“Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’”
When Jesus asked Peter the question, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter gave his confession and said, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Some translations read, “You are the Christ.” Peter used the Greek word Christos, which is translated as Christ or Messiah, which are synonymous.
When you say Jesus is the Christ, you are saying that Jesus is the Messiah. And when you say Jesus is the Messiah, you are saying Jesus is the Christ. Both Christ and Messiah mean “the anointed.”
That was a title given prophetically to the coming deliverer in Isaiah 61:1 which says, “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed.”
This word Christ or Messiah was His Hebrew name. And when Peter confessed, “You are the Messiah,” He was saying to Jesus, “You are the One we have been waiting for and looking for.”
Jesus responded to him in verse 17 saying, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being.”
Do you know how Peter got it right concerning Jesus Christ? The same way you’ll get it right. Look at that verse again: “you did not learn this from any human being.” Only the Holy Spirit can show you that. Only the Holy Spirit can reveal that to you. I or anyone else can preach it and teach it and we can sing songs about it, but you will not “learn this from any human being.” Christ will reveal it to you.
He is the one you have been waiting for. He is who He says He is, and He will do all that He has promised. Hallelujah! Thank you Jesus that you are the One we have been waiting for!