Peter’s Confession: In Caesarea Philippi, Jesus initiates an important conversation with His disciples. He questions them about the Son of Man and His identity. In response, Peter confesses that Jesus is the Christ.
In Mark 8:27-30, Jesus asks His disciples who the people believe He is. After they answer, “John the Baptist,” “Elijah,” or one of the other prophets, Jesus asks them who they believe He is, and Peter confesses that He is the Christ, and Jesus instructs them not to tell anyone of His identity.
Jesus went out, along with His disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way He questioned His disciples, saying to them, “Who do people say that I am?” (v 27).
These events and this conversation took place in the district of Caesarea Philippi, also called “Gaulantis” (see map). This district was located north of Galilee and contained the headwaters of the Jordan River and Mt Hermon. It was predominantly pagan. Caesarea Philippi served as the capital city of the region which is why Mark refers to this area as the villages of Caesarea Philippi.
Mark writes that Jesus went out, along with His disciples to the villages of this city. The expression—went out—describes how Jesus and His disciples went out of the predominantly Jewish district of Galilee where Jesus had just healed a blind man in the Jewish village of Bethsaida (Mark 8:22-26). Mark comments that Jesus and His disciples were among the villages of Caesarea Philippi, possibly to indicate that they avoided entering the actual city of Caesarea Philippi and its pagan crowds. This detail could matter because a devout Jew would become ceremonially defiled by entering the strongly pagan center of Caesarea Philippi.
Jesus and His disciples would have traveled an approximately 25-mile journey from the north shore of Galilee and ascended about 1,800 feet in elevation.
When Israel first entered and conquered the Promised Land, the territory that included Caesarea Philippi was assigned to the half-tribe of Manasseh (Numbers 32:39-42,Joshua 13:29-31). This area marked the northernmost boundary of Israel’s kingdom. In time, Manasseh’s portion came to be known as Dan.
In Paneas, there was a cave that, according to tradition, the Greeks referred to as “The Gates of Hades”—the entrance to the underworld. It received this name because a spring flowed from the cave’s mouth, forming a whirlpool, and this spring served as one of the headwaters of the Jordan River. This very spot was where they offered worship to Pan.
The worship of Pan involved both sacrifice and acts of bestiality. As part of their ritual, priests would hurl a goat into the whirlpool at the cave’s entrance—known as the gates of Hades—where the spring emerged. Because of the extreme pagan practices in the area, a devout Jew would need to keep a respectful distance to avoid ceremonial defilement.
Following the Roman conquest in 63 B.C.Biblical OverviewOld Testament EventsOld Testament BooksNew Testament EventsNew Testament Books, this territory became part of the realm of Herod the Great. He constructed a marble temple at the cave’s entrance—the gates of Hades—and dedicated it to Caesar Augustus, the son and heir of the deified Julius Caesar. After Herod’s death, the region, along with Iturea and Trachonitis, was inherited by his son Philip, who renamed Paneas to Caesarea Philippi in honor of Tiberius Caesar and himself.
This Philip also married his niece Salome, the daughter of Herodias and another son of Herod the Great, also named Philip. Salome famously danced before her other uncle, Herod the tetrarch, and as a result, John the Baptist was executed (Mark 6:17-29). Philip further enhanced the site by constructing a separate temple dedicated to Jupiter (Zeus) and adding courtyards near the gates of Hades to support the worship of Pan.
The city was later renamed “Banias,” the Hebrew form of Paneas, which is still its name today. Visitors to “the Gates of Hades” can observe the remains of the temple foundations. They would also notice hollowed niches carved into the rock beside the cave, where idols were once placed. Today, the spring no longer emerges from the cave’s mouth, having been redirected by earthquakes that have occurred since the time of Christ.
In Matthew’s parallel account of this event, he records Jesus making a reference “the Gates of Hades” in His praise of Peter to make the point that because of faithful disciples such as Peter and the like, His church will not be overpowered by culture (Matthew 16:18). Jesus references the Gates of Hades here, because He and Hisdisciples are near “the Gates of Hades” when He is in Caesarea Philippi.
