Episode Overview

Episode Title: Who Do You Say That I Am?
Podcast: Things Unseen with Sinclair B. Ferguson
Host: Ligonier Ministries
Date: November 25, 2025

This episode centers on one of Jesus' most probing questions to His disciples: “Who do you say that I am?” Dr. Sinclair B. Ferguson reflects on the significance of this question, the responses it drew from the crowds and the disciples, and what it reveals about knowing Christ. The episode explores the distinction between knowing about Jesus and truly recognizing Him as the Christ, the Son of the living God—emphasizing faith, revelation, and the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Accessing Knowledge of Christ Through the New Testament

• Ferguson emphasizes that knowing Christ is primarily accessed “through the pages of the New Testament,” guiding listeners to the central scriptural witness to Jesus (00:07).
• “We can't handle the whole New Testament in a week. We need a focus. So here's a focus that our Lord himself used to help his disciples.”

2. Jesus’ Question at Caesarea Philippi

• Jesus asks His disciples two pointed questions:
  • “Who do the crowds say that I am?”
  • “But who do you say I am?” (00:33)
• Ferguson notes the crowd’s responses reference Old Testament figures: John the Baptist, Elijah, or one of the prophets, rather than simply calling Him "Jesus of Nazareth."

“There was something about Jesus that made people look for a different category of answer. ... Everyone who met him sensed they needed to reach beyond their ordinary ways of describing someone if they were to discover who Jesus really was.” (01:07)

3. The Mystery and Puzzle of Jesus’ Identity

• Jesus' identity “intrigued” people and prompted them to search for deeper meaning, likening Him to His own parables—mysterious and filled with a puzzle people sought to solve (01:29).
• Opponents, like Pontius Pilate and King Herod, were also compelled to ask pressing questions about who Jesus really was.

4. Peter’s Confession and Its Significance

• Peter responds directly: “Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” (02:02)
• Ferguson highlights that Peter’s answer, though not fully understood even by Peter himself, is affirmed by Jesus as a revelation from God, not human insight.

“We know he gave the right answer because Jesus said to him, ‘Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, Peter, but my Father who is in heaven.’” (02:18)

5. The Role of the Old Testament

• The crowds and even King Herod tried to fit Jesus into categories drawn from the Old Testament, but Peter’s statement uses “titles”—Messiah (Christ) and Son of God—that align with Old Testament promises (02:40).
• Ferguson suggests these revelations are the culmination of truths that had been “slowly germinating” in the minds of the disciples, now crystallized by being face-to-face with Jesus.

“It was as though now that he was face to face with Jesus, he could at last say, ‘Oh, that's what these passages really mean. That's who they were talking about. That's who Jesus is.’” (03:14)

6. Spiritual Revelation: Beyond Knowing About Jesus

• Ferguson draws a pastorally warm distinction between intellectually knowing about Jesus and having spiritual eyes opened to recognize His true identity.

“It's really wonderful. Isn't it wonderful when someone says that because their eyes have been opened to discover who Jesus really is... they've known about him. But then the Heavenly Father, through the Holy Spirit, works in their hearts and they recognize at last the truth about Jesus. Now I know who you really are.” (03:36)

• He closes with an invitation: if you’ve only known about Jesus but not truly recognized Him, pray that the Father would reveal His Son to you. (04:02)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the crowds' search for Jesus’ identity:
  “There was a mystery about him, a puzzle about him that many of them were trying to solve but couldn’t.” (01:29)

• On Peter’s inspired confession:
  “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, Peter, but my Father who is in heaven.” (quoting Jesus, 02:18)

• On the experience of revelation:
  “Now I know who you really are.” (03:51)

• Pastoral encouragement:
  “I wonder if you're one of those people who has known about Jesus all your life, but it's only recently that the Father has revealed His Son to you.” (04:02)

Important Timestamps

• 00:07 — Ferguson introduces the theme: knowing Christ through the New Testament and focusing on Jesus' questions at Caesarea Philippi.
• 00:33 — Explores the crowds’ responses to Jesus’ identity.
• 01:07 — Discusses why people sought extraordinary categories for understanding Jesus.
• 02:02 — Peter’s confession of Jesus as “the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
• 02:18 — Jesus confirms Peter’s answer came by divine revelation.
• 03:14 — The disciples’ recognition of Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament expectation.
• 03:36 — The joyful experience of revelation; practical and pastoral implications.
• 04:02 — Invitation to seek a deeper revelation of Jesus' true identity.

Summary Flow & Tone:
Dr. Ferguson’s reflection is warm, thoughtful, and quietly pastoral. He draws listeners from biblical narrative to personal application, inviting them not just to know about Jesus, but to seek a deeper, Spirit-revealed knowledge of Him as Messiah and the Son of God. The gentle encouragement and clarity of biblical insight mark this episode as both intellectually rich and spiritually nourishing.