Matthew 16:13-20
Several years ago…the governor of Alaska was visiting in a nursing home in
Juneau.
- In the lobby he began to strike up a conversation with a delightful
- After some time had passed in their conversation…the governor was
a little surprised that he was not being recognized by this woman. - Ma’am…do you know who I am? he asked.
- The woman looked at him and with a
big smile on her face…she pointed to the receptionist…at the front desk and
said: - No…but if you ask politely…that nice lady will give you your name
AND your room number.
Sometimes questions have a way of marking important moments and events…as well as teaching us some humility.
- Some questions can be answered
easily while others take longer to answer fully. - I find this true in our faith journeys.
- And today’s story in Matthew’s Gospel offers questions that reflect a decisive turning point between Jesus and his disciples.
- The Lord be with you.
They are in Caesarea Philippi…a city dedicated to Caesar…filled with shrines to pagan gods…and overshadowed by the great rock face of Mount Hermon.
- It was a place where kings were honored…idols were worshiped and political power was displayed.
- Jesus brings his disciples here…not to escape the noise of the world…but to confront it.
- Standing in a world full of competing identities…rival loyalties and counterfeit gods…he asks:
- Who do people say that the Son of Man is?
The disciples easily and willingly answer Jesus’ question.
- They offer a list: John the Baptist…Elijah…Jeremiah…
- Good answers…but Jesus digs deeper…asking a second question.
- And what about you? Who do you say that I am?
It is not enough to answer Jesus’ question with what other people think or to
repeat what others say.
- Jesus wants to know what his disciples think…what they believe.
- This question is personal and harder to answer.
- And I imagine there may have been some awkward silence on their walk that day…
- Avoiding of eye contact…looking down at feet…and kicking the dirt.
- The disciples were frantically thinking to themselves…Please…someone else answer!
- And then Peter blurts out…You are the Messiah…the Son of the living God.
- Peter answers correctly…and Jesus blesses him…
- And explains that Peter can only make this confession of faith because God has revealed it to him.
But this isn’t the end of the story for Peter and the disciples.
- Even with Peter’s correct proclamation of who Jesus is…
- He and the other disciples still do not know fully who he is.
- At this point the disciples do not know yet of Jesus’ death to come on the cross…nor of his resurrection.
- Peter does not know that he will become a stumbling block for Jesus in the verses that follow today’s story…
- Or that he will deny Jesus three times on the eve of Jesus’ crucifixion.
After Peter blurts out his breathtaking confession…Jesus has a few fitting words as to who Peter is:
- You are Peter…and upon this rock I will build my church.
- Until this moment…Simon had been Simon.
- Now he is Peter…the Rock.
- In the Bible…a change of name often signals a change of calling.
- Abram becomes Abraham…Sarai becomes Sarah…Jacob becomes Israel.
- Names reveal not only identity but vocation.
- Calling Peter a rock in Caesarea Philippi was bold.
- Behind them stands a giant rock cliff associated with pagan worship and imperial propaganda.
- Yet Jesus says in effect: Not on this wall of stone…not on earthly power.
- Not on the shrines of false gods.
- Not on Caesars or empires.
- But on you…on your faith…on your confession.
- On this rock foundation of revealed truth…I will build my church.
This verse is historically one of the Bible’s most contested verses due to how it has been interpreted and debated by Catholic and Protestant Christians over the centuries.
- Catholics have long argued that this statement makes Peter the first Pope in a long line of popes.
- Protestants have argued that this statement is less about Peter and more about Peter’s faith…his testimony…in Jesus Christ that…is the foundation of the church.
- As far as we know…Peter is the first human to make the full confession that Jesus is the Christ.
- The thing to remember…here…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.
In college…I wrestled with my faith and what it was that I believed.
- Not what my parents believed and had raised me to believe.
- I was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran church…
- But my childhood image of Jesus no longer made a great deal of sense…
- And one needs to build their faith…not on hearsay…but on Jesus words spoken in our text:
- And what about you? Who do you say that I am?
And so…I began to take theology classes in college.
- And so…I began reading and studying the Bible and praying through this process.
- I began to experience a rekindling of my faith and my relationship with Jesus.
- From those classes and seminar discussions with my classmates…
- My faith and relationship with Christ grew…
- But…of course…I still did not have all the answers.
- The Christian journey is a life-long walk with the Christ of God.
- We are not meant to solve God once and for all.
- We are always learning who Jesus is…and who we are.
- Martin Luther said: We are always on the road.
- What about you? Who do YOU say Jesus is?
- Don’t answer the question
quickly…take your time. - Take this question with you and reflect on who you say Jesus is.
Jesus then mentions giving the keys of the kingdom of heaven to Peter.
- Jesus did not choose Peter because he understood everything or had the best prayer life or was the most loyal disciple.
- Jesus chose Peter exactly because Peter was going to be rebuked by Jesus…and would deny him three times?
- Jesus knew that only a forgiven
sinner could really preach the Gospel. - And sinless perfect piety is not real.
- Jesus knew that only forgiven sinners can really be trusted with the keys of the kingdom?
Finally…Jesus sternly tells the
disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
- We do not know exactly why.
- Perhaps we must live into the fullness of what professing Jesus as
the Christ really means for us… - Before we compel others to incorporate it.
- Perhaps Jesus does not want them to tell because the time had not yet come
- for him to die?
What we do know is that on the other side of today’s story…
- On this side of the cross and empty tomb…some 2,000 plus years later…
- We…as Jesus’ disciples…are still examining Jesus’ question for ourselves.
- So…as we attempt to continue to follow Jesus…always learning who he is…
- We pray that when Jesus asks us…Who do you say that I am?
- God will reveal to us the answer with our words and our lives.
- Thanks be to God.