If believing that Jesus is God is that important, why doesn't Jesus say it more often? Why did many of his disciples not even know it?

Jesus asked "Who am I?" to a bunch of his disciples. Out of so many, only Peter got it close. That he is the Messiah, son of the living God.

Even that is still vague. Cyrus is also a messiah. Judaism tends to think that God considers humans his children. http://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/PW/k/187/Cyrus-Gods-Anointed.htm

I mean if believing that Jesus is God is that important, wouldn't Jesus like say that a million time? Wouldn't that be the first thing his disciples know?

Update: I need to add that I wrote a million time figuratively. I mean if it's that important, he would have stressed that more so that his disciples would at least got it right when he ask, "Who am I?". In fact, even after his death and resurrection, his disciples are still divided. We have gnostic, judaizer, arians, and trinitarian. Yea I know that "the rest" are heretic. I also know that most christians think that the trinitarian are the "true" follower of Jesus. But put your self in historian shoes here. Early jesus followers differ from jews only in whether they believe Jesus is a messiah or not.

13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter,[a] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades[b] will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be[c] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[d] loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. 

He doesn't condemn those who think he's a prophet or Elia? He doesn't say, "Good job Peter. For the rest of you, you'd better answer that thing right because my dad would fry you in hell if you messed up." http://www.ancestralfindings.com/who/ . Even Peter doesn't say, "You're God, Homo Ousion, without the i". I mean if something is kind of important, shouldn't that be more explicit?
Actually he said it a lot. Enough to get himself killed for saying it. The Jews considered Jesus' statement that he was "the Christ, the Son of the living God" blasphemy, and Jesus' agreement with Peter's declaration is the reason they tried and executed him. 

The disciples took a while to catch on, but not for lack of being told. Their dull, slow hearts took a lot of time to convince, and Jesus had a great deal to teach them before he stirred up the pot enough to end his ministry. 

It is important to note, however, the disciples to a man eventually became so convinced their teacher Jesus was THE Christ that they devoted their lives to proclaiming that message. Most of them were also willing to die--and did--for the truth of it. 

If anyone was in a position to know that Jesus was something less than what he claimed to be, his disciples would know, yet to a man (except for Judas) they went their separate ways proclaiming all over the world that Jesus was God and Lord. 

Moreover, I suggest Jesus made his message so plain that after his resurrection the disciples were left with no doubts about who he was. Who dies for something they know is a lie?