In his account of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee and surrounding regions, Mark records that Jesus and his disciples traveled to “the villages of Caesarea Philippi (Mark 8:27 NRSV).” As they journeyed together, Jesus asked his disciples several probing questions. He began by questioning them about how he was viewed by the general public. “Who do people say that I am?” Jesus asked. In response, the disciples noted the variety of perspectives on his identity. As they explained, some were of the persuasion that Jesus was a resurrected John the Baptist, the powerful and popular prophet who had recently been put to death by Herod Antipas, while others believed that he was the prophet of Elijah or one of the other prophets who had returned (8:28). After the disciples shared their insights regarding the public perception about Jesus, the question became decidedly more personal. “But who do you say that I am (8:29)?” In response, Peter famously asserted that Jesus was the Messiah, that is, the Christ (8:30).
Many readers would find Peter’s initial response to be natural and expected. Of course, he and his fellow disciples recognized Jesus as the Messiah. Why else would they follow him? There was simply no one who taught like him or performed the miraculous works that he did. Clearly, they recognized that the presence of the Lord was with Jesus and that he was unlike any other person they had every encountered. While Peter’s initial confession seems entirely fitting, it comes as a great surprise to many readers that he objected so strongly to Jesus’ revelation that he would soon travel to Jerusalem where he would “undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again (8:31).” As the larger narrative of Mark’s Gospel reveals, this moment was a major turning point in Jesus’ ministry. From the time he revealed to his disciples that he would suffer and die in Jerusalem, the focus of Mark’s Gospel transitions to Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem and the monumental events that took place during his final week.
As you consider Jesus’ interaction with his disciples in the region of Caesarea Philippi, why do you suppose that they were so resistant to Jesus’ assertion that he would suffer and die in Jerusalem? How does Mark’s Gospel indicate that these aspects of Jesus’ ministry were both necessary and consistent with his mission?
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