<p>8:27 <i>And Jesus went with his disciples into the villages of Caesarea Philippi, and on the way he questioned his disciples, saying to them- </i>Again we get the impression that the Lord was working to educate the disciples according to some kind of program. He surely would have loved to ask them this question earlier, but He waited for some reason until they were in Caesarea Philippi. What that reason was isn't clear. Perhaps He wanted to wait until they were back in Jewish territory after their excursion into Gentile territory, the purpose of which had been to get away from the spotlight of publicity and teach the disciples. And like a good teacher, now the Lord tested their apprehension of His teaching.</p><p><i>Who do men say that I am?</i>- This was to pave the way for His more significant, personal question: Whom do&nbsp;<i>you</i>&nbsp;say I am? (:29). &quot;Say&quot; translates&nbsp;<i>lego</i>&nbsp;which more specifically means to speak rather than 'to believe' or 'to understand'. He wanted to know the words of men&rsquo;s' actual lips about Him- which again hints that the disciples were not with the Lord all the time. They were often with people when the Lord wasn't present. Psychologically, considering others' views of Christ helps us better understand where we personally stand regarding Him- indeed, this is true generally in terms of self-understanding. Hence the Lord firstly asks whom others thought Him to be, rather than simply asking the disciples whether they believed in Him as the Son of God.</p>