Author:Yolanda Watt | Student, Living Education – Charlotte, 2021-22
Estimated Reading Time: 3 min.
For his recent assembly message, Mr. Richard Ames talked about the topic of communication.
He informed the students that, in 1978, he started pursuing a master’s degree in communication. He took a class called “Interpersonal Communication,” where he was assigned to improve his interpersonal relationship with one other person. Mr. Ames decided to improve his communication with his wife, to whom he had been married for fourteen years at the time.
Keys to Improve Interpersonal Communication
Mr. Ames told us to practice biblical principles for loving communication.Ephesians 4:15 admonishes us to speak the truth in love, but too many speak the truth in hate. We should want to edify—build up—the person we are talking to. The entirety of James 3 contrasts biblical communication with what is normal for man. Mr. Ames advised us to pray that God will give us the things that we need to say in love, and he also recommended that we do a word study of Scripture’s use of the words mouth, tongue, lips, and words.
Mr. Ames also said that we should analyze our transactions. Transactional analysis is a psychoanalysis theory and a method of therapy developed by psychiatrist Eric Berne. Some of these transactions are labeled as parent, adult, and child. The parent role is considered an instructional role of communication, the adult role is considered informational, and the child role is considered emotional.
Eric Berne also wrote about cross-transactional communication. An example of this occurs if you are asked, “What time is it?,” and, instead of giving the time, you respond with, “What are you asking me for?” In this scenario, the question is informational, but the response is emotional. Communicating on an informational level helps to eliminate judgmentalism.
Mr. Ames also addressed the need to practice positive reinforcement.Everyone likes to produce behaviors that reinforce positive rewards and to stay away from behaviors that bring negative consequences. If someone is trying to do something nice and the other party complains, then whoever did the action was not rewarded and would not likely do that action again. This key gets to the matter of encouragement.
“Share your life,” Mr. Ames said. We need to share some of our activities and thoughts with others to deepen our relationships with them. Sometimes we are so busy with life that this step gets ignored, but following it enhances the interpersonal relationship between us and other people. Mr. Ames also mentioned that there is an approach called accurate empathy, with which you are able to discern another person’s view of the world as if it were your own.
Another aspect of this is called non-possessive warmth. This is a demonstration of unconditional positive regard, involving caring about another person without imposing conditions on them. Mr. Ames tied this in with Philippians 2:3.Mr. Ames admonished us to use these keys to improve our interpersonal communication, reminding us to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:29–31).
https://www.lcgeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/saeed-karimi-JrrWC7Qcmhs-unsplash.jpg12001500lcgadminhttps://www.lcgeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/logo_basic-website-300x94.pnglcgadmin2022-02-17 10:01:002022-02-18 10:02:24Assembly Summary: Interpersonal Communication
Author:Ryan Price | Student, Living Education – Charlotte, 2021-22
Estimated Reading Time: 3 min.
For his recent Forum message, Mr. Bob Rodzaj talked about distractions.
He explained that “one of the greatest difficulties facing many of us today are distractions of all sorts.” Mr. Rodzaj broke this difficulty down into three challenges we must overcome.
The First Challenge: Ourselves
As Mr. Rodzaj illustrated, Romans 8:7 shows us that our very human nature strives against what God wants us to do. Our Father wants us to be productive in doing His Work, but effort is not always fun. And fun is something we crave; we can’t seem to get enough of it.
However, we can overcome our human nature and exercise self-control through the power of the Holy Spirit. Through the Spirit, we can “put to death the deeds of the body, [and] live” (Romans 8:13).
The Second Challenge: The Adversary
Satan, our adversary, does everything in his power to distract us from what we should be doing. Mr. Rodzaj showed the students through Ephesians 2:2 that Satan’s influence floods the world with distractions, negativity, and insubordination. 1 Peter 5:8 describes Satan as a “roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”
The word “devour” is synonymous with “consume.” Satan uses distractions to consume our attention and energy. He wants us to foolishly associate sex, entertainment, status, possessions, and even food and drink with satisfaction and happiness. But we can ask God to strengthen us and eliminate any vulnerabilities we may have. As James 4:7 puts it, if we submit to God, we can resist the devil and he will flee from us.