In Jesus’s time, Caesarea Philippi was heavily influenced by Roman pagan culture. By entering this district, Jesus reached a location where He could teach His disciples without interruption from the Pharisees and make use of a significant teaching setting. It is unlikely that He and the disciples would have approached the temples in Caesarea Philippi, as doing so would have caused ceremonial defilement. Yet somewhere in this district—perhaps on one of the bluffs overlooking the gates of Hades—Jesus engaged His disciples in a profoundly revealing discussion about His identity and mission.
And on the way He questioned His disciples, saying to them, “Who do people say that I am?” (v 13b).
Mark writes that Jesus questioned His disciples—on the way—which means while they were travelling to or through this region. Luke writes that Jesus asked this question “while He was praying alone, [and] the disciples were with Him” (Luke 9:18). Together Mark and Luke’s accounts suggest that this conversation took place outside a place where Jesus and His disciples may have camped for the night and that His disciples approached Jesus as He was praying alone, or just after He returned from praying.
Mark record Jesus’s question for His disciples as: “Who do people say that I am?” Luke records Jesus’s question in similar terms to Mark (Luke 9:18b). In Matthew’s text, Jesus is recorded as asking this question in more Jewish language: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” (Matthew 16:13).
In Jesus’s time, the phrase “Son of Man” carried three distinct meanings. It could simply refer to “someone,” as in a generic son of man. It was also used as a self-designation by the prophet Ezekiel, who applied the term to himself 90 times. Additionally, it was widely recognized as a title for the Messiah, stemming from Daniel’s vision in which he saw “One like a Son of Man…who was given… an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:13-14).
In the context of Jesus’s question, He was referring to Himself when He said “Son of Man,” as evidenced by Mark and Luke’s rephrasing of the question as “I am.” Mark and Luke likely simplified Jesus’s question to make it clearer for their Gentile audiences and replaced “Son of Man” with “I am.” Mark was written to Romans and Luke was written to Greeks.
After Jesus questioned His disciples: Who do people say that I am?, Mark records three of their answers.
They told Him, saying, “John the Baptist; and others say Elijah; but others, one of the prophets” (v 28).
We will consider each of the responses the disciples gave to Jesus’s question.
The first identity the people assigned to Jesus was John the Baptist.
Herod the Tetrarch had imprisoned John (Mark 6:17) and not long afterward executed him (Mark 6:27). John was Jesus’ cousin and a striking figure whose unusual appearance and passionate message called people to “repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2). He attracted large crowds into the Judean wilderness (Mark 1:4-5) and baptized them. Many who came to John hoped he might be “more than a prophet” (Matthew 11:9)—that he could be the Messiah. Yet John was not the Messiah (John 1:20). Instead, he served as the forerunner of the Messiah, preparing the way for Him (Malachi 3:1).
Elijah’s most renowned miracle, however, was his dramatic confrontation with 450 prophets of Baal, during which he called on God to send fire to consume the water-soaked altar (1 Kings 18:19-40). The book of Kings also records that Elijah did not experience death in the usual way:
“As they were going along and talking, behold, there approached a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven.” (2 Kings 2:11)
The prophet Malachi, who predicted the coming of a Messianic forerunner (Malachi 3:1), also foretold that Elijah would return prior to the “great and terrible day of the Lord” (Malachi 4:5). The final three verses of the Old Testament carry significant Messianic implications and specifically mention Elijah by name,
"Remember the Law of Moses My servant, the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel. Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and strike the land with complete destruction." (Malachi 4:4-6)
Because of this prophecy, many Jews anticipated Elijah’s return as a sign that God’s kingdom and the Messiah were near. Some even speculated that Elijah himself might be the Son of Man.
The third identity the people assigned to Jesus was one of the prophets.
