Verse 15
He saith unto them, But who say ye that I am?
Christ in that question came to the heart of his heavenly mission. Everything, repeat, EVERYTHING depends upon the answer to that question. Who is he? That was the question asked by Paul on the Damascus road when he said, "Who art thou, Lord?" (Acts 22:8). It is the question every man must ask, AND ANSWER CORRECTLY, before any such thing as salvation can be had. It is not enough to know the popular opinion of the Christ; the question demands, and will receive, a personal answer by every man coming into the world.
The progression from things general to things particular was a common procedure in Christ's method of teaching. It will be recalled that in the Sermon on the Mount he said, "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake," and followed a moment later with "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you and persecute you ..." (Matthew 5:10,11). The same pattern is here. "Who do men say that the Son of man is," followed by "Who say ye that I am?"
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