Revised on: 13/10/2026
- Topic: the answers to the question about Jesus' identity in the Gospel According to Matthew
- Main text: Matthew 16:13–16
- Translation used: Free Bible (BLIVRE)
- Context: Six scenes from the Gospel of Matthew, from the boat in the storm to Jerusalem
- Who it's for: Anyone who wants to read the text at their own pace, without rushing to a conclusion
Who is Jesus to you? The question sounds intimate, almost personal. In the Gospel according to Matthew, however, it arises in a specific context: Jesus asks it of his disciples, and the answer he receives has consequences.
It is worth noting that she does not appear even once. In different scenes from the same Gospel, someone asks who Jesus is, and each answer comes from a different perspective: astonishment, doubt, worship, admiration, disagreement.
This article examines six of these passages in the *Bíblia Livre* (BLIVRE) translation, along with the context of each text. There is no ready-made answer here. What is offered is simply what the text says, for you to read at your leisure.
The question is repeated in Matthew
Before reading each scene, it’s worth looking at the big picture. The table summarizes who is asking or answering and what is said about Jesus in each passage. The complete texts appear in the following sections.
| Passage | Who asks or answers | How Jesus Appears |
|---|---|---|
| Matthew 8:27 | The men on the boat | Someone to whom the winds and the sea obey |
| Matthew 11:3 | John the Baptist, by his disciples | The one who was to come, or someone else? |
| Matthew 14:33 | The people on the boat | Son of God |
| Matthew 16:16 | Simon Peter | Christ, the Son of the living God |
| Matthew 21:11 | The crowds in Jerusalem | The Prophet of Nazareth in Galilee |
| Matthew 22:42 | The Pharisees | Son of David |
On the boat: the question asked by those who saw the storm subside (Matthew 8:27)
In chapter 8, Jesus gets into a boat, and the disciples follow him. A storm engulfs the boat with waves, and he falls asleep. The disciples wake him, crying out for help, and Jesus rebukes the winds and the sea until there is a great calm (Matthew 8:23–26).
And those men were amazed, saying, “Who is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?”
— Matthew 8:27 (BLIVRE)
The text records the question and moves on, without anyone answering it in that scene.
In prison: John the Baptist’s doubt (Matthew 11:3)
In Matthew 11, John the Baptist is in prison and hears about Christ’s works. He sends two disciples with a question.
Asking him, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?”
— Matthew 11:3 (BLIVRE)
Jesus does not respond with a title. He asks the messengers to recount what they hear and see: the blind seeing, the lame walking, lepers cleansed, the deaf hearing, the dead raised, and good news for the poor. He adds that blessed is the one who does not stumble because of him (Matthew 11:4–6).
Later, speaking to the crowds, Jesus refers to John as more than a prophet (Matthew 11:7–11). The text does not record any rebuke for the question John asked.
Back in the Boat: Worship (Matthew 14:33)
Chapter 14 features another scene on the sea. Jesus walks on the water to meet the disciples. Peter asks to go to him, begins to sink, and cries out for help, and Jesus catches him (Matthew 14:25–31).
When the two of them get into the boat, the wind dies down.
Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped him, saying, “Truly, you are the Son of God.”.
— Matthew 14:33 (BLIVRE)
This time there is no question, but rather a statement. The person who was there states what they concluded.
The Baptism of Philip: The Question Asked of the Disciples (Matthew 16:13–16)
Jesus is with his disciples in the region of Caesarea of Philip. He first asks what people say about him, and then what the disciples themselves say. Shortly before that, in the same chapter, the Pharisees and Sadducees asked for a sign, and Jesus warned the disciples against their leaven (Matthew 16:1–12).
And when Jesus came to the region of Caesarea of Philip, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I, the Son of Man, am?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others, Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!”
— Matthew 16:13–16 (BLIVRE)
The first answer reflects what people were saying at the time: John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. All of them point to respected figures from the past.
The second is from Peter; it is shorter and more direct. According to the text, Jesus calls him blessed and says that this was not revealed to him by flesh and blood, but by the Father in heaven (Matthew 16:17).
The scene doesn’t end there. Jesus tells the disciples not to tell anyone that he is the Christ (Matthew 16:20). From then on, he begins to speak of how he will go to Jerusalem, suffer, be killed, and rise again on the third day. Peter rebukes him, and Jesus responds with harsh words (Matthew 16:21–23).
For a broader view of how the Gospels portray him, see how the Bible describes Jesus.
In Jerusalem: What the Crowds and the Pharisees Say (Matthew 21 and 22)
In the following chapters, the focus of the question shifts. In Matthew 21, Jesus enters Jerusalem riding a young donkey, and the crowd greets him with cries of “Hosanna to the Son of David” (Matthew 21:1–9). Then the whole city is in an uproar.
As he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in an uproar, asking, “Who is this?” And the crowds replied, “This is Jesus, the Prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”.
— Matthew 21:10–11 (BLIVRE)
The crowd's response differs from Peter's in Matthew 16: they speak of a prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.
In Matthew 22, it is Jesus who asks the question, this time to the assembled Pharisees.
And when the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They replied, “David’s.”.
— Matthew 22:41–42 (BLIVRE)
Jesus then quotes a verse from Psalms—which Matthew presents as having been spoken by David—in which David calls the Christ “Lord,” and asks how he can be David’s son (Matthew 22:43–45). The text concludes that no one could answer him and that, from that day on, no one dared to ask him any more questions (Matthew 22:46).
What changes from one answer to another
Read in sequence, the scenes show that the answer depends on who is asking and what they saw. Those who witnessed the storm subsiding were perplexed. Those who were imprisoned asked. Those who saw him walk on the sea worshiped him. Peter confessed him as the Christ. The crowd in Jerusalem spoke of a prophet, and the Pharisees, of a son of David.
Matthew records these responses at different times, and each Christian tradition interprets them in its own way, as the introductory note points out. Anyone who also wants to hear the voice from heaven—which, according to the text, declares Jesus to be the Beloved Son—can read about The Baptism of Jesus in Matthew 3.
See also: The 7 “I Am” Statements of Jesus in the Gospel of John
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does Jesus ask his disciples who he is?
In Matthew 16:13–16, in the region of Caesarea Philippi. There are parallel passages in the other Gospels, which this article does not discuss.
What did Pedro say?
According to Matthew 16:16, Peter replied that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. The complete answer is found in the verse block above.
Is there a right answer to the question of who Jesus is to you?
Matthew records different responses and does not provide the reader with a formula. Christian traditions formulate their own creeds, and the personal response is up to each individual.
Why did the crowds and Peter respond differently?
The text presents the answers without explaining them all. In Matthew 16:17, Jesus himself attributes Peter’s answer to the Father in heaven, not to human sources.
- Biblical text: All Portuguese Scripture quotations are from the Bíblia Livre (BLIVRE), Copyright © Diego Santos, Mario Sérgio, and Marco Teles, http://sites.google.com/site/biblialivre/ – February 2018. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Brazil License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/br/). Reproduction permitted provided the source and authors are properly cited. Files accessed on October 13, 2026 (sources from December 12, 2025).
- eBible.org: Free Bible (porbr2018), New Testament in PDF
Notice: This content is informational and devotional and is not a substitute for pastoral, medical, psychological, or legal advice. The biblical text follows the translation and credits listed in “Sources Consulted.” The illustrative images, when created by artificial intelligence, do not depict real people, places, or biblical scenes.
