37. Simon Peter finds out that Jesus was the Christ by a revelation from heaven (Matthew 16:17), or by His brother Andrew (John 1:41)?

(Category: too literalistic an interpretation)

The emphasis of Matthew 16:17 is that Simon did not just hear it from someone else: God had made it clear to him. That does not preclude him being told by other people. Jesus' point is that he was not simply repeating what someone else had said. He had lived and worked with Jesus and he was now clear in his mind that Jesus was none other than the Christ (Messiah), the Son of the Living God.

Jesus did not ask, "Who have you heard that I am?" but, "Who do you say I am?" There is all the difference in the world between these two questions, and Peter was no longer in any doubt.

A critic wants to know when it is that Peter figured out Jesus was the Christ, comparing Matthew 16:17 (also Mark 8:29) with John 1:41.

John 1:41 isn't a picture of Simon Peter figuring it out; it's a picture of Peter's brother Andrew figuring it out and telling Peter. What Peter figured out from that is not related -- but since this seems to be John's place for significant confessions (as Nathaniel's a few verses later) it seems likely that Peter had some doubts about Andrew's excitement, and didn't "get the point" at this time -- but did later, around when Matthew and Mark say he did.