Jon Bloom with a reflection on words:
"It is humbling to remember that as Christians we are still vulnerable to Satan’s deception. One moment we can speak glorious truth and the next moment destructive, satanic words. We must be on our guard, something Peter learned the hard way. The following meditation is from Matthew 16:13–27.Read the rest ...
Why Jesus had led his disciples up to Caesarea Philippi, they weren’t sure. At the foot of Mount Hermon, in the far north of Palestine, the population was mostly pagan. Legend told that the Greek god, Pan, had been born in a nearby cave housing a great spring of water. Temples and shrines were built into the cliffs. Philip the Tetrarch made the city his capital, which he named in honor of Tiberius Caesar — and himself.
But for Jesus, Caesarea Philippi was likely a refuge from the pressing crowds and controversy he generated among the Jews, a peaceful retreat where he could ask his disciples a defining question.
“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”"