Mark summarized the disciples’ additional answer(s) for who people supposed Jesus was as “one of the prophets.” In Matthew’s account, the prophet Jeremiah was one of the other prophets whom the people speculated Jesus really was (Matthew 16:14). Mark (and Luke) omit Jeremiah’s name (Luke 9:19). Mark and Luke likely omitted Jeremiah for the sake of simplifying things for their Gentile readers, who would be less interested (than the Jews) in specifying each one ofthe prophets whom thepeople said Jesus might be.
After hearing the disciples’ reports about what people were saying regarding the Son of Man, Jesus turned the focus to a more personal question.
And He continued by questioning them, “But who do you say that I am?” (v 29a).
Jesus was asking His disciples to confess their own understanding of His identity.
Peter, known for being the most outspoken of the disciples, and who was likely Mark’s primary source for this account, answered Jesus.
Peter answered and said to Him, “You are the Christ” (v 29b).
Peter recognized that Jesus was more than a remarkable teacher and miracle worker—Peter believed Him to be the long-awaited Messiah.
The term Christ comes from the Greek word “Christos,” which in turn translates the Hebrew word “Mashiach,” meaning “Anointed One.” In English, “Mashiach” is rendered as “Messiah.” Thus, Christ and Messiah both signify “Anointed One.” In declaring Jesus as the Christ, Peter acknowledged that He was indeed the Messiah.
Peter was correct. Jesus was and is the Messiah, the divinely promised Redeemer of Israel, the very person for whom Israel had desperately waited. In the person of Jesus, the Christ had come to Israel at last.
Considering all that Peter had witnessed of Jesus’s actions and teachings (Matthew 18:20, 11:1-19), it was understandable that he recognized Jesus as the Christ. What is remarkable, however, is what Matthew records immediately after Peter’s declaration. Peter also identified Jesus as “the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).
Jesus is not only the Christ; He is also the Son of God. Jesus is God in human form. Peter confessed both Jesus’s identity as the Messiah and His divinity when he responded to Jesus’s question: But who do you say that I am?
Matthew also records that Jesus gave Peter high praise for his confession:
“And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 16:17)
Mark’s account omits the second part of Peter’s response and Jesus’s praise of Peter, possibly because Peter, the likely primary source of Mark’s material, did not want to boast about himself. Peter wanted the focus of this passage to be on Christ Jesus, not on himself, so he left that part out. It is omissions such as this that add credibility to the Gospel accounts’ authenticity.
Ancient writers would often embellish their own accomplishments to make themselves look better than they were and omit potentially embarrassing details. But the Gospels regularly do the opposite when they depict the disciples. The Gospel accounts often feature the disciples’ follies and they hardly mention their successes. This makes their accounts more believable because the disciples are focused on telling things as they actually happened and not as they wished themselves to be.
Mark then records Jesus’s response to Peter’s answer:
And He warned them to tell no one about Him (v 30).
God’s plan did not include having Jesus’s identity as Messiah or Son of God publicly confirmed directly by His disciples. Instead, people were meant to discern His nature and identity through other means, such as observing His works (John 14:11). Several reasons may explain this approach.
One reason may have been to fulfill prophecy, as noted in The Bible Says commentary of Matthew 13:10-17. Another possibility is that Jesus wanted to move people beyond their preconceived ideas of the Messiah, guiding them toward a deeper understanding through His works and testimony. It is also possible that He was protecting His disciples from opposition until the appropriate time.
27 Jesus went out, along with His disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way He questioned His disciples, saying to them, “Who do people say that I am?”
28 They told Him, saying, “John the Baptist; and others say Elijah; but others, one of the prophets.”
29 And He continued by questioning them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said to Him, “You are the Christ.”
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Mark 8:27-30 meaning
The parallel Gospel accounts for Mark 8:27-30 are found in Matthew 16:13-20 and Luke 9:18-21.
In Mark 8:27-30, Jesus asks His disciples who the people believe He is. After they answer, “John the Baptist,” “Elijah,” or one of the other prophets, Jesus asks them who they believe He is, and Peter confesses that He is the Christ, and Jesus instructs them not to tell anyone of His identity.
