Matthew 16:13-20
Years ago…on a bright Tuesday in March I was driving over to the seminary…and I parked my car.
- Sitting there I stared up into the clear blue Minnesota sky and thought:
- “What in the world am I doing? I don’t believe a word of this Jesus stuff. I mean…It’s a fairy tale”.
- But then in the very next moment I thought:
- “Except…throughout my life…I have experienced it to be true.”
- I experience the gospel to be true even when I cannot believe it.
- And honestly…I believe the gospel even when I do not experience it.
- And I suggest to you today that this is why we have and even why we need Word and Sacrament.
- Because you see…we are a forgetful people.
So…if asked if your pastor is prepared to hold the office of Word and Sacrament the only answer is:
- Of course not.
- Do not be ridiculous.
- So…if you are worrying that your pastor might not have what it takes to lead the church you should stop worrying.
- Of course…your pastor does not have what it takes to lead the church.
- But fortunately…your pastor does have the God it takes to lead the church.
- And fortunately…we have the God it takes to lead the church.
I think Jesus meant for church leader types to keep this in mind.
- That it is God who makes us worthy of our calling.
- And that God’s people are forgetful and perhaps that is exactly why Jesus chose Peter.
Jesus chose Peter…of all people.
- I started wondering what in the world would a Synod Candidacy Committee think of the guy…Peter.
- Peter was not exactly a winner.
- He seems to always be over-reaching.
- Or totally falling short.
Jesus could have picked one of the nice…pious…righteous apostles.
- One a bit less embarrassing.
- Who does not blurt out the wrong answers in class all day.
- But instead…he chose Peter who was kind of a buffoon.
- And that’s when he was not being a total sycophant.
- You know…a groupie.
OK then…I have a theory about this text where Peter is named the rock.
- I think it must have been redacted.
- Edited out.
- I think what really happened is that Jesus said:
- “You are Peter…dumb as a rock…on which I will build my church” and that is our legacy to this day.
The thing to remember is that it is not that Jesus had the guy it took to lead the church.
- It is that Peter had the God it took to lead the church…and that’s different.
So…I would like to suggest that Jesus did not choose Peter because he was the first to confess Christ.
- After all…Peter’s moment of glory lasted about 10 seconds before he said something stupid enough for Jesus to say get behind me Satan.
I do not think that Jesus chose Peter because Peter understood everything.
- Or because Peter was clever.
- Or because Peter had the best prayer life.
- Or because Peter had the mildest personality.
- And he just “seemed” like a pastor.
- And Peter was not exactly chosen because of his loyalty.
- Lest we forget…it was Peter who denied Jesus.
- Three times.
And here’s the real kicker:
- I believe Jesus chose Peter because Peter would deny him.
- Jesus knew that only a forgiven sinner could really preach the Gospel.
- Only forgiven sinners can preach the Gospel.
It has always been that way…so I am not sure at what point the church decided its leaders were to be sinless examples of perfect piety.
- I might not give them the keys to my house.
- But only a forgiven sinner can be really trusted with the keys of the kingdom.
What you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and what you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
- Which sounds like we get to judge people.
- Like we get to decide what God thinks of folks.
- But that is not it.
- We are to be…as the text says…a steward of the mysteries of Christ.
- And for all his faults…it is those mysteries that Peter actually understood.
Peter knew what it meant to really screw things up and be given grace.
- That is to say…he knew about binding and loosing.
- It’s called Baptism.
- Pouring water on God’s children in baptism binding unto them the promises of God.
- Being mark with the cross of Christ.
- That is a binding.
- Being reminded of God’s grace and forgiveness often.
- Because we are a forgetful people.
And to be sure…there is loosing to be done in this work.
- It is called confession and absolution.
- It’s called forgiveness of sins.
- Loose from God’s people that which weighs us down.
- Our sin…our shame…our despair.
- Loose from us our pride…our anger…our resentment…our guilt.
- For not being able to live up to even our own values.
- Reminding us that God is gracious and merciful…slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
- We are loosed.
Now this is job security for the preacher.
- Because this binding and loosing needs to be done again and again and again.
- Never assume that just because we leave on Sunday believing the gospel that when we return a week later that we still believe it.
- Never assume that if we experienced this thing to be true that we still do.
- That’s why we put Jesus in our ears and mouths and do not stop.
- Because we Christians are a forgetful people.
So…we are charged with none other than putting Jesus in our ears and mouths so that we might believe the good news and continue to share it with others.
- That we might experience this thing to be true.
- God will do this.