And it came to pass as he was praying alone, his disciples were with him, and he asked them saying, Who do the crowds say that I am?
The Lord steps away from the crowds to pray, and His disciples are there with Him. Then He turns and asks them a question: what are people saying about who He is?
This is not the first time Luke shows Him praying.
He had gone apart — as this part of Luke's Gospel shows — to pray. This is the fourth place in Luke's Gospel where we find this blessed, dependent Man praying before God. He was alone, that is, He had withdrawn from the world. Still, His disciples were with Him, and they had clearly watched Him pray.
The pattern runs through the whole book, and it has a consistent outcome.
When the blessed Son of God became a man, He was not Himself a creature. Yet He took man's place of dependence so fully that we find He prayed all the time… So He began His ministry with prayer (Luke 3:21). And may we not say, as a rule of Christian life, that what begins with prayer will end in praise? … Before He chose the apostles, He spent the night in prayer to God (Luke 6:12-13). Again, in Luke 9:18, we find Him "praying alone." It was while He prayed on the mountain of transfiguration that the appearance of His face was changed… He did not go up the mountain to be glorified. He went up "to pray" — and glory followed. The object was prayer, the result was glory.
The verse looks like a contradiction: He was alone, and yet the disciples were with Him.
There is no record of the Lord praying with His disciples. He taught them to pray. He prayed about them and prayed for them, but not with them. His own position was unique… He could draw near to God in His own right, in the dignity of His own person; we come only in His name. This explains a verse that would otherwise look like a contradiction. "As he was praying alone, the disciples were with him" (Luke 9:18). The disciples were there, but He was praying alone.
His question shows what was on His mind as He prayed.
Again we find Him in prayer. Men's unbelief is casting its shadow over His soul, with all its sorrow and its bitter fruits. We may infer this from the question He asks next. He rises from prayer to ask His disciples, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"
Commentators read that burden differently. One sees His coming death pressing on Him, with no one near enough to share it.
In contrast to the Lord's dealings with the crowd, we find Him in verse 18 deeply affected by a burden of soul He carried alone. The disciples were with Him, yet He was "praying alone." The context makes clear what weighed on Him: the solemn expectation of His coming suffering and death. Not one of His disciples could grasp what that ordeal, so close at hand, would really be.
He asked, but not for information.
He Himself knew the answer, as He must know all things, but He asked this question for their sakes. It would be good for them not only to think it in a vague way in their hearts. It would be good to say it plainly with their lips: the world was against their Master's claims, and the best of men's judgments fell short of the truth. That judgment therefore damaged the Lord's person, His glory and His kingdom.
The replies were not insults. That is what makes them so telling.
What was the opinion of the common people — those who "heard Him gladly"? What they said about Him was not evil. It did not openly dishonour His name. Yet in essence they too took away from His glory. Some said He was John the Baptist. Others said Elijah, or Jeremiah, or perhaps one of the prophets. Clearly they thought He was a good man, a man who would bring them some words from God.
Set beside the men they named, the mismatch is obvious.
How else could they mistake the meek and lowly Saviour for Elijah? Elijah was the prophet of consuming fire from heaven and famine on earth… How else could they mistake Him for John the Baptist, who fiercely condemned the sins of Israel? In their blindness the people failed to see the grace and truth that came through Jesus Christ.
- Prayer first. Luke shows Him praying at every turning point — His baptism, the choosing of the apostles, this scene, and the mountain where His face changed. He went up to pray, and glory followed: the object was prayer, the result was glory.
- Alone by right. He prayed for the disciples and about them, never with them. He could draw near to God in His own person; we come in His name.
- A burden carried. Man's unbelief cast its shadow over His soul, and no disciple could enter into what lay ahead of Him.
- A question for their sake. He already knew the answer. He asked so they would say out loud what they only half-thought: men's best judgment of Him fell short.
- Compliments are not faith. John the Baptist, Elijah, one of the old prophets — respectful guesses that still robbed Him of His glory. The people never saw the grace and truth in Him.
But they answering said, John the baptist; but others, Elias; and others, that one of the old prophets has risen again.
Jesus was praying alone when He asked His disciples what the crowds said about Him. Their answer came back as three respectful names, and not one of them was true.
The question came out of prayer. The One who asked it already carried a heavier weight.
In verse 18 we find Him deeply affected by the loneliness of His inward struggle. The disciples were with Him, yet He was "praying alone." The context makes clear what was weighing on His soul: His coming suffering and death. Not one of His disciples had the understanding to enter into the reality of that ordeal so close at hand. Yet He sought to stir up the same concern in their hearts, when He asked them what people in general thought of who He was. Their answer showed that there was little serious, honest concern about this among the people, but idle speculation. It was inexcusable ignorance to say He was John the Baptist risen from the dead. To suppose He was Elijah or any other prophet raised again was clear ignorance of the Word of God.
The disciples' list sounds varied. The same report had already reached Herod's court.
