Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 16:13

"Now when Jesus came into the parts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Who do men say that the Son of man is?" — Matthew 16:13 (ASV)

Caesarea Philippi — The order of our Lord's journeys with His disciples seems to have been as follows: From the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, they came through Sidon to the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee (Mark 7:31). From there, they traveled by ship to Magdala and Dalmanutha on the western shore (Matthew 15:39; Mark 8:10). Then, crossing the lake again (Mark 8:13), they went to the eastern Bethsaida (Mark 8:22), and from there to Caesarea Philippi.

In all these movements, there is an obvious withdrawal from the populous cities that had been the scene of His earlier labors and had practically rejected Him, siding with His enemies. This last journey took them to a district He had apparently never visited before. It seems He came there not as a Preacher of the kingdom, but simply for retirement and perhaps for safety.

Caesarea Philippi (so named to distinguish it from the coastal town of the same name) does not appear in Old Testament history, unless we identify it with Laish or Dan—an identification for which there is not enough evidence. Its position at the foot of Mount Hermon led Robinson (Researches, iii. 404, 519) to identify it with the Baal-gad of Joshua 11:17, Joshua 12:7, and Joshua 13:5, or the Baal-hermon of Judges 3:3, but this also remains largely conjecture. The city was located near the main source of the Jordan River, which flowed from a cave. Under the influence of Greek worship that arrived with the rule of the Syrian kings, this cave was dedicated to the god Pan, and the city's old name, Paneas, reflected this dedication.

Herod the Great built a temple there to honor Augustus (Josephus, Antiquities 15.10.3). His son Philip the tetrarch, to whose province it belonged, enlarged and beautified the city, renaming it to honor the emperor and to preserve his own memory. From Agrippa II, it received the name Neroneas as a similar compliment to the emperor to whom he owed his title. However, the old local name survived these temporary changes and still exists in the modern Banias.

With the exception of the journey through Sidon (Mark 7:31), this was the northern limit of our Lord’s travels. His visit belongs to the same period of His ministry and may be seen as indicating a sympathy with the outlying Gentiles who made up most of its population, though it was not an extension of His work beyond its self-imposed limits. Perhaps it was a sense of rest for Him, turning to them from the ceaseless strife and bitterness He encountered at Capernaum and Jerusalem. How the days passed on the journey, what gracious words or acts of mercy marked His path, what communion with His Father took place in the solitude of the mountain heights—these are questions we may ponder in reverential silence but must be content to leave unanswered. The incident that follows is the one event of which we have any record.

Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? — The Greek emphasizes "men" by prefixing the article, contrasting the opinions of men, as such, with God’s revelation. The question comes to us, as it possibly did to the disciples, with a sharp abruptness. We may believe, however, that it occupied a fitting place in the spiritual education through which our Lord was leading His disciples. It was a time of, at least, apparent failure and partial desertion.

As St. John relates, speaking of what followed the discourse at Capernaum, many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him (John 6:66). He had turned to the Twelve and asked in tones of touching sadness, Will ye also go away? He then received from Peter, as the spokesman for the others, what was for the time a reassuring answer: Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. This was coupled with the confession of faith that we now find repeated.

But in the meantime, there had been signs of wavering. He had to rebuke them as being of little faith (Matthew 16:8). They had urged something like a policy of restraint in His conflict with the Pharisees (Matthew 15:12). One of the Twelve was cherishing in his soul the "devil-temper" of a betrayer (John 6:70). It was time, if we may say so, for them to be put to a crucial test, and for the alternative of faith or lack of faith to be pressed upon their consciences.