Location Matters

Location Matters

Matthew 16:13, NIV

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

Setting the Scene

Jesus was an equal opportunity visitor. No neighborhood was off limits to him. He visited the forbidden areas of the Samaritans and ministered along the seashore near the Gentile cities of Tyre and Sidon. Our passage for this week records his travels north from his home base into the region of Caesarea Philippi, a cosmopolitan area about twenty-five miles from Bethsaida on the upper end of the Sea of Galilee. This city was part of the territory ruled on behalf of the Romans by Philip, the brother of Herod Antipas. Its setting on the lower slopes of Mount Hermon made it an attractive site. Philip chose the city as his capital. Today, the ancient ruins are known as Banias, a slightly altered form of its most ancient name Panias, related to the Greek god Pan.

Caesarea Philippi and its surrounding area were known as a center for pagan worship. Both Philip and his father, Herod the Great, sponsored the construction of temples and public works. The population of the area was mostly Gentile, so the trip took Jesus and the Twelve out of their usual circumstances. Shrines and other reminders of pagan practices would have been all around them. This was the setting for Jesus’ crucial question for the disciples.

The trip to a new region took place at the height of Jesus’ ministry. It followed swiftly on the heels of the second large feeding miracle. Jesus had become the focal point of a religious/political power struggle in Israel. The structure of power represented by the Sadducees and Pharisees had rejected Jesus as Messiah. Plans were now afoot behind the scenes to trick or pressure Jesus into a fatal failure that would make it possible to remove him from the scene.

Throughout these days, Jesus seemed to remain deliberate but never desperate. He was not campaigning for popularity but intent on practicing compassion. He fed four thousand (Matthew 15:32-38), not to increase or even solidify his following, but because, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way” (Matthew 15:32, NIV). His words to and about those who were the recognized spiritual authorities make it clear that he never angled for their approval.

Jesus asked his question when he was alone with his disciples. Because so few of these private exchanges are recorded, each of them takes on added significance. These were instances in which Jesus communicated with his intimate followers certain truths they wouldn’t understand until later. He was preparing them for his eventual departure long before they were ready to consider the fact that Jesus had to die and rise again in order to accomplish God’s plan. He was about to give them the jewel that included all the facets of his life and ministry. He would ask them to hold this jewel in confidence until the time was right to share it with the world.

Getting Personal

What settings do you find most conducive for listening to God?

At what age did you first answer Jesus’ question, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

Not every principle we read or story we study in Scripture has an immediate personal application. Some lessons are preparatory. We may understand a concept like God’s ownership of the church but not recognize the personal importance of God’s sovereign work through his church until we have been Christ-followers for years.

Talking to God

Thank God for his constant presence with you that makes it possible for you to have times apart from distractions to be alone with him. Praise God for the teaching of his Word, which can bear fruit in your life immediately and also in years to come.