The Third Challenge: The Distractions Themselves
To be distracted is a choice. We choose what we allow to distract us. With smartphones and social media, people can no longer settle their minds. These provide a constant influx of information, and it’s very easy to get overwhelmed. Multitasking has become the norm, yet it’s wreaking havoc on our attention spans. We’re training our brains to focus on many things at once, and as a result, we are losing our ability to focus on one thing at a time.
Mr. Rodzaj quoted from The Distracted Mind by neuroscientist Adam Gazzaley: “We act as if we are no longer interested in or able to stay idle and simply do nothing,” and “where we used to read, we now skim.” Mr. Rodzaj asked the students, “Could we be doing this with the Bible?”
When we are baptized, we make a commitment to God that we’ll let Christ live His life in us. This includes how we use our time. All our time should belong to God, as we only have so much time to use to fulfill God’s will and become like Him.
Mr. Rodzaj referenced Dr. Richard Swenson’s book Margin, which explains that setting limits in life—learning to say no, turning off the television, selecting which activities we give time to, focusing on getting the right things done, and taking time to assess our decisions before we make them—will help us keep focused.We must simplify our lives until we can see clearly what we are doing with our time. Mr. Rodzaj asked the students how far they were willing to go to resist and reject distractions as prescribed in Matthew 5:29-30. Ultimately, every word of God is about how we interact with our Creator, each other, and creation. And while distractions can ruin our relationships, we can overcome these challenges by exercising the power to choose how we spend our time and by relying on God to provide the help we need.
https://www.lcgeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/austin-distel-gUIJ0YszPig-unsplash.jpg10001500lcgadminhttps://www.lcgeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/logo_basic-website-300x94.pnglcgadmin2022-02-15 12:30:002022-02-16 13:42:43Forum Summary: Dealing with Distractions
Author:Yolanda Watt | Student, Living Education – Charlotte, 2021-22
Estimated Reading Time: 3 min.
Mr. Rod McNair opened his recent lecture by stating the mission of the Church Administration Department (CAD), which is to oversee the ministry—which, in turn, oversees the congregations around the world.
In John 21:15–17, Peter was given a directive to feed and oversee the flock, and CAD takes this very seriously, working hard to provide coordination, communication, and administrative support to the ministry.
Mr. McNair mentioned that in Noah’s day, he had no coworker to help him with the Work. The Church talks about statistics because, with them, we can compare the growth and see the fruits of our efforts. Imagine if, year after year, while the Gospel was being preached, no one responded to the message—this was what it was like for Noah, who still remained faithful to God.
Mr. McNair gave some statistics regarding Tomorrow’s World Presentations (TWPs) and the brethren around the world.
Tomorrow’s World Presentations
There have been a total of 30,905 TWP attendees from 2006 to the present. TWPs are a campaign that started during the Worldwide Church of God, but in 2006, pastors became more heavily involved in making them more localized.
On average, two percent of those invited to TWPs within the United States actually attend them—in other words, out of every 100 people who are invited to a TWP, 98 of them will not attend.
On average, 4.2 percent of those invited to a TWP outside the U.S. will attend.
The topics that TWP attendees want to hear about the most are:
Prophecy, including topics such as “the rapture,” heaven and hell, and life after death. Information on prophecy has been requested about 50 percent of the time.
Holy Days—it is surprising to see how much people want to hear about this topic. Information on the Holy Days has been requested about 30 percent of the time.
Holidays
The Sabbath
The Ten Commandments
The Holy Spirit
Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage
Baptism and Repentance
When planning for TWPs, CAD begins working at least eight weeks ahead, since they have to print out brochures and have them mailed out to those on the list of subscribers in a given city. There have been 1,265 TWPs since 2006. Mr. McNair showed the students a map of the U.S. that highlights the areas where we commonly have TWPs, mentioning that we have a lot of work to do.
General Church Statistics
There are 417 congregations in the Living Church of God worldwide.
LCG has 2,600 prospective members who are seventeen years old or younger.
There have been 6,200 baptisms since 1991. This shows that the Work is still being done.
LCG has 5,598 members, prospective members, and children in the U.S., and it has 6,458 members, prospective members, and children in 92 other countries.
There are 99 scattered brethren around the world who do not have a congregation in their country.
An estimated 60,000 people contact LCG’s Personal Correspondence Department with questions in the last fifteen to sixteen years.
