Peter’s confession invokes affirmation from Jesus. He answered correctly—his master, Jesus, was the Christ, the Son of the living God! Lest we give him undue credit, Peter did not figure this out by some superior intellect or reasoning ability. Rather, Jesus pointed out that this insight came through revelation, God had placed that knowledge into his mind. God had been revealing His Son all along, but few accepted that knowledge. Peter was one that did.

This blessing reaches back to the beatitudes in Matthew 4, where eight times a person is said to be blessed depending on his aspirations or life-faith circumstances. However, the biggest blessing is to come into the correct understanding of Who Jesus is. The word “blessed” means to be in a state of true happiness, a frame of life that supersedes all else. An illustration from the story of Nehemiah might help here. In the days of King Artexerxes, Nehemiah, the official cupbearer, approached the king with a great sadness. He had approached the throne before, but never in such a depressed disposition (Neh 2:1-2). To do so could normally have incurred punishment, for the idea is that any other troubles one might have should be completely eclipsed by the joyful experience of being in the presence of the King.

In the same way, to have the joyful knowledge that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, should completely and absolutely eclipse all else in life. It is because of this that the beatitudes of Matthew 4 have substance and hope. We are blessed because in Christ, the Son of God, ours “is the kingdom of heaven,” we “shall be comforted,” etc.

A few textual notes are helpful. 1) Peter was referred to by his Hebrew name Simon. As was sometimes the custom, people had a Greek name (in this case “Peter”) along with their Hebrew name (Simon). 2) Barjona, comes from “bar” which means “son of” and “Jonah” his father’s name.  3) The term “My Father,” would have been an inappropriate way to refer to God in that day, the normal way being, “Our Father.” Jesus uses this expression 44 times in the gospels, inferring a unique, personal relationship with God. No ordinary Jew would approach God with such familiarity. But, as the disciples came to realize, Jesus was no ordinary Jew. 4) The appeal to “My Father who is in heaven,” reminds us of the Lord’s prayer (Matt 6:9). It is from that position, governing the affairs of men, that He has revealed to men the true knowledge of Jesus Christ.