August 23, 2026 - Trinity 12: What Do You Say?

Matthew places Jesus away from the busyness of Galilee, alone with the Twelve, and brings them to two questions that cannot be avoided. Jesus first asks what the people are saying about the Son of Man. The crowds can see the miracles, hear the preaching, and know that something extraordinary is happening, yet their answers fall short. John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets all give Jesus honor, but none of them confess who he truly is.

Jesus then presses the question home: “But you, who do you say that I am?” Peter answers with a clear confession: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Peter does not say Jesus was the Christ, might be the Christ, or ought to be the Christ. Peter says, “You are.” Jesus is the Anointed One, the Messiah promised through all the Scriptures, the one sent to save people from sin and death.

The Messiah’s work includes open ears for the Lord’s Word, hands ready to heal, feet ready to go where the Father sends him, and a voice that proclaims freedom to those captured by sin and death. The Messiah’s body would be pierced under the weight of wandering sheep, buried in a rich man’s tomb, and then raised again to see the light of life. Jesus fulfills the Lord’s promises through his suffering, death, resurrection, ascension, and the preaching of repentance and forgiveness in his name.

Peter also confesses Jesus’ person: “the Son of the living God.” The Son is not merely a great prophet, teacher, guru, or enlightened man. The Son is equal with the Father, the beloved Son announced at his baptism, true God who became man for the salvation of the world. The living God stands in sharp contrast to dead idols, gods formed by sinful minds and devilish lies, gods with eyes that cannot see and feet that cannot walk.

Jesus gives the reason Peter can make this confession. Flesh and blood did not reveal it to him. The Father in heaven revealed it. Faith in Christ is not the result of human cleverness, popular opinion, or religious effort. God gives the gift of faith so that sinners place all confidence in Christ’s life for them, death in their place, and resurrection that brings eternal life. That blessing matters most when everything finally comes down to the question: Who do you say Jesus is?

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Jesus demands a personal confession Jesus does not leave the disciples with the safer question of what everybody else thinks. Jesus brings the matter directly to Peter and the Twelve: “But you.” Faith cannot live merely on public opinion, family tradition, or a general respect for Jesus. Christ calls for a heart that trusts and a mouth that confesses him as he truly is. [32:19]
• 2. Christ means God’s promised Savior The title Christ is not simply a religious name attached to Jesus. The Messiah comes to do the Father’s saving work, carrying sin, dying under judgment, and rising into life again. Jesus fulfills what prophets, priests, kings, sacrifices, and promises had been pointing toward all along. [33:30]
• 3. The Son belongs to the living God Peter’s confession identifies Jesus as more than a remarkable man. The Son shares the Father’s divine life and authority, while every invented god remains a dead idol unable to save or speak. The living God gives life to creation and gives the life of salvation through his Son. [36:28]
• 4. Faith is revealed, not self-produced The Father reveals Christ to Peter because fallen flesh and blood cannot arrive at this confession on their own. Faith removes boasting because it receives rather than achieves. The believer’s confidence rests not in the strength of a decision, but in God’s grace that opens blind eyes to see Christ. [39:14]
• 5. Blessing rests on Christ alone The blessing that matters most does not come from being right about every opinion in the world. Christ blesses those whose confidence rests in his life, his death in their place, and his resurrection from the dead. That faith gives a hope that reaches beyond death into eternal life.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [25:34] - Jesus Asks Two Questions
• [26:43] - What the Crowds Say About Jesus
• [29:01] - Modern Opinions of Jesus
• [31:14] - But You, Who Do You Say?
• [32:55] - Peter Confesses the Christ
• [33:30] - The Work of the Messiah
• [36:15] - The Son of the Living God
• [38:34] - Peter’s Faith and Confession
• [39:14] - The Father Reveals Christ
• [40:32] - The Blessing That Matters Most

1. What answers do the disciples report when Jesus asks what people are saying about the Son of Man? What do those answers have in common?
2. What is different about Jesus’ second question, “But who do you say that I am?” compared with his first question? [32:24]
3. What two titles does Peter use for Jesus, and how does he state them—with uncertainty or confidence? [33:07]
4. What examples describe the promised work of the Messiah: his obedience, suffering, death, resurrection, and the message preached in his name? [34:15]

1. The crowds honored Jesus by connecting him with John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or another prophet. Why is an honorable opinion of Jesus still not the same as confessing him as the Christ?
2. Peter calls Jesus “the Christ.” How does that title show that Jesus came not merely to teach people, but to save them from sin and death? [33:30]
3. What does Peter mean by calling Jesus “the Son of the living God”? How does this confession differ from viewing Jesus as only a prophet, moral teacher, or religious leader? [36:33]
4. Jesus says that Peter’s confession was revealed by the Father, not discovered by “flesh and blood.” How does this shape a believer’s understanding of faith as God’s gift rather than a reason for pride? [39:14]

1. Many people speak positively about Jesus while stopping short of calling him the Christ and the Son of the living God. What incomplete views of Jesus are most common among people in your daily life, workplace, family, or online spaces? How could you answer with Peter’s clear confession? [29:05]
2. Jesus does not leave the disciples at the level of public opinion; he asks, “But who do you say that I am?” When has it been tempting to rely on family tradition, church background, or the beliefs of others instead of personally trusting Christ? [32:28]
3. Jesus is the Christ who gave his life under the weight of sin and rose again from the dead. Which part of Christ’s saving work is especially needed in your life right now—forgiveness, freedom from guilt, confidence in suffering, or hope in the face of death? [34:47]
4. The living God gives life and salvation, while idols cannot see, hear, speak, or save. What practical “idols” can compete for your trust—such as approval, comfort, success, money, control, or fear? How do those things fail to give what only Christ can give? [37:28]
5. Faith is not self-produced but revealed and given by God’s grace. How does that truth bring comfort when faith feels weak, when doubts arise, or when someone dear to you does not yet confess Christ? [39:40]
6. Confidence rests in Christ’s life for sinners, his death in their place, and his resurrection that brings eternal life. What would it look like this week to place your confidence more deliberately in Christ rather than in your own performance or circumstances? [40:43]