Matthew 16:14Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Some referred to Him as John, similar to Herod, believing that John had been granted the gift of miracles following the resurrection. Others identified Him as Elijah, anticipating his return and acknowledging his role as a rebuker; still others labeled Him Jeremiah, due to his innate wisdom and lack of formal education, paralleling how Jeremiah was chosen for the prophetic vocation in his youth.

They expressed this view because, witnessing His miracles, they struggled to fully comprehend His majesty. Some likened Him to Elijah due to His fervor for His Father’s house, while others saw parallels with Jeremiah, reflecting on His sanctity from birth. Still, others compared Him to John, noting His baptism and the miraculous events surrounding His birth, all of which were well known. As His followers stood awestruck before Him, a multitude of differing perspectives emerged among those who beheld Him.

I find it astounding that some interpreters attempt to justify the misconceptions of certain individuals, crafting elaborate explanations for why some perceived John in our Lord Jesus Christ, while others thought He was Elijah, Jeremiah, or another prophet. Indeed, they may have been misled regarding Elijah and Jeremiah, similar to Herod’s confusion about John, who declared, "This is John, whom I beheaded; he has risen from the dead," as noted in Mark 6:16. The translator’s chosen Synodal version reflects that John, whom I beheaded, has indeed risen from the dead, revealing the manifestation of divine power within him.

In Caesarea Philippi, our Lord Jesus Christ convened His first gathering of apostles and posed the question, ‘Whom do men say that I am, the Son of Man?’ He asked this to illuminate the understanding of mankind and to eliminate the ignorance that obscures spiritual vision. The disciples responded, noting that some believed Him to be John the Baptist, others thought He was Elijah, and still others identified Him as Jeremiah or one of the prophets.

He addresses those who dwell with him always and are familiar with his might in action and in speech. When he asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" he revealed that the multitude was speaking untruths.

Hear what the Lord communicates to His disciples: “For whom do people honor Me, the Son of Man?” It is important to note that He referred to Himself as the Son of Man, not the Son of God. When He learned that some thought of Him as John the Baptist and others as Elijah, He inquired, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter, the cornerstone of the apostles, replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” In response, the Lord said, “Blessed are you, Simon Peter, son of Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.” As Peter recognized the Son of Man, he proclaimed the Son of God. What else did He declare to him? “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:13-18).

The response from the disciples revealed the limited understanding the people had of their Savior: THEY SAY: SOME believe you to be JOHN the Baptist, conjecturing with Herod Antipas that you are John, raised from the dead and appearing under a different name; OTHERS see you as ELIJAH, thinking that you are Elijah, similar to Enoch, who did not experience death but was taken up into heaven, and as per the prophecy of Malachi (Malachi 4:5), is expected to return in the flesh to prepare the way for the Messiah; STILL OTHERS regard you as JEREMIAH, believed to have returned to reveal the Ark of the Covenant and the sacred items hidden from view, coming to announce the forthcoming reign of the Messiah’s kingdom (2 Macc.

The apostles expressed to Jesus that the public had varied perceptions of Him. In Herod Antipas' court, some believed Him to be John the Baptist raised from the dead, while others saw Him as one of the prophets from the Old Testament, such as Elijah or Jeremiah, among others.

The response was disheartening. The people chosen by God, who had anticipated the arrival of the Messiah for millennia, failed to recognize that the long-awaited Savior was among them. Instead, they continued to hope for His coming, viewing Him merely as a precursor to the true Messiah. ‘Some regarded Christ as John the Baptist, others as Elijah, and still others as one of the prophets.’ Clearly, the crowd, misled by the erroneous teachings of the Pharisees, could not discern the moment of their divine visitation.

Some believed that John the Baptist had been raised from the dead, a perspective held by Herod Antipas, as noted in Matthew 14:2. Furthermore, this belief was not isolated but shared by some members of the populace. Others speculated that He could be Elijah, whom the Jewish tradition expected to precede the Messiah's arrival (Matthew 11:14, Matthew 17:10). Additionally, there were those who thought He might be Jeremiah or another of the revered prophets from ancient times. In essence, the prevailing view among the people—though not universally held—was that Christ served as a forerunner to the Messiah. This is why Chrysostom remarked that the public perception of Christ was significantly less exalted than it ought to have been.

Public perceptions of Christ were diverse, and as noted by St. John Chrysostom, they fell significantly short of the truth. The people did not see Jesus as the awaited and prophesied Messiah they anticipated, but rather as a precursor to His arrival. Some believed Him to be the resurrected John the Baptist (Matt. 14:2), while others thought He was Elijah (11:14; 17:10), Jeremiah, or one of the ancient prophets (Luke 9:8) returning to Earth to prepare the Israelites for the forthcoming kingdom of the Messiah. The apostles responded to these inquiries, stating that some believed He was John the Baptist, others thought He was Elijah, and still others identified Him as Jeremiah or one of the prophets from ages past who had come back to life.