Church Fathers Commentary Luke 9:18-22

"And it came to pass, as he was praying apart, the disciples were with him: and he asked them, saying, Who do the multitudes say that I am? And they answering said, John the Baptist; but others [say], Elijah; and others, that one of the old prophets is risen again. And he said unto them, But who say ye that I am? And Peter answering said, The Christ of God. But he charged them, and commanded [them] to tell this to no man; saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised up." — Luke 9:18-22 (ASV)

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Our Lord retired from the multitude and, in a place apart, was engaged in prayer, as it is said: And it came to pass, as he was alone praying. He set Himself as an example of this, instructing His disciples by an easy method of teaching. For I suppose that the rulers of the people ought to be superior to those under them in good deeds, always conversing with them about necessary matters and discussing those things that delight God.

The Venerable Bede: Now the disciples were with the Lord, but He alone prayed to the Father, since the saints may be joined to the Lord in the bond of faith and love, but the Son alone is able to penetrate the incomprehensible secrets of the Father’s will. Everywhere, then, He prays alone, for human wishes do not comprehend the counsel of God, nor can anyone be a partaker with Christ in the deep things of God.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: His engaging in prayer might have perplexed His disciples, for they saw Him praying like a man, whom they had previously seen performing miracles with divine power. In order, then, to banish all perplexity of this kind, He asks them this question—not because He did not know the reports they had gathered from others, but so that He might rid them of the common opinion and instill true faith in them. Hence it follows: And he asked them, saying, Whom say the people that I am?

The Venerable Bede: Rightly, when our Lord was about to inquire into the faith of the disciples, He first asked about the opinion of the multitudes. He did this so their confession would not seem to be shaped by popular opinion instead of their own knowledge, and so they would not be seen as believing based on hearsay, like Herod, who was perplexed by the different reports he heard.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Now, a question may be raised by the fact that Luke says our Lord asked His disciples, Whom do men say that I am? at the same time that He was praying alone, and they were also with Him. Mark, however, says that they were asked this question by our Lord on the way. But this is a difficulty only for someone who has never prayed on the way.

St. Ambrose of Milan: But it is no trivial opinion of the multitude that the disciples mention, as it is added: But they answering said, John the Baptist (whom they knew to have been beheaded), but some say, Elias (whom they thought would come), but others say that one of the old prophets is risen again. But to investigate this matter belongs to a different kind of wisdom than ours, for if it was enough for the Apostle Paul to know nothing but Christ Jesus and Him crucified, what more can I desire to know than Christ?

St. Cyril of Alexandria: But mark the subtle skill of the question. He directs them first to the opinions of outsiders so that, after setting those aside, He might instill in them the right opinion. So when the disciples had given the people's view, He asks for their own, as it is added: And He said to them, Whom say you that I am?

How significant is the word "you"! He separates them from the others so that they may avoid their opinions, as if He were saying, "You who by my decree are called to the apostleship, you who are witnesses of my miracles—whom do you say that I am?" But Peter, anticipating the rest, becomes the mouthpiece for the whole company. Launching forth with the eloquence of divine love, he utters the confession of faith, as it is added: Peter answering said, The Christ of God.

Peter does not say merely that He was a Christ of God, but the Christ of God, using the definite article as it is in the Greek. For many divinely appointed people are called "Christs" (or "anointed ones") in various ways, since some were anointed as kings and others as prophets. We too, through Christ, have been anointed by the Holy Spirit and have obtained the name of Christ.

But there is only one who is the Christ of God the Father, He alone having, as it were, His own Father who is in heaven. And so Luke agrees in substance with Matthew, who relates that Peter said, You are Christ, the Son of the living God. Speaking more briefly, Luke says that Peter answered, the Christ of God.

St. Ambrose of Milan: In this one name is the expression of His divinity and incarnation, and the belief in His passion. He has therefore comprehended everything, having expressed both the nature and the name in which all power resides.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: But we must observe that Peter most wisely confessed Christ to be one, against those who presumed to divide Immanuel into two Christs. For Christ did not ask them, "Whom do men say the divine Word is?" but the Son of Man, whom Peter confessed to be the Son of God. In this, then, Peter is to be admired and considered worthy of such high honor, seeing that He whom he marveled at in human form, he believed to be the Christ of the Father—that is to say, that the Word who proceeded from the Father’s substance had become man.

St. Ambrose of Milan: But our Lord Jesus Christ was at first unwilling to be proclaimed, lest an uproar should arise, as it follows: And he straitly charged them, and commanded them to tell no man any thing. He commands His disciples to be silent for many reasons: to deceive the prince of this world, to reject boasting, and to teach humility. Christ, then, would not boast; do you boast, who are of ignoble birth? He also did it to prevent inexperienced and still imperfect disciples from being overwhelmed by the wonder of this awesome announcement. They are therefore forbidden to preach Him as the Son of God, so that they might afterward preach Him crucified.

St. John Chrysostom: Our Lord’s command that no one should tell that He was the Christ was also timely, so that when the stumbling blocks were removed and the sufferings of the cross completed, a proper opinion of Him might be firmly rooted in the minds of the hearers. For a plant that has once taken root and is then torn up will scarcely survive if it is replanted. But that which, once planted, continues undisturbed, grows up securely. For if Peter was offended merely by what he heard, what would the feelings have been of the many who, after hearing that He was the Son of God, saw Him crucified and spat upon?

St. Cyril of Alexandria: It was the duty of the disciples, then, to preach Him throughout the world, for this was the work of those chosen by Him for the office of the apostleship. But as Holy Scripture bears witness, There is a time for every thing. It was fitting that the cross and resurrection should be accomplished, and then the preaching of the apostles would follow, as it is spoken: The Son of man must suffer many things.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Perhaps because the Lord knew that the disciples would believe even the difficult mystery of the Passion and Resurrection, He wished to be the one to proclaim His own Passion and Resurrection.