PROPER XVI - A -20 - IS. 51. 1-6,
One thing about Matthew’s
gospel and that is he records Jesus’ travels with detailed locations. One
quickly learns the geography of the region north of the
You may recall that in last
week’s gospel Jesus had retreated to Gentile territory in the region of
It is here, Matthew tells us, that Jesus asks his disciples, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” That was a good question to pose at this juncture in Christ’ ministry after all they have seen and heard.
Jesus had cured many with all kind of illnesses and diseases. He had miraculously feed 5000 people with five loaves and two fish. He had walked on water and stilled the storm at sea. He saved Peter. Moreover, he had even healed a Centurion’s son and a Canaanite woman’s daughter without ever seeing them or laying hands on them.
Indeed, what were the people saying about him? Who was he? The disciples repeat the general reaction, which tells a great deal about the way Jesus was perceived by the people at large. “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
He was seen as a prophet, a mouthpiece for God against injustice and wickedness in high places. But here Jesus is more interested in what the men he has called have to say about him. They are the ones who have been following him and have witnessed what he has done and said openly and privately concerning God and the kingdom.
Within that prophetic ministry, however, there lay hidden another dimension. He was not just God’s mouthpiece. He was God’s messiah. That was the revelation that came to Peter when Christ asked “But who do you say that I am?” That is the greatest question a person can ever face, for it is the question that defines Christianity.
Peter’s correct answer to the question prevents the Christian faith from being seen as merely another philosophical system or path of spirituality, for it names Jesus as the one and only Son of the Living God. Peter’s understanding cannot be achieved by human reason, but only by divine revelation through faith.
On that confession, on that faith, Jesus builds his church, a community consisting of all those who give allegiance to Him as God’s anointed king. And this movement, this community, starts then and there, at Caesarea Philippi, with Peter’s declaration.
Referring to Peter as “rock” has nothing to do with stability of character. Peter’s personal qualifications matter little. It is not that Peter is so smart, or even that he is so faithful at this point. It is that God is gracious. Jesus’ use of the word “rock” in reference to Peter is a play on the word.
The rock refers not to Peter, per se, but to the faith of his confession. The true rock is Christ himself, and the Church itself is built on the faithful confession of Christ. Peter is made head of the Church based on his confession of faith in Jesus as the only Son of the Living God.
Faith means our life is in Christ. It’s all about identity. Our identity is bound up with God in Christ. As with Peter, our identity is not a matter of our own will, but of God’s. When it comes to identity, Peter is no different than we are.
“Who do you say that I am?” is the greatest question any of us will ever face for our answer will determine where we shall spend eternity. To answer the question correctly, however, is not enough. Our identity with Jesus and His with us is a call to live our lives in such a way that the world will recognize who we are and to whom we ultimately belong.
Our words and our deeds should reflect our true identity and point to Him in whom we live and move and have our being, for He is the source of our Hope and our Salvation. To be a Christian, then, sets us apart from this world.
As
We do that by not conforming to this world but being transformed by the renewing of our minds so as to discern the will of God. To understand and do the will of God is the way we maintain our identity in Christ.
When divine recognition comes, it is God’s doing. When faith comes, it is God’s gift. Against this identity, death (the gates of hell) has no power, for our lives are hid in Christ. (Col.3.3)
Peter with his declaration of faith, is the starting point of the new community. He has much to learn, and many failures to overcome, including one in the very next passage. But even this is part of the process of becoming what God in Christ has called him to do.
So it is for each of us who have identified ourselves through the waters of holy baptism with the crucified and risen Lord, and who dare to call ourselves Christians. We too have much to learn, and many failures to overcome. None of us is that steadfast in our faith, and none of us has anything to commend ourselves to God.
Jesus’ new community, after all, will consist of forgiven sinners, who by God’s grace and mercy are identified with Christ, the one and only Son of the Living God. And who by their allegiance to Him as their Lord and King have been given the gift of faith to live out their identity in this life by the means of grace and with the hope of glory. AMEN+
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