

Then, as the Great Commission of Matthew 28 declares, He is to be revealed by the witness of these followers going into the whole world to make other disciples. This fits in to the overall message behind this interaction with Simon Peter: that Jesus is the Christ and the time had come for Him to be revealed to the world outside of Judaism – first by His death and resurrection. By leading his disciples to this place, we can see the theme of Jesus' universal mission in his Gospel. Jesus is not swayed by the paganism of the territory - in fact, he doesn't even mention it. It was famous for its grotto where people worshiped the Greek god Pan. The area had only recently been renamed Caesarea Philippi, and it was the most paganized territory in Israel. This was the northern boundary of ancient Israel. They have journeyed some twenty-five miles (and seventeen hundred feet uphill) from the Lake of Galilee to the source of the Jordan River near the ancient city of Dan. We see here that Jesus had led his disciples north from the predominantly Jewish territory, more than likely to escape the crowds and to spend time privately with his disciples. "Then He warned the disciples that they should tell no one that He was the Christ." I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.'" I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. "And Jesus said to him, 'Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. "Simon Peter answered, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.'" "He said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?'" "Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, 'Who do people say that the Son of Man is?' And they said, 'Some say John the Baptist and others, Elijah but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.' We find this passage in Matthew 16:13-20 (NASB):

Question: Jesus said, 'You are Petros,' which means _ in the Greek, 'and on this Petra,' which means _ 'I will build my Church.'