Mr. McNair concluded his lecture with Matthew 24:45–51, reiterating that our job is to do the Work; God is the one who brings the harvest, and we need to work in the field.
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Author: Mr. Kenneth Frank | Faculty in Theology, Living Education
Estimated reading time: 7 min.
Did you know that when Myles Coverdale produced his Coverdale Bible in 1535, he coined a word to describe the special relationship that exists between God and His people?
This relationship is so extraordinary, it took a newly created word to explain its meaning in English. This Digging Deeper uncovers the deeper meaning of the magnificent biblical word lovingkindness to better understand the special relationships of God and His saints.
The Coverdale Bible was the first complete modern English translation of the Bible and the first complete printed Bible translation into English. Coverdale realized there was no one English word to fully translate the original Hebrew word, so he brought together two English words: loving and kindness. English translations following Coverdale’s continued to employ this word. Hastings Dictionary of the Bible explains this word’s meaning: “Two ideas are blended in this expressive word; it denotes kindness which springs from the loyalty of love” (e-Sword 13.0.0). Marital love is comparable to this relationship – e.g.: “And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies” (Hosea 2:19).
Our focus verse is the first time this English word appears in our Bible: “Shew thy marvellous lovingkindness, O thou that savest by thy right hand them which put their trust in thee from those that rise up against them” (Psalm 17:7 King James Version throughout). David was in danger of his life at this time, as Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible explains: “David was now exposed to imminent danger; common interpositions of Providence could not save him; if God did not work miracles for him, he must fall by the hand of Saul. Yet he lays no claim to such miraculous interpositions; he expects all from God’s lovingkindness” (e-Sword 13.0.0).
A marvelous and ordinary blessing
The Expository Notes of Dr. Constable explains why David could rely on his relationship with the Everlasting God: “The psalmist based his request on God’s loyal love for him as seen in His deliverance of those who take refuge in Him. He called on God to deliver him immediately” (e-Sword 13.0.0). There are times in life when God’s people need immediate deliverance. For David, this was such a time. John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible describes what God’s people may expect from God’s lovingkindness: “Such is the lovingkindness of God to his people in Christ; which is sovereign, free, special, distinguishing, everlasting, and unchangeable; it is better than life, and passes knowledge; and which is set upon men and not angels, some and not all…” (Ibid.).
Be sure to notice in Psalm 17:7 that David prayed for marvelous lovingkindness. C.H. Spurgeon’s The Treasury of David explains the addition of this descriptor: “Marvellous in its antiquity, its distinguishing character, its faithfulness, its immutability, and above all, marvellous in the wonders which it works. That marvellous grace which has redeemed us with the precious blood of God’s only begotten, is here invoked to come to the rescue” (e-Sword 13.0.0). For Christians, this marvelous lovingkindness is the essence of Christ’s sacrificial love for them.
David Guzik’s Enduring Word Commentary tells us why David added this descriptive adjective: “Yet David spoke of more than lovingkindness here; he spoke of marvelous lovingkindness, and that by Your right hand. ‘The wonder of extraordinary love is that God should make it such an ordinary thing, that he should give to us “marvellous lovingkindness,” and yet should give it so often that it becomes a daily blessing, and yet remains marvellous still (Spurgeon)'” (e-Sword 13.0.0). How gracious is our God that such lovingkindness is an uninterrupted gift!
Ger de Koning’s Commentary on the Whole Bible challenges Christians to be mindful of God’s generosity: “This is a beautiful expression. Every display of God’s lovingkindness to us is a wonder. Do we also have an eye for that and bow down in worship to Him for it? The first wonder of God’s lovingkindness is that He has saved us (Titus 3:4-6). After that, He has shown us countless more wonders of His lovingkindness. Has He not often helped us in His lovingkindness in all kinds of situations, for which we ourselves saw no solution and for which we then resorted to Him?” (Bible Analyzer 5.4.1.22).
The meaning of hesed
Longsuffering is invariably the translation of the Hebrew word hesed. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia offers an etymology: “‘Lovingkindness’ in the King James Version always represents this word (30 times), but of ḥeṣedh there are many other renderings, e.g. ‘mercy’ (frequently), ‘kindness’ (38), ‘goodness’ (12). The word is derived from ḥāṣadh, meaning, perhaps, ‘to bend or bow oneself,’ ‘to incline oneself’; hence, ‘to be gracious or merciful’” (e-Sword 13.0.0).
