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These verses relate to us a private conference which our Saviour had with his disciples, touching their own, and others' opinion concerning himself.
Where observe, 1. Our Saviour's enquiry, what the generality of the people thought and said of him: Whom do men say that I am? Not as if Christ were ignorant, or did vain gloriously enquire after the opinion of the multitude; but his intention and design was to settle and more firmly establish his disciples in the belief of his being the true and promised Messiah. The disciples tell him, some took him to be John the Baptist: some, Elias; some one of the prophets. It is no new thing, it seems to find diversity of judgments and opinions concerning Christ and the affairs of his kingdom.
Observe, 2. Peter, as the mouth of all the apostles, and in their names, makes a full and open profession of Christ, acknowledging him to be the true and promised Messiah: Thou art the Christ of God.
Learn thence, that the veil of Christ's human nature did not keep the eye of his disciples' faith from discerning him to be truly and really God: Thou are the Christ of God.
Observe, 3. The charge and special injunction given by Christ to tell no man of him: that is, not commonly to publish, and openly to declare him to be the Son of God, because being in his state of humiliation, the glory of his divinity was to be concealed until his resurrection; he was then declared to be the Son of God with power, Rom_1:4
Observe lastly, the great wisdom of our Saviour in acquainting his disciples with the near approach of his death and sufferings: The Son of man must suffer many things, etc.
This our Saviour did,
1. To prevent that scandal and offence which otherwise they might have taken at his sufferings.
2. The better to fit and prepare them to bear that great trial when it did come.
3. To correct the error which they had entertained concerning the temporal kingdom of the Messiah, and that he was to be a great and mighty prince here upon earth; for these reasons did Christ frequently acquaint his disciples with his sufferings.