<p>9:20 <i>And he said to them: But who do you say that I am? And Peter answering said: The Christ of God</i>- Why did He ask this? Surely, with His sensitivity and insight into people and society, He knew full well the various theories that first Century Palestine entertained about Him. It seems to me that He asked this question for the disciples&rsquo; sake; He wanted them to reflect upon the wide range of wrong theories which there were concerning His identification. And this led on to His next question: &ldquo;But who do you say that I am? Peter answering said, The Christ of God&rdquo;. Surely the Lord Jesus knew what they thought of Him, without needing to ask them. Philip and Nathanael had earlier revealed that they considered Jesus of Nazareth to be the Messiah and &ldquo;the Son of God&rdquo; (Jn. 1:45,49). So, why did the Lord ask this question? Again, it was surely to focus His disciples upon the reality of the fact that despite all the various wrong theories, they actually knew the truth about Him. But the Lord then goes on to His essential point: &ldquo;Tell no man that thing; saying, The Son of man must suffer many things&hellip;and be slain, and be raised&hellip;If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me&hellip; For what is a man advantaged if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?&rdquo; (Lk. 9:21-25). The Lord told the disciples to &ldquo;Tell no man&rdquo; by saying that &ldquo;The Son of man must suffer&hellip;&rdquo;.</p>