The BiblicalTraining Library provides another explanation of the meaning of the Hebrew word: “Ḥesed in the OT signifies an attitude of either God or man born out of mutual relationship. Hesed is the attitude that each expects of the other, e.g., master/subject, host/guest, friend/relative. Primarily ḥesed is not a disposition but a helpful action; it corresponds to a relationship of trust. Hesed in a sovereign protects his dominion; ḥesed gives men security in their mutual dealings…However, the principal connotation of ḥesed is ‘loyal love’—a love which is associated with the covenant (Deuteronomy 7:12; 1 Samuel 20:8). Men could always rely upon the divine ḥesed.”
An example of the saints’ trust in God is: “How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings” (Psalm 36:7 KJV). David proclaimed his trust in the Almighty: “Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee” (Psalm 143:8).
Expecting and giving hesed
The BiblicalTraining Library continues: “When ḥesed refers to God it indicates in general the divine love flowing out to sinners in unmerited kindness. On the divine side ḥesed comes to designate particularly grace. In a religious sense the ḥesed of God always signifies His merciful and faithful aid…God has promised ḥesed; one may expect it but dare never claim it.”
Notice how David requested this grace: “To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions” (Psalm 51:1). After his shameful conduct with Bathsheba, David needed lovingkindness!
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia explains that hesed is also expected from God’s people: “Being such an essential and distinctive quality of God, the prophets taught that it should also characterize His people. It is part of the Divine requirement in Micah 6:8, ‘to love kindness’ (compare Zechariah 7:9, ‘Show kindness and compassion every man to his brother’)” (e-Sword 13.0.0). David set an example of sharing and proclaiming God’s lovingkindess to others: “I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation” (Psalm 40:10 KJV). This is an essential part of the message Christians are to proclaim through the gospel today!
The word lovingkindness does not appear in our New Testament. Rather, equivalent words there are “mercy” “goodness,” “kindness,” “brotherly love.” Cheyne, in the Encyclopedia Biblica notes that chesed [hesed] is answered by the Greek word philadelphia (ISBE, e-Sword 13.0.0). Philadelphian Christians should generously and consistently shower fellow believers with lovingkindness. God’s people not only receive such marvelous lovingkindness from God, but they are also expected to exhibit the same to others (John 13:35). In this way, God’s lovingkindness is paid forward. Lovingkindness is not just something we get – it is also something we give.
Kenneth Frank was born and raised in New Jersey, USA, and attended Ambassador College, graduating in 1973. He served in the Canadian ministry from 1973-1999, after which he returned to the USA to pastor churches in Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina for 15 years. Having earned a BA degree from Ambassador College he later earned a MA degree from Grand Canyon University before being assigned to the Charlotte office to teach at Living University, now Living Education. Currently, he teaches the Survey of the Bible course to the on-campus students and writes the Digging Deeper column for our online Bible study program. He is married, has four children, and seven grandchildren.
Did you know? The entire chapters of Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21 are devoted to Jesus’ famous Olivet Prophecy—a vital prophecy describing the sequence of events leading directly to the end of civilization as we know it today, and leading to the beginning of a very different age.
Author:Ryan Price | Student, Living Education – Charlotte, 2021-22
Estimated Reading Time: 4 min.
Mr. Josh Lyons, a minister in LCG and former Living University student, brought to the Living Education students’ attention that the Bible has many verses related to finance and wealth, and that it gives us foundational financial principles of being balanced, being generous, and tithing.
But he wanted to focus on some other practical tips for this week’s forum, so he provided the students with ten financial principles he hoped would help them in life. He began by splitting these principles into three broad categories.
Small, Practical Tips
Principle 1: Have at least $1,000 in your emergency fund.
In life, there will come days when you have no choice but to spend $500 or $1,000—your car could break down, you could sustain an injury, your house could need repair, etc. It’s best to always be prepared for these situations with at least $1,000 in reserve.
Principle 2: Intentionally build and maintain a good credit score.
The FICO credit score ranges from 350 to 850. The closer your score is to 850, the better your credit is. When you have good credit, you can get better loans more easily, with better terms and better credit cards.
