Word
of God
But he replied and
said, "It is written, 'It is not by bread alone that a man
lives, except by every word that issues from the mouth of God
The Gospel According
to Matthew 4:4
The Gospel
According to Mark 8:27-28
All commentary
and study notes are prefaced/edited by Dr. Riktor Von Zhades
27 And Jesus went
out, and his disciples into the towns of Caesarea Philippi. And by
the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say
that I am? 28 And they answered, Some say, John Baptist: and some,
Elijah: and some, one of the Prophets. 29 And he said unto them, But
whom say ye that I am? Then Peter answered, and said unto him, Thou
art that Christ.
Brethren:
Contained within the
Gospel According to Matthew is a likened passage wherein Simon
continues His statement and adds the words “ Son of the living
God”. Jesus responds that only the Holy Spirit of the Father can
reveal this to whom He chooses.
And so it is also
true today. Brethren, we are led by the Holy Spirit to make disciples
of all men, but it is the same Spirit that brings those men to the
understanding of the offer of redemption and grace of the Father.
They can choose to accept it, or reject it, but they cannot say they
know naught of it. - Dr. RVZ
“They prove that
he is the true Messiah, the Son of God, and Saviour of the world:
this the works he did witnessed concerning him; and this his
disciples, who were the eye-witnesses of those works, here profess
their belief of; which cannot but be a satisfaction to us in making
the same inference from them.
Christ inquired of
them what the sentiments of the people were concerning him; Who did
men say that I am? Note, Though it is a small thing for us to be
judged of men, yet it may sometimes do us good to know what people
say of us, not that we may seek our own glory, but that we may hear
our faults. Christ asked them, not that he might be informed, but
that they might observe it themselves, and inform one another.
The account they
gave him, was such as plainly intimated the high opinion the people
had of him. Though they came short of the truth, yet they were
convinced by his miracles that he was an extraordinary person, sent
from the invisible world with a divine commission. It is probable
that they would have acknowledged him to be the Messiah, if they had
not been possessed by their teachers with a notion that the Messiah
must be a temporal Prince, appearing in external pomp and power,
which the figure Christ made, would not comport with; yet (whatever
the Pharisees said, whose copyhold was touched by the strictness and
spirituality of his doctrine) none of the people said that he was a
Deceiver, but some said that he was John Baptist, others Elias,
others one of the prophets. All agreed that he was one risen from
the dead.
[However], the
account they gave him of their own sentiments concerning him,
intimated their abundant satisfaction in him, and in their having
left all to follow him, which now, after some time of trial, they see
no reason to repent; But whom say ye that I am? To this they have an
answer ready, Thou art the Christ, the Messiah often promised, and
long expected. To be a Christian indeed, is, sincerely to believe
that Jesus is the Christ, and to act accordingly; and that he is so,
plainly appears by his wondrous works. This they knew, and must
shortly publish and maintain; but for the present they must keep it
secret (Read Mark 8:30), till the proof of it was completed, and they
were completely qualified to maintain it, by the pouring out of the
Holy Ghost; and then let all the house of Israel know assuredly that
God has made this same Jesus, whom ye crucified, both Lord and
Christ. (Read Acts 2:36) - Matthew Henry 17th Century Theologian
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