And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father who is in heaven.
Christ asked not what the hostile scribes and Pharisees said of Him, but what common people believed. When ministers lose their public pulpit, they must labor harder in private conversation with their own household, for every season of diminished public work is opportunity for deeper family instruction.
AI summary
Commenting on Matthew 16:13-20
Peter is blessed because he possesses eternal life itself, knowledge of the true God and Christ whom He sent. But mark this: your mind is naturally blind to heavenly mysteries. Flesh and blood cannot perceive what is hidden in Christ. You must ask the Father for faith, and render Him alone the glory for opening your eyes.
AI summary
Faith comes from grace, not nature. This speech means your natural human understanding did not show you this truth, God showed it to you from heaven. Man's mind, though not destroyed by sin, is deformed and cannot see it.
AI summary