Jesus went out, along with His disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way He questioned His disciples, saying to them, “Who do people say that I am?” (v 27).
These events and this conversation took place in the district of Caesarea Philippi, also called “Gaulantis” (see map). This district was located north of Galilee and contained the headwaters of the Jordan River and Mt Hermon. It was predominantly pagan. Caesarea Philippi served as the capital city of the region which is why Mark refers to this area as the villages of Caesarea Philippi.
Mark writes that Jesus went out, along with His disciples to the villages of this city. The expression—went out—describes how Jesus and His disciples went out of the predominantly Jewish district of Galilee where Jesus had just healed a blind man in the Jewish village of Bethsaida (Mark 8:22-26). Mark comments that Jesus and His disciples were among the villages of Caesarea Philippi, possibly to indicate that they avoided entering the actual city of Caesarea Philippi and its pagan crowds. This detail could matter because a devout Jew would become ceremonially defiled by entering the strongly pagan center of Caesarea Philippi.
Jesus and His disciples would have traveled an approximately 25-mile journey from the north shore of Galilee and ascended about 1,800 feet in elevation.
When Israel first entered and conquered the Promised Land, the territory that included Caesarea Philippi was assigned to the half-tribe of Manasseh (Numbers 32:39-42, Joshua 13:29-31). This area marked the northernmost boundary of Israel’s kingdom. In time, Manasseh’s portion came to be known as Dan.
The culture of this region had been steeped in pagan practices for centuries. As early as the period of the judges (around 1100 B.C.), the city of Dan, located near Caesarea Philippi, was infamous for its idolatry (Judges 18:6). After the kingdom divided, Jeroboam (~931-909 B.C.), Israel’s first king in the north, established a golden calf in Dan for the people to worship in place of God (1 Kings 12:28-31). Later, during the reign of King Ahab and his queen, Jezebel, the area became a prominent hub of Baal worship.
Centuries afterward, during the period of Greek rule (334-175 B.C.), the city of “Paneas” was founded in honor of the fertility god Pan. Pan was commonly portrayed as a lustful faun, half man and half goat.
In Paneas, there was a cave that, according to tradition, the Greeks referred to as “The Gates of Hades”—the entrance to the underworld. It received this name because a spring flowed from the cave’s mouth, forming a whirlpool, and this spring served as one of the headwaters of the Jordan River. This very spot was where they offered worship to Pan.
The worship of Pan involved both sacrifice and acts of bestiality. As part of their ritual, priests would hurl a goat into the whirlpool at the cave’s entrance—known as the gates of Hades—where the spring emerged. Because of the extreme pagan practices in the area, a devout Jew would need to keep a respectful distance to avoid ceremonial defilement.
Following the Roman conquest in 63 B.C., this territory became part of the realm of Herod the Great. He constructed a marble temple at the cave’s entrance—the gates of Hades—and dedicated it to Caesar Augustus, the son and heir of the deified Julius Caesar. After Herod’s death, the region, along with Iturea and Trachonitis, was inherited by his son Philip, who renamed Paneas to Caesarea Philippi in honor of Tiberius Caesar and himself.
This Philip also married his niece Salome, the daughter of Herodias and another son of Herod the Great, also named Philip. Salome famously danced before her other uncle, Herod the tetrarch, and as a result, John the Baptist was executed (Mark 6:17-29). Philip further enhanced the site by constructing a separate temple dedicated to Jupiter (Zeus) and adding courtyards near the gates of Hades to support the worship of Pan.
The city was later renamed “Banias,” the Hebrew form of Paneas, which is still its name today. Visitors to “the Gates of Hades” can observe the remains of the temple foundations. They would also notice hollowed niches carved into the rock beside the cave, where idols were once placed. Today, the spring no longer emerges from the cave’s mouth, having been redirected by earthquakes that have occurred since the time of Christ.
In Matthew’s parallel account of this event, he records Jesus making a reference “the Gates of Hades” in His praise of Peter to make the point that because of faithful disciples such as Peter and the like, His church will not be overpowered by culture (Matthew 16:18). Jesus references the Gates of Hades here, because He and His disciples are near “the Gates of Hades” when He is in Caesarea Philippi.
