NOTES for Mat 16:13-19
The question of who people consider Jesus of Nazareth to be may seem formal. Indeed, when it comes to the relationships on which the whole spiritual life is built, the question of formal confession is not usually the main one. Many came to Jesus, found themselves in the Kingdom and were healed while regarding Him as a prophet or a teacher. Peter's confession is important in a different respect. What comes to the fore here is the depth, fullness and permanence of the bond connecting Christ's disciples with their Teacher.
Of course, Jesus never rejected anyone who came to Him with a pure heart and sincere intentions. He demanded no creeds from anyone. Yet those who came to Him often went away. Having received what they asked for, they returned to their former lives. Well, perhaps not entirely to their former lives, for such encounters do not pass without leaving a trace, but no lasting and enduring relationship with Jesus was established, no conscious relationship of the kind needed to become His disciple.
With the apostles, however, the relationship had to be precisely of this kind. What was at stake was full discipleship, the journey in Christ's footsteps, not only an outward but also an inward journey, in which a person does not merely follow Jesus, but is changed within and with every step becomes more like his Teacher. In this context the Saviour's question acquired an entirely special meaning. It became a question about what the disciples expected from their Teacher and what they wanted from Him.
Of course, even Peter's confession offered no guarantees. Peter sees Jesus as the Messiah, but his messianic ideas bear very little resemblance to who Jesus really is and why He came. At the same time, Peter nevertheless dares to call Jesus the Messiah despite everything that He does. Jesus had already done quite enough to disappoint anyone who regarded Him precisely as the Messiah. And this is exactly what happened: people constantly demanded that Jesus finally declare His messiahship openly, and His persistent refusal to do so turned many away from Him. Peter's confession meant that he trusted his Teacher precisely as the Messiah despite the generally accepted messianic ideas. It was this “despite” that made the further journey possible, for it signified a readiness to cast aside all one's own notions of “how things ought to be” and to accept the real Messiah as He is.