Matthew 16:18 — “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
What is a divine revelation? Simply put, it is something that is made known directly from God. Throughout Scripture, God revealed things to individuals that they could not have known through human wisdom or understanding. But in Matthew 16, we find a particularly important revelation—one concerning the identity of Jesus Christ and, from that revelation, the Church that He would build.
Jesus had brought His disciples to Caesarea Philippi and asked them a question: “Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?” The disciples answered by telling Him what they had heard from others. Some said He was John the Baptist, some Elijah, some Jeremiah, and others one of the prophets.
The world still has many opinions about Jesus today. Some recognize Him as a great moral teacher. Others describe Him as a revolutionary, a prophet, or an important historical figure. Many people are willing to acknowledge that Jesus was extraordinary, but stop short of recognizing who He truly is.
But Jesus didn’t stop with the question, “Whom do men say that I am?” He made the question personal:
“But whom say ye that I am?”
That is the question that matters.
It doesn’t ultimately matter what the world says about Jesus. It doesn’t matter what social media says, what popular opinion says, or even what someone else has told us about Him. Each of us must answer the question for ourselves: Who is Jesus to me?
The disciples had spent considerable time with Jesus. They had witnessed miracles that demonstrated His power. They had seen the blind receive their sight, the sick healed, the lame walk, and even the dead raised. They had listened to His teaching and had opportunities to ask Him questions and learn from Him. These were not people who were unfamiliar with Jesus.
Yet Jesus still asked them, “Whom say ye that I am?”
That teaches us something important. It is possible to spend years around the things of God without ever settling the question personally in our own hearts. A person can attend church, sing the hymns, hear the preaching, quote Scripture, and faithfully participate in the work of God, yet still need a personal revelation of Jesus Christ.
It is not enough that our parents knew Him.
And it is not enough simply to know what The Church believes about Him.
Every disciple must personally answer the question: “Who is Jesus to me?”
Peter answered, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Peter was not simply repeating the opinion of the crowd. He wasn’t quoting something he had heard from another person. He was declaring what had been revealed to him by God. Jesus immediately told Peter that flesh and blood had not revealed this truth to him, but His Father in heaven.
This is what makes divine revelation so important. There is a difference between knowing something because someone told you and knowing something because God has made it real to you.
The Rock of Divine Revelation
Immediately following Peter’s confession, Jesus said:
“Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
This passage must be rightly divided. Jesus was not saying that the Church would be built upon Peter as a man. Peter was a human being who would eventually die. The Church could never depend upon a man for its foundation.
The rock was the divine revelation of who Jesus Christ is.
Jesus was declaring that His Church would be built upon the truth that He is the Christ, the Son of the living God.
And notice the promise that followed:
“The gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
The revelation of who Christ is cannot be destroyed by the opposition of hell. Human opinions cannot change it. Cultural changes cannot change it. The passing of generations cannot change it. The truth concerning Jesus Christ remains.
We may talk about the Church, study the Church, learn its history, and understand its teachings, but before we can truly have a clear revelation of the Church, we must first have a clear revelation of who Christ is.
The Church cannot be separated from its Builder.
If our understanding of the Church begins with an organization, a name, a building, a history, or a group of people, we have started in the wrong place. The foundation is Jesus Christ.
Jesus Is the Promised Messiah
Jesus is also the promised Messiah.
When Andrew first encountered Jesus, he immediately went to find his brother Simon and said, “We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.”
For generations, Israel had waited for God’s Anointed One. The prophets had spoken of Him. The sacrifices pointed toward Him. The promises anticipated Him.
Then Jesus came.
He was not simply another prophet pointing people toward salvation.
He was the Messiah. He was the Christ.
The word “Christ” is a title meaning the Anointed One. Jesus was the One toward whom the promises, prophecies, and sacrifices had been pointing.
The Question Still Remains
After considering all of these things, we come back to the question Jesus asked His disciples:
“But whom say ye that I am?”
That question is not merely a theological question. It is personal.
Who is Jesus to you?
Is He simply someone you have heard about?
Is He simply the One your parents believed in?
Is He simply the One preached about from the pulpit?
Or has the truth of who He is become a personal revelation in your heart?
The answer to that question becomes the foundation for everything else.
Before we can have a clear revelation of The Church of God, we must first have a divine revelation of Jesus Christ. We must know Him—not merely know about Him.