The five main aspects to your credit score are paying your bills on time, how much debt you are in, the length of your credit history, the type of debt you accrue, and recent inquiries into your credit. A good practice for young people is to get a credit card and spend just a little with it, paying it off at the end of each month to start building your credit score early.
Principle 3: Buy things used
A brand-new car will decrease in value as soon as you drive it out of the dealership. For many, buying used cars is a better option. This applies to furniture and appliances, too.
Principle 4: Keep a personal balance sheet
A balance sheet is a snapshot of everything you own and everything you owe, your assets and liabilities. This is a useful tool in figuring out your financial status, both in the present and in the future.
Avoiding Financial Traps
Principle 5: Avoid credit-card debt
Two big reasons that it is very important to pay off your credit card at the end of each month are that credit cards can make us feel like we have money that we really don’t have, and that the interest for late payments can be as high as twenty percent. If you don’t pay your credit card balance on time, you’ll likely end up paying way more in interest than the original purchase was worth.
Principle 6: Avoid investing in something you don’t understand
This is a simple principle: You need to be sure to do your research on something before you invest. Don’t buy into the hype. Practicing discernment and acquiring knowledge is essential to successful investing.
Principle 7: Never gamble
This is common sense, but some do fall into this trap. Gambling on sports, as Mr. Lyons has noticed, seems to be on the rise. It’s very easy to do, but we must be careful to avoid it, as it can be very addictive.
The Big Principles
Principle 8: Make sure your biggest financial decisions are good ones
One of these big decisions can be buying a car—you need to do your research to make sure your car won’t have problems down the road. A good car can last for years. This principle especially applies to buying a house, which could be the biggest financial decision of your life.
Principle 9: Choose a good career
Choosing a career path, depending upon the career, can cost you a lot of time and money. So, make sure that the career you choose will pay you back. It’s wise to pick an industry that has a demand for workers and to consider how well your degree, trade, or certificate will financially benefit you. Choosing a career can be one of the biggest decisions you’ll make and will have a significant financial impact on your life—so, be sure you know what you’re getting into.
Principle 10: Always spend less than you make
This is another very simple principle, but, as with many things, it is easier said than done. However, if you live within your means, you will accumulate wealth over time that can be used as a tool to provide for and protect your family, and to help others in times of need.
Mr. Lyons hoped the Living Education students found his message helpful and reminded them that living by these principles will lead to prosperous financial stability in their lives.
Would you like to have a better understanding of who the Hellenists were? When we turn from the Jewish dispersion’ in the East to that in the West, we seem to breathe quite a different atmosphere. Despite their intense nationalism, all unconsciously to themselves, their mental characteristics and tendencies were in the opposite direction from those of their brethren.
https://www.lcgeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/pexels-ann-h-11022646.jpg10001500Jonathan McNairhttps://www.lcgeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/logo_basic-website-300x94.pngJonathan McNair2022-02-03 15:26:182022-02-03 15:26:21Course Spotlight: Who were the Hellenists?
Author:Yolanda Watt | Student, Living Education – Charlotte, 2021-22
Estimated Reading Time: 3 min.
Mr. Wallace Smith focused his recent assembly message on the topic of marriage.
When we think about marriage, we sometimes think about the world’s approach to marriage versus the way it is approached in the Bible. From Mr. Smith’s perspective, we tend to look at marriage in terms of how great it is to avoid the negative things that are happening in the world, but we don’t focus on how wonderful marriage is, in and of itself.
When God created marriage, He created it to anchor the family. Mr. Smith stressed the point that even though God can work with different types of families, such as single-parent families, we must be mindful that families without both a husband and a wife have a challenge to overcome.
Six Blessings of Marriage
Mr. Smith explained to us that God designed sex to be within the confines of marriage. He used Proverbs 30:18–19 to show that God designed men and women to be attracted to each other. We must, however, be sure that we are not just going along with the world’s painting of what sex is, but instead recognizing that sex, when in marriage, is a uniquely wonderful thing.
Commitment within marriage is another blessing, and as Mr. Smith put it, “none of us gets out of it alive.” He emphasized that it is a tremendous blessing to know that there is someone in your life who is extremely committed to you. The world has the philosophy that your feelings are the truth, but the truth is that feelings are fickle and not enough to carry a relationship through. Marriage is based on commitment.