He had shown what He was, and all the blessings held in store for Israel, but there was no real faith in the people. There was, to a certain extent, a sense of need. They were willing enough to receive what was for the body and the present life, but their desires stop there. The Lord proved this by His questions, because these revealed the restlessness of men's minds and their lack of faith. Whether it was Herod and his servants, or Christ with the disciples, the same story is heard: uncertainty that varies, unbelief that never changes.
These were not the words of His enemies. They came from admirers — and admiration still fell short.
He is not speaking of people who openly rejected Him, and their answer does not take its colour from the hostility of the scribes and Pharisees. "John the Baptist," "Elijah," a prophet of long ago risen from the dead — these are the guesses of people who mean to honour Him. But they are guesses only, not faith, and none of them rise up to the reality. They all fail to grasp the glory of His Person, and so they miss the purpose for which He has come. The light of His glory who is among them has not shone into their souls; He is not their Saviour — not the Christ.
Speculation about Christ is not harmless. It shows what is missing in the person who speculates.
The reply shows that, despite a perfect testimony, men could only put forward idle opinions and speculations, which left them in hopeless uncertainty. Men are content to speculate about Christ and willing to remain in uncertainty. That is solemn proof that they have no sense of need on the one hand and no faith on the other. With a sense of need, they would have had discernment, and with faith, they would have obtained certainty. Moreover, with all their speculations, never once did they come near the truth.
One question decides everything, and the guessing did not end with that crowd.
Notice how the question of Christ's Person is always the test. That is the point around which everything revolves: "Who do the crowds say that I am?" One thing you find here is that all around is speculation. That is what is in the world today about God's Christ and God's truth — speculation... One says you are Elijah; another, that you are one of the prophets. It was all speculative reasoning — curiosity, if you please — but nothing certain, nothing reached from God at all.
This unbelief marks a turn. What comes next is His death and the Father's own witness to Him.
Now He is about to disclose His death. The unbelief of the people filled His soul with the sense of His entire rejection. The Father was about to give the most direct personal witness of His glory, and to show what the Kingdom held in store for Him.
- Prayer first — the question came out of prayer. The answer met a soul already facing suffering and death.
- Guesses, not faith — the three names came from people who meant to honour Him. Guesses are not faith, and none of them reached the glory of His Person.
- Variety without difference — Herod's court and the crowds used different words. Both showed uncertainty on the surface and unbelief underneath.
- Contentment with uncertainty — to speculate about Christ and stay unsure proves there is no sense of need and no faith. Need brings discernment; faith brings certainty.
- The test question — everything turns on who He is. An opinion about Jesus is not the same as knowing Him.
And he said to them, But *ye*, who do ye say that I am? And Peter answering said, The Christ of God.
Jesus is praying alone, with His disciples nearby, and He asks them what the crowds are saying about Him. Their answers are guesses about some prophet come back to life — then He turns the question on the disciples themselves.
The crowd was not hostile. It was only guessing, and who Jesus is has always been the test.
Notice, beloved friends, how the question of Christ's Person is always the touchstone. That is the point around which everything revolves: "Who do the crowds say that I am?" And now two very important things come out here. One is that all around is speculation... They answer, One says you are Elijah; another, that you are one of the prophets. That is to say, it was all a kind of speculative reasoning — curiosity, if you like — but nothing certain or divinely reached at all.
Peter's reply carries no hedging, and the source of that steadiness is not his own feelings.
Here is one of the most remarkable instances of the absolute certainty a soul has when taught from above. Peter says, "The Christ of God." Do you think he was afraid to say that? Was there any uncertainty? He knew it. How? Not because of the effect in his own heart; not because there was happiness in his own breast. It was a revelation to him.
"Christ" means Anointed. Peter is naming Him as the One the prophets had been pointing to all along.
To Peter He was the Anointed One of God, the Messiah, the theme of the old prophets (1 Sam. 2:10, 35; Psalm 2:2; Dan. 9:25-26), but therefore clearly not one of those prophets Himself. There was light for any simple soul to discern who He was. Peter had profited by it, and had answered correctly.
God had unveiled Christ's glory to these few. Peter does not just say "the Christ" — he says "the Christ of God."
In that little group around the Lord there were hearts to whom God had unveiled the glory of Christ. Christ loved to hear it said — not for His own sake, but for God's sake, and for theirs too. In divine love He listened to their confession of who He is... There is only the acknowledgment of Christ as the true Messiah, the anointed of God; not one anointed by human hands, but the Christ of God.
In Matthew, Peter says more: "the Christ, the Son of the living God." Luke leaves that out. Each title belongs to a different group.
It is remarkable how Luke here omits what Matthew records. In fact Peter acknowledged Him as the Son of God as well; but only Matthew records this... Israel will hail the Christ as the Son of David. The world, all mankind, will be blessed by Christ as the Son of man. But the Christian and the Church have their joy in Him as the Son of the living God. It is clearly the most elevated and properly divine of His titles.
Peter's answer is right, yet they are told to tell no one. The reason lies in how people had already treated Him.
