Thou art the Christ - Three MSS. and some versions add, the Son of the living God.

And he saith unto them, but whom say ye that I am?.... It was for the sake of this question he put the former; See Gill on Matthew 16:15;

and Peter answereth and saith unto him, thou art the Christ; the Messiah that was long ago promised and so often prophesied of in the books of Moses and the prophets; and whom the Jews have so much and long expected. This confession of Peter's in which all the apostles agreed with him speaks out what Jesus really was, and exceeds the most exalted sentiments which the people had of him: he was not the harbinger of the Messiah but the Messiah himself; not Elias in whose Spirit his forerunner was to come and did come; nor any one of the prophets; but he who was spoken of by all the holy prophets; which have been since the beginning of the world. Not one of the various opinions of the people being just, and answering the true character of Jesus, he demands the sense of his disciples which is here given by Peter in their name, and which was right; and on account of which he declared Peter blessed and ascribed his knowledge of him not to flesh and blood but to the revelation of his Father. The Syriac and Persic versions add, "the Son of the living God"; and so Beza found it in one ancient copy; but it may be it is only taken from Mat_16:16; See Gill on Matthew 16:16.

He saith (ἐπηρώτα)

More correctly, he questioned or asked. So Rev. Mark omits the commendation of Peter. See Introduction.

On Mark 8:31-33, compare notes on Matthew 16:21-28.

And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ.

8:27-30 Jesus went out... into the towns of Caesarea Philippi. For notes on Peter's confession of Christ, see Mt 16:21-28. Compare Lu 9:22-27. Caesarea Philippi was a heathen town, in the extreme north of Palestine, near the foot of Mount Hermon, and one of the sources of the Jordan.

8:27-33 These things are written, that we may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. These miracles of our Lord assure us that he was not conquered, but a Conqueror. Now the disciples are convinced that Jesus is the Christ; they may bear to hear of his sufferings, of which Christ here begins to give them notice. He sees that amiss in what we say and do, of which we ourselves are not aware, and knows what manner of spirit we are of, when we ourselves do not. The wisdom of man is folly, when it pretends to limit the Divine counsels. Peter did not rightly understand the nature of Christ's kingdom.