Marriage also brings companionship thatis different from mere friendship. Mr. Smith turned to Malachi 2:13–14 to highlight that it is talking about someone who has been with you on the same journey through life. He stressed that companionship is something that happens over time; you are shaped into the right companion for your spouse, and vice versa. Your companion is that one person who knows things about you that no one else knows.
Vulnerability in marriage is also a blessing. Mr. Smith reminded us that your spouse is with you all the time; you cannot keep up appearances with that person. Your spouse sees you in different environments—both on your good days and on your bad.
God is planning His Family, and He gives us children to teach us. Mr. Smith said that with children you learn to give, especially when they are not giving to you.
Finally, Mr. Smith spoke about how marriage gives us fulfillment of our design. God designed marriage and helped Adam to realize that he was initially missing something; it was not until God created both man and woman that He stated that His creation was “very good.” Our gender roles are revealed in marriage, and fulfilling these roles helps us to grow.
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Author: Mr. Kenneth Frank | Faculty in Theology, Living Education
Estimated reading time: 8 min.
Did you know that one of the greatest confessions of faith in Christ was made by an apostle while traveling with Jesus to a northerly Gentile area near Caesarea Philippi?
After traveling with his disciples for some time, Jesus decided to ask them who they thought He was. This was also the occasion when Jesus assigned the future leadership of the church, after He ascended to Heaven, to the apostle Peter. Historically, Caesarea Philippi had been a center of pagan worship. This Digging Deeper researches the verbal exchange between Jesus and His disciples to better understand why Jesus chose this distant geographical location to discuss His identity and prepare them for His coming death and ascension to heaven.
Our focus passage is: “When Jesus came into the coasts [region] of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 16:13-17 KJV throughout). Peter’s confession of faith revealed the kind of disciple he was deep inside even though he failed to understand Christ at times (Matthew 16:23).
Jesus journeys North
This episode was during Jesus’ withdrawals from Jewish territories because of opposition He was facing, as explained by Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers: “The order of the journeyings of our Lord and His disciples would seem to have been as follows:—From the coasts of Tyre and Sidon they came, passing through Sidon, to the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee (Mark 7:31); thence by ship to Magdala and Dalmanutha, on the western shore (Matthew 15:39; Mark 8:10); thence, again crossing the lake (Mark 8:13), to the eastern Bethsaida (Mark 8:22); thence to Cæsarea Philippi. There is in all these movements an obvious withdrawal from the populous cities which had been the scene of His earlier labours, and which had practically rejected Him and cast in their lot with His enemies” (e-Sword 13.0.0).
Matthew reports that Jesus came to the coasts (region) of Caesarea Philippi (Matthew 16:13). Mark clarifies further that Jesus came to the towns of Caesarea Philippi (Mark 8:27), not the city itself. This was the extreme northeast corner of Galilee near the source of the Jordan River and was located at the base of the southwest slope of Mt. Hermon. It was also near the former border of the tribe of Naphtali and was the most northerly area of Palestine that Jesus visited. This trip was shortly before His transfiguration, as described in Matthew 17. Fausset’s Bible Dictionary notes: “The transfiguration probably took place on mount Hermon which rears its majestic head 7,000 feet above Caesarea Philippi” (e-Sword 13.0.0).
The ESV Study Bible provides essential background material for this city: “Caesarea Philippi, some 25 miles (40 km) north of the Sea of Galilee, had been a center of the worship of (1) Baal, then of (2) the Greek god Pan, and then of (3) Caesar. At this time it was an important Greco-Roman city, with a primarily pagan Syrian and Greek population. In fact, its name had recently been changed from Paneas to Caesarea Philippi by Philip the Tetrarch (one of Herod the Great’s sons), in honor of himself and Augustus Caesar. Excavations at the site have revealed coins minted to depict the temple built to honor Augustus Caesar, and a pagan cave dedicated to Pan, with shrines and cult niches that are still visible today” (Tecarta Bible App). Pan was the Greek god of the forest, shepherds, nature, and fertility. He was depicted as half man and half goat. During a summer archaeological dig in Jerusalem in 1971, over 70 of us Ambassador College students saw these cult niches during a day trip to this area.
