What is the Messiah? The Messiah is the promised Son of David, the one who would rule Israel righteously and rightly. God makes and keeps His promises. That’s what the disciples believed, and Jesus is the fulfillment of those promises. It also highlights—and Peter confesses—that Israel needs a leader. They need a righteous leader, and people in Jesus’ day were anxious for that. In fact, they asked of John the Baptist, “Are you the one?” People were eager to know God so that they could live holy lives.