Others were saying, “He is Elijah,” and others, “He is a prophet, or one like the prophets.”
The different opinions of the people show that they sensed Jesus’ uniqueness, but often stopped halfway. Their ideas were varied and unstable, because they did not have clear knowledge about Jesus. They tried to place Him among already known figures—Elijah or one of the prophets. Outwardly this was a high оценation, but in reality it was still incomplete, because Christ was more than one of the prophets. These diverse opinions show that human judgment by itself cannot reach the true knowledge of His person, and people can easily have an elevated, yet not full, understanding of Him. For this, true faith and divine illumination are necessary.