In Jesus’s time, Caesarea Philippi was heavily influenced by Roman pagan culture. By entering this district, Jesus reached a location where He could teach His disciples without interruption from the Pharisees and make use of a significant teaching setting. It is unlikely that He and the disciples would have approached the temples in Caesarea Philippi, as doing so would have caused ceremonial defilement. Yet somewhere in this district—perhaps on one of the bluffs overlooking the gates of Hades—Jesus engaged His disciples in a profoundly revealing discussion about His identity and mission.
And on the way He questioned His disciples, saying to them, “Who do people say that I am?” (v 13b).
Mark writes that Jesus questioned His disciples—on the way—which means while they were travelling to or through this region. Luke writes that Jesus asked this question “while He was praying alone, [and] the disciples were with Him” (Luke 9:18). Together Mark and Luke’s accounts suggest that this conversation took place outside a place where Jesus and His disciples may have camped for the night and that His disciples approached Jesus as He was praying alone, or just after He returned from praying.
Mark record Jesus’s question for His disciples as: “Who do people say that I am?” Luke records Jesus’s question in similar terms to Mark (Luke 9:18b). In Matthew’s text, Jesus is recorded as asking this question in more Jewish language: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” (Matthew 16:13).
In Jesus’s time, the phrase “Son of Man” carried three distinct meanings. It could simply refer to “someone,” as in a generic son of man. It was also used as a self-designation by the prophet Ezekiel, who applied the term to himself 90 times. Additionally, it was widely recognized as a title for the Messiah, stemming from Daniel’s vision in which he saw “One like a Son of Man…who was given… an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:13-14).
In the context of Jesus’s question, He was referring to Himself when He said “Son of Man,” as evidenced by Mark and Luke’s rephrasing of the question as “I am.” Mark and Luke likely simplified Jesus’s question to make it clearer for their Gentile audiences and replaced “Son of Man” with “I am.” Mark was written to Romans and Luke was written to Greeks.
After Jesus questioned His disciples: Who do people say that I am?, Mark records three of their answers.
They told Him, saying, “John the Baptist; and others say Elijah; but others, one of the prophets” (v 28).
We will consider each of the responses the disciples gave to Jesus’s question.
The first identity the people assigned to Jesus was John the Baptist.
Herod the Tetrarch had imprisoned John (Mark 6:17) and not long afterward executed him (Mark 6:27). John was Jesus’ cousin and a striking figure whose unusual appearance and passionate message called people to “repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2). He attracted large crowds into the Judean wilderness (Mark 1:4-5) and baptized them. Many who came to John hoped he might be “more than a prophet” (Matthew 11:9)—that he could be the Messiah. Yet John was not the Messiah (John 1:20). Instead, he served as the forerunner of the Messiah, preparing the way for Him (Malachi 3:1).
To learn more about John the Baptist, see The Bible Says’ article: “Why Did Jesus Call John the Baptist Great?”
The second identity the people assigned to Jesus was Elijah.
Elijah (~900 B.C.-~850 B.C.) was a well-known prophet in Israel’s Northern Kingdom during the reign of the notorious King Ahab. He was recognized for performing powerful miracles in God’s name, including predicting the start and end of a three-year famine (1 Kings 17:1, 18:41), raising a widow’s son (1 Kings 17:17-24), and striking the Jordan River so that he could cross (2 Kings 2:8).
Elijah’s most renowned miracle, however, was his dramatic confrontation with 450 prophets of Baal, during which he called on God to send fire to consume the water-soaked altar (1 Kings 18:19-40). The book of Kings also records that Elijah did not experience death in the usual way:
“As they were going along and talking, behold, there approached a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven.”
(2 Kings 2:11)
The prophet Malachi, who predicted the coming of a Messianic forerunner (Malachi 3:1), also foretold that Elijah would return prior to the “great and terrible day of the Lord” (Malachi 4:5). The final three verses of the Old Testament carry significant Messianic implications and specifically mention Elijah by name,
"Remember the Law of Moses My servant, the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel. Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and strike the land with complete destruction."
