<p>16:15&nbsp;<i>He said to them: But who do you say that I am?</i>- The effort required in interpreting Jesus is, it seems to me, designed by God, whose word it is which we are discussing. The intention is to make us think about Jesus, struggle with the issue of His identity and nature, in order that we should understand Him better, and thereby love and serve Him the more intently. Perhaps that is why so little is recorded of Jesus- all the speeches and actions of Jesus found in the Gospels would've occupied only three weeks or so of real time. The rest of His life, words and actions we are left to imagine, given what we do know of Him. He wants us to reflect, as He did the disciples, &quot;Whom do&nbsp;<i>you</i>&nbsp;think I am?&quot; (Mk. 8:29). Perhaps that is why at least in Mark's Gospel there is the theme of Jesus not wanting men to be told in point blank terms that He was Messiah.</p>
<p>&quot;Say&quot;,&nbsp;<i>lego</i>, means to talk out loud, and is the same word used in 16:13. The Lord may have been asking whom they talked about Him as.&nbsp;<i>Lego&nbsp;</i>means specifically to talk about; the Lord chose not to use words like 'understand' or 'believe'. Maybe He is alluding to His principle that words express inner thoughts and beliefs. And so instead of asking them whom they&nbsp;<i>believed&nbsp;</i>or<i> thought&nbsp;</i>Him to be (although that is the essence of His question), He asks them whom they talk about Him as. Because spoken words do ultimately reflect inner faith and understanding.</p>