A Gift of Faith and A Question
Matthew 16:13-20 ESV
Now 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, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
This reflection is an afterglow of sorts. I’m writing this after my week-long study of the passage above and after hearing the Gospel Sermon on Sunday. Sometimes, this type of reflection is just as meaningful as the reflections prior to hearing the Sunday Sermon. I must admit that as I bask in the study and worship this past Sunday, I fall into a few categories myself. I seem to fall into a category of more questions, or just standing in awe, or a final category of total dumbfounded wonder. All of the categories leave me in the realm of God’s grace and love.
This study brought me to deal with several terms that you will see later. What pulled me in was how faith is a gift from God and God has a very personal question to ask of me. The lessons and the Psalm for this Sunday however prefaced so much of what I reflect in the Gospel.
My brief notes were as follows:
• Isaiah 51:1-6 - God’s salvation lasts forever
• Psalm 138 - God’s love is forever
• Romans 11:33-12:8 - Renew – Transform to God’s will
Now, for the Gospel…
A choice is given to us. A choice we can’t fully evade. Look at the question Jesus poses to his disciples. “… who do YOU say that I am?” --- my emphasis on the YOU. Peter answers, but Peter’s revelation is not by his human wisdom. Peter’s answer is a gift from God. God sent Jesus into this world as flesh and blood and reveals God’s own being in Jesus himself. God reveals himself in Jesus. This in itself is something to ponder hour on hour. Why? Why care? God becomes flesh and blood and human in all aspects. I’ll leave that here for now, for you to pray upon.
Now, I’ll take a second with the terms that I came up against.
• Rock – Is the rock Peter’s faith? Is the rock Peter? Peter shows the faith that God has given to him with his answer to Jesus’ direct question. So, was Peter the first chosen? Was Peter the Rock of the new Covenant? Or… Was Peter to unify the Church? These are questions that people have wrestled with throughout these last days.
• Church – Was this the New Testament Church? If so, it didn’t exist at the time of this question and answer. Was this Church the Synagogue of the last days?
• Keys – Administration of the Church? Interpretation of Christ’s words? Power to forgive sins? All question I’ve seen posed in my research of this text. I tend to lean towards the power to forgive sins granted in scripture to disciples of Jesus.
• Powers of Death – Is this the end age?
These are a few terms from this passage that may bring you to reflect, research and fall into one or more categories mentioned above. Questions… Questions… Questions.
I can’t deny that this scripture leads me to think of the Second Article of the Apostle’s Creed.
The Second Article (Concerning Redemption)
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
What does this mean? (Luther’s Explanation)
I believe that Jesus Christ — true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary — is my Lord. He has redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature, and has freed me from sin, death, and the power of the devil, not with silver and gold, but with his holy and precious blood and his innocent suffering and death. He has done all this in order that I might be his own, live under him in his kingdom, and serve him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, even as he is risen from the dead and lives and reigns for all eternity. This is most certainly true!
Look at the first sentence under “What does this mean?” I believe… How do I believe? God gives me faith from above. God gives me faith; he gives you faith and Peter faith. We are given the faith we need as a gift from God that we may believe. I believe in Jesus for eternity because God gives me faith to believe. We can trust in Jesus throughout all ages.
We tend to look at what Jesus says about Peter and possibly make the mistake that the Church is built upon Peter. No, Jesus is the heartbeat of the church. A church raised by faith given through Jesus alone. And this faith is not a conjured-up faith coming from man’s works. This faith is a gift from God. The Church is built on Jesus alone, who uses weak mortals as stones in his temple. The Rock is the truth that Jesus is the Son of God.
So, my take? Another question! Acknowledge Jesus. Bring the gifts Jesus gives to you to his Church and become one with Jesus with the many gifts of all Jesus’ disciples in his Church. In this Church of Jesus, discover for yourself what Peter discovered… Jesus IS God! And, the power of death cannot defeat the Church of Jesus… today… tomorrow… and forever.
So…The Questions… What do you think about Jesus? Who do you say Jesus is?
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