The Son of Man
In Matthew 16:13, Jesus asked His followers what was being said about Him by the common people, not the Pharisees, Sadducees, and teachers of the Law. Then He pointedly asked His disciples what they thought of Him, as explained by the New King James Study Bible: “In the face of the surrounding idols, Christ led His disciples into a proclamation of His deity by first soliciting from them what other people said. In the end, however, what mattered was the apostles’ own beliefs concerning Jesus” (Tecarta Bible App). Peter, the spokesman for these disciples, proclaimed Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God, thereby acknowledging Jesus’ divinity.
Notice that Jesus referred to Himself as “the Son of man.” Joseph Sutcliffe’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments explains: “It is very remarkable, that when our Saviour was about to disclose his Godhead, he calls himself the Son of man, which marks his humanity, that he was the son of Adam, or rather, the second Adam, the promised Seed. The same name was given Ezekiel, when favoured with high revelations, but in a different sense to this title of Christ: for in Christ it signifies the sovereign Judge of heaven and earth, the Father having given him authority to execute judgment, because he is by preëminence the Son of man. John 5:27” (e-Sword 13.0.0).
Bob Utley’s You Can Understand the Bible expands this further: “This phrase was used several times in the OT. It implies humanity (Psalm 8:4; Ezekiel 2:1) and deity (Daniel 7:13). The phrase was not used by the rabbis of Jesus’ day; therefore, it had no nationalistic or militaristic implications. This was Jesus’ self-chosen designation because it combined the twin aspects of His person, fully God and fully man (cf. Philippians 2:6-8; 1 John 4:1-3). See note at Matthew 8:20” (e-Sword 13.0.0).
The object lesson of “the rock”
It was after Peter’s confession of faith that Jesus gave him the keys of the kingdom of heaven, authorizing Peter as the human leader of the new church in Jesus’ absence (Matthew 16:18-19). Jesus declared He would build His church upon “this rock” – referring to Himself. It was not a coincidence that Jesus chose this location to announce it, as explained by the New King James Study Bible: “The site for pagan worship centered on a massive stone facade, which Jesus referred to in His play on words concerning ‘rock’ in v. 18” (Tecarta Bible App). The surrounding rock made an impressive object lesson for these disciples.
This story appears in the three Synoptic Gospels: Matthew 16:13-20; Mark 8:27-30; Luke 9:18-21. In all three, Jesus concluded the conversation by commanding the disciples to tell no man that He was Jesus the Christ. Scholars refer to this as “the Messianic Secret.” At that time, many Jews expected a conquering champion Messiah who would rid the Holy Land of the despised Romans and restore the glory days of David and Solomon. Jesus had not come at that time to conquer the world. Rather, He came to die as the sacrifice for human sin. He foretold His death and resurrection soon after this discussion about His identity (Matthew 16:21-23).
Why did Jesus choose this spot to reveal His identity and prepare them for the establishment of His church? The Holman KJV Study Bible replies: “That Jesus’ identity as the Messiah was announced here demonstrates that Jesus is superior to Caesar and to all idols and mythical gods” (Tecarta Bible App). At that time, Caesar was declared by many as the divine son of God who brought peace (Pax Romana) to the Roman world. By contrast, Jesus called for their full allegiance to Him as Savior and King of the world.
Jesus knew His time with them was limited and that He needed to prepare His disciples to carry on preaching the gospel in His absence, as explained by the Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary, edited by Joseph S. Exell: “This conversation at Cæsarea Philippi is universally regarded as marking a new era in the life of Christ. His rejection by ‘His own’ [the Jews] is now complete.… With the very small band He has gathered around Him He withdraws to the neighbourhood of the Gentile town of Cæsarea Philippi; not for seclusion only, but, as the event shows, to found an Ecclesia—His church (Gibson)” (e-Sword 13.0.0). That church continues to proclaim His royal gospel to the world even today.
Kenneth Frank was born and raised in New Jersey, USA, and attended Ambassador College, graduating in 1973. He served in the Canadian ministry from 1973-1999, after which he returned to the USA to pastor churches in Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina for 15 years. Having earned a BA degree from Ambassador College he later earned a MA degree from Grand Canyon University before being assigned to the Charlotte office to teach at Living University, now Living Education. Currently, he teaches the Survey of the Bible course to the on-campus students and writes the Digging Deeper column for our online Bible study program. He is married, has four children, and seven grandchildren.
