It was the great confession that Jesus was the
long-awaited Messiah who was to redeem Israel.
Other disciples had also supposed He was the
Messiah, but when He evaded the opportunity
to receive the kingship and fulfill what they had
imagined to be the true Messiahship, they were
disillusioned and left Him.
The twelve, even though Jesus seemed to have
failed to fulfill their expectation, still clung to
their faith in Him as the Savior of Israel.