Why withhold from people that He was the Christ of God? Why this reserve about His being the Messiah? It was useless to bring it forward. Some said one thing, and some another. No man had faith in Him except those who were born of God. Man, as man, rejected Him. The Jews rejected Him. The disciples confessed Him, Peter above all; but it was no use to go on preaching Him as the Christ or Messiah of Israel.
Jesus accepts the confession, then names Himself differently — and that name stays with Him.
Notice that at this turning point the Lord Jesus takes a new title, and it stays with Him ever after. Tell no one, He says, that I am the Christ of God, the Messiah; the time for that testimony is past. "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected... and be killed, and on the third day be raised." That is the new title He now takes: "the Son of Man." He takes it because they refused Him and rejected Him. He was going to be crucified where He should have been crowned.
The change of title is a widening, not a loss.
He was not to be acknowledged under any attractive title honoured only in that one nation. Instead, He would do a much larger and more important work through this very rejection.
- Question. The question of who Jesus is settles everything. The crowd only guessed — "nothing certain or divinely reached at all."
- Confession. "The Christ of God" means God's Anointed One, "not one anointed by human hands." He is the One the old prophets wrote about.
- Certainty. Peter's confidence did not come from happy feelings inside him. It was a revelation, and that is why he could speak without hesitating.
- Silence. Peter was right, yet told to say nothing. It was too late to keep offering Him to Israel as Messiah, because "man, as man, rejected Him."
- Widening. In place of the refused title He takes "Son of Man." He was crucified where He should have been crowned, and that rejection opened a far larger work.
But, earnestly charging them, he enjoined [them] to say this to no man,
Peter has just answered the Lord's question with the clearest confession he could give: "The Christ of God." The reply is not applause but a strict order of silence. Why would Jesus accept a true confession and then forbid the disciples to repeat it?
The command is startling, because what He told them to hide was true. One writer puts the difficulty plainly and then answers it from the state of the nation:
Why keep it from people that He was the Christ of God? It was useless to bring it forward. Some said one thing, and some another. No man had faith in Him except those who were born of God. Man, as man, rejected Him. The Jews rejected Him. The disciples confessed Him, Peter above all; but it was no use to go on preaching Him as the Christ or Messiah of Israel. He was the Anointed of God, but in truth He was going to suffer... Had the people received Him, He would have reigned as Messiah. But, morally speaking, that could not be. On the one hand man was unbelieving, wicked, and lost. On the other hand, God's counsel was that Jesus should be put to death on the cross, and rise into a new creation in which He would have men as His fellows.
The ban was not a correction of Peter. The Lord accepted what Peter said. He held back the title itself, because of what had to happen first.
To Peter He was the Anointed One of God, the Messiah, the theme of the old prophets... The Lord accepted the answer as correct. But He told them not to tell anyone that He was the Christ. His death must come first, before His day of exaltation as the Christ.
In the very next breath He calls Himself "the Son of Man." He lays one name aside and takes up another. The new name covers far more ground.
Men met Him with personal hatred. That hatred came to its peak when Jews and Gentiles joined forces to crucify Him. In view of this He took the title Son of man — a title of wider limits than Son of David... A great proportion of the passages in the Gospels containing this term refer to His approaching death. Most of the rest refer to His resurrection, ascension, and glorification. They also refer to the future showing of His kingdom in judgment and glory. That kingdom will be not only national but universal in its reach.
The order held only for a season. Another writer marks the point where the message could go out again:
His people had rejected Him as the promised Messiah. He is now to go on towards Jerusalem, to be handed over and then raised from the dead. Then He would be announced as Lord and Christ. So He told His disciples not to proclaim Him as the Christ.
The change of title changes the disciples' position too. The Lord had been praying alone when this conversation began, and what follows the charge is a new road — for Him first, and then for them.
In verse 18 we find Him again as the dependent Man, praying. He forbids them to announce Him as the Christ of God. He tells them the Son of man must suffer. This was the path He was now entering on. What comes before us now is a suffering Son of man in the One who could show Jehovah's power — not Israel's Christ. And this was to be the disciples' path, and blessing was in resurrection after death. This is clearly a great moral change in the whole position.
That path has a fixed order, and the passage presses it on every reader:
At the hands of men He was to "suffer many things," to be "rejected" and "killed." Then, on the Mount of Transfiguration, we have a passing vision of the glory and honour. It is God's purpose to crown the Son of Man with that glory... it clearly shows that if His disciples have the privilege to share in His glory, they are also first called to share in His sufferings.
- Confessed. Peter's answer was correct and the Lord accepted it — Jesus is the Anointed One of God, the promised King of Israel.
- Silenced. Israel had seen the proofs and refused them. Announcing Him under that title was now useless, and the nation's chance to crown Him had passed.
- Exchanged. In place of "Christ" He takes up "Son of Man." It is a name of wider reach than Son of David. It ties to His death and to a glory that is universal, not just national.
- Delayed. The silence had a term. He would go to Jerusalem, be handed over, and rise again. Then He would be announced as Lord and Christ.
- Shared. His road became the disciples' road. Suffering comes first, then blessing in resurrection, then glory.