Jesus had been to the towns and villages “throughout Galilee”, doing great miracles for all, and teaching the people. He had been to Tyre and Sidon, on the Mediterranean Sea, and also to the country cast and south of Galilee (Mark 1:3939And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils. (Mark 1:39) and 7:24,31). His visits south to Judea, and going through Samaria, are also written of (John 4:3,43He left Judea, and departed again into Galilee. 4And he must needs go through Samaria. (John 4:3‑4)).
Here it is written that Jesus and the disciples started to the country north of Galilee to the towns of Caesarea Philippi, about twenty-five miles from the Sea of Galilee. That was near Mt. Hermon, and was in the border land of the nation of Israel when they first had the country in early times (Josh. 11:1717Even from the mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir, even unto Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon under mount Hermon: and all their kings he took, and smote them, and slew them. (Joshua 11:17)).
This shows us how Jesus went to all parts of the land of Israel, every where doing good to so many and telling God’s words, so that all peoples of the land must have heard of Him. They were people who knew the writings of the prophets, of a holy One to come to earth; they should have understood by the great miracles and wise answers and teachings of Jesus that He fulfilled all the promises.
On their walk to the northern border, Jesus and the disciples were perhaps more away from others, and Jesus asked them, “Whom do men say that I am?”
The sad answer to his question was that people thought He must be a prophet, not that He could be the Promised Messiah.
Then Jesus asked the disciples, “Whom say ye that I am?”
The disciples then fully believed that Jesus would be their Great King, but Jesus knew He would be refused as the Messiah and King, and He began to explain. to the disciples what would be done to Him.
He said that He “must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.”
Peter did not think that the Lord would be so treated, or that He should say this. Yet that was also what the prophets had written: that the Holy One would, “be led as a lamb to the slaughter”; and “be stricken”, and “bare the sins of many” (Isa. 53).
He asked the people who were then listening, this question:
“What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”
“What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
Not to believe the Lord Jesus as the One to suffer for our sins, is to lose our soul, and the things gained while in this world would be over.
ML 03/19/1944