(Malachi 4:4-6)
Because of this prophecy, many Jews anticipated Elijah’s return as a sign that God’s kingdom and the Messiah were near. Some even speculated that Elijah himself might be the Son of Man.
The third identity the people assigned to Jesus was one of the prophets.
Mark summarized the disciples’ additional answer(s) for who people supposed Jesus was as “one of the prophets.” In Matthew’s account, the prophet Jeremiah was one of the other prophets whom the people speculated Jesus really was (Matthew 16:14). Mark (and Luke) omit Jeremiah’s name (Luke 9:19). Mark and Luke likely omitted Jeremiah for the sake of simplifying things for their Gentile readers, who would be less interested (than the Jews) in specifying each one of the prophets whom the people said Jesus might be.
After hearing the disciples’ reports about what people were saying regarding the Son of Man, Jesus turned the focus to a more personal question.
And He continued by questioning them, “But who do you say that I am?” (v 29a).
Jesus was asking His disciples to confess their own understanding of His identity.
Peter, known for being the most outspoken of the disciples, and who was likely Mark’s primary source for this account, answered Jesus.
Peter answered and said to Him, “You are the Christ” (v 29b).
Peter recognized that Jesus was more than a remarkable teacher and miracle worker—Peter believed Him to be the long-awaited Messiah.
The term Christ comes from the Greek word “Christos,” which in turn translates the Hebrew word “Mashiach,” meaning “Anointed One.” In English, “Mashiach” is rendered as “Messiah.” Thus, Christ and Messiah both signify “Anointed One.” In declaring Jesus as the Christ, Peter acknowledged that He was indeed the Messiah.
Peter was correct. Jesus was and is the Messiah, the divinely promised Redeemer of Israel, the very person for whom Israel had desperately waited. In the person of Jesus, the Christ had come to Israel at last.
Considering all that Peter had witnessed of Jesus’s actions and teachings (Matthew 18:20, 11:1-19), it was understandable that he recognized Jesus as the Christ. What is remarkable, however, is what Matthew records immediately after Peter’s declaration. Peter also identified Jesus as “the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).
Jesus is not only the Christ; He is also the Son of God. Jesus is God in human form. Peter confessed both Jesus’s identity as the Messiah and His divinity when he responded to Jesus’s question: But who do you say that I am?
Matthew also records that Jesus gave Peter high praise for his confession:
“And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.”
(Matthew 16:17)
Mark’s account omits the second part of Peter’s response and Jesus’s praise of Peter, possibly because Peter, the likely primary source of Mark’s material, did not want to boast about himself. Peter wanted the focus of this passage to be on Christ Jesus, not on himself, so he left that part out. It is omissions such as this that add credibility to the Gospel accounts’ authenticity.
Ancient writers would often embellish their own accomplishments to make themselves look better than they were and omit potentially embarrassing details. But the Gospels regularly do the opposite when they depict the disciples. The Gospel accounts often feature the disciples’ follies and they hardly mention their successes. This makes their accounts more believable because the disciples are focused on telling things as they actually happened and not as they wished themselves to be.
Mark then records Jesus’s response to Peter’s answer:
And He warned them to tell no one about Him (v 30).
God’s plan did not include having Jesus’s identity as Messiah or Son of God publicly confirmed directly by His disciples. Instead, people were meant to discern His nature and identity through other means, such as observing His works (John 14:11). Several reasons may explain this approach.
One reason may have been to fulfill prophecy, as noted in The Bible Says commentary of Matthew 13:10-17. Another possibility is that Jesus wanted to move people beyond their preconceived ideas of the Messiah, guiding them toward a deeper understanding through His works and testimony. It is also possible that He was protecting His disciples from opposition until the appropriate time.
To read and learn more about Jesus’s full response to Peter, see The Bible Says commentary for Matthew 16:13-20.