For many years there has been a desire amongst some Christians to re-arrange the order of parts of the Gospels in order to have a more chronologically ordered story. The Confession of Peter is one of the incidents that some have thought to be out of sequence.

The Synoptic Gospels all report Peter’s Confession occurring when Jesus took his disciples to the area of Caesarea Philippi. This city was a cosmopolitan centre with many ornate pagan temples. The landscape was dominated by 9000 foot Mount Hermon on which the Transfiguration of Jesus is thought to have taken place. Some commentators have suggested that this special event occurred before Peter’s Confession and that this is what Jesus is referring to when he says that the Father in heaven has prompted Peter’s declaration. Sounds reasonable, but all three Synoptic Gospels place Peter’s Confession six days prior to the Transfiguration which he and James and John witnessed; so, I think the Gospel sequence is in order.

The Confession of Peter arose out of his being with Jesus day by day for almost three years. To be in the presence of the Son of God opens one to the possibility of receiving the revelation of what the Father is doing.

Bible Reading: Matthew 17:1-8; 16:16-17