), the gist they affirm is that Jesus is the Christ. Peter affirmed that Jesus was the unique, promised, anointed one of God. The reply evokes 1:1, while 14:61-62 shows the title as a key point of dispute with the Jewish leaders. The point of the answer was in the contrast between Jesus as merely a prophet and as the promised, chosen One of God. If Jesus was the Messiah, then he stood at the center of God’s plan and there was no other like him. The disciples understood this much, but they had much more to learn about the Messiah. They had expected a powerful conquering figure, probably very much like the militaristic victor pictured in the Psalms of Solomon 17–18.

After the confession, Jesus commanded the disciples not to say this to anyone else. The type of Messiah they expected and the type of Messiah he would be were very different, as the next few passages will show. Until they understood who Jesus was as the Messiah, they were to remember the confession but not proclaim it. This feature shows the authenticity of the passage, for the early church openly proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah. This restriction applied only until the disciples appreciated who Jesus was in his suffering. Until they appreciated that dimension of his work, they were not ready to explain Jesus’ role within the Kingdom. The rest of the Gospel is dedicated to making that role clear and to showing its impact on Jesus’ disciples, who must walk the same path. Taylor (1966:377) also argues that proclaiming Jesus as Messiah would have had political overtones that had to be avoided until Jesus’ use of the term was really understood.