Luke 9:18–20 (ESV)
Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ
18 Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” 19 And
they answered, “John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.” 20 Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And
Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”
For the first time in the Gospel, Peter makes a clear confession of Jesus as the Messiah. All of our words and actions should
similarly confess the One who is the only life and hope of the world, though we often fail in this regard. When we fail—indeed even when we deny our Lord—Jesus treats us just as He did Peter. He faithfully calls us to repent, and He forgives our
weaknesses.
I pray: Lord Jesus, grant us grace to believe Your promise that if we confess You before men, You will confess us before the Father in heaven. Amen.
Edward A. Engelbrecht, The Lutheran Study Bible (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2009), 1730.