Matthew 16:14

There were many different opinions about who Jesus was. Some, including Herod Antipas, believed He was the resurrected John the Baptist (Matthew 14:2). Others believed He was the fulfillment of the Elijah prophecy, namely, the forerunner of the Messiah (Malachi 4:5-6; cf. Matthew 3:1-3; Matthew 11:9-10; Matthew 17:10-13). Some concluded that Jesus was the resurrected Jeremiah probably because of similarities between the men and their ministries. For example, both men were quite critical of Israel generally, and both combined authority and suffering in their ministries. Still other Jews thought Jesus was some other resurrected prophet. It is interesting that the disciples did not say that some said Jesus was the Messiah. That opinion was not a popular one, reflecting the widespread unbelief in Israel.

"What we must recognize is that christological confession was not cut and dried, black or white. It was possible to address Jesus with some messianic title without complete conviction, or while still holding some major misconceptions about the nature of his messiahship, and therefore stopping short of unqualified allegiance or outright confession." [Note: Ibid., p. 365.]