The Gospel of Matthew 16:13-20
When Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
Let us pray: Grant, O merciful God, that your Church, being gathered together in unity by your Holy Spirit, may show forth your power among all peoples, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Collect for Sunday Aug 27)
Though this question is posed to Jesus’ disciples, it is a powerful query upon us as well today. Who do we say Jesus is? How we identify Jesus will impact the way we interact with one another. And the question is even more important as the lives we lead and our hopes in the Messiah are just as critical as that which we confess with words, no matter how true or elegant. The Gospel writers were not just interested in correctly defining who Jesus was but also in shaping a following molded in the light of his teachings. So, how we identify Jesus should be based on our personal encounters with God, even though informed by our readings of the sacred scripture and in dialogue with others. How we identify Jesus should be grounded in a lifelong conversation with God whereby we adjust what we think we know as necessary. Even though the disciples have been with Him, they were silent. With the exception of Peter, they didn’t seem to have an opinion of their own. Peter emerges as spokesperson for the Twelve: “You are the Messiah, the son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). Jesus blesses Peter, presumably for being the courageous one with the correct answer. Jesus states that Peter’s answer did not come from human beings but came from God. Now Jesus calls attention to Peter’s answer, and He with this reasoning makes Peter the rock on which His church will be built. Even though Peter answered that Jesus was the Son of God, there were times Peter didn’t stand up and recognize Jesus as the Son of God, like when he denied Christ three times. Like Peter there are times we don’t recognize Christ as the Son of the living God. Perhaps, we don’t feel comfortable among others discussing our faith, or we use the excuse that among friends you don’t discuss religion, politics or money. Yet even when we fail as Peter did, to stand and boldly confess who Christ Jesus is, that He is the Christ, the Son of the living God He stands with us. So you and I can rest in the assurance the same as Peter and all the saints that we are forgiven. Imagine a Lord so generous in grace, that even when you fail to recognize him, He still forgives you, for that is the Savior you have. He died upon the cross for each and every time we have sinned. The Son of the living God was crucified, so that in spite of all of your sins, and my sins and the sins of the whole world, we can stand blameless and without sin before our Father in heaven. That is what Jesus took upon Himself when we gave Himself up to be crucified. He stood in our place and took the wrath of His Father for our sin, for your sin, and for mine. Even though we fail to recognize Him each and every opportunity we have, we have the tremendous promise that if we believe we will have eternal life in the Kingdom of heaven. And what would our answer be if asked the same question: Who do you say I am? Do we have a belief that Jesus is truly the Son of God? Do we question our faith or is our faith strong enough to believe that Jesus truly is the Son of God? We need to understand that the people in Jesus’ time were firsthand witnesses of His miracles, they heard his lessons and parables, they experience His love and compassion and yet they did not recognize Him and turned away from him. So how do we expect to believe when those who had firsthand knowledge didn’t believe. And so, please remember: It is hard to believe in Jesus Christ; it is harder not to. It is hard to live the life our Lord inspires; it is harder not to. It is hard to being the Church; it is harder not to. May our loving God give us the faith and the stamina to live as his sons and daughters, now and always.
Let us Pray: Everliving God, we thank you for the gift of your Son Jesus Christ and for revealing him as Messiah and Savior of the World. Thank you that your son gave Saint Peter the keys to the kingdom as a reward for his lively and outspoken faith and so became the bedrock foundation of your church here on earth. Amen.
Reflections by Bob 