Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, cycle C

 Solemnity of Saint Peter and Paul

Matthew 16:13-19

This is one of the most familiar passages of scripture and sometimes we just pass over it.  But Jesus asks two very important questions, and there is a third that comes from those two.

Jesus and his disciples have moved north and are on the way to Caesarea Philippi.  He has been preaching and working miracles of healing.  He’s gotten in trouble with the Pharisees and Sadducees.  And he and his band are in a largely pagan land.  Now when we hear the words of Jesus we can’t help but see them  in our own context.  We’ve been told that this is the place where Peter becomes the first Pope.  We hear about the gates of the netherworld -- we used to use “hell” here, but that isn’t really what Jesus means.  In fact, Jesus may have been very near a natural formation called “the gates of Hades” which was a deep pool that overflows its banks now and then and used to be used to sacrifice infants.  

The first question is “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” The Son of Man was a title the prophet Ezekiel used about himself; but the prophetic book of Daniel refers to the Son of Man who will usher in the last age and set up God’s reign on earth.  Daniel was a very popular scripture in Jesus’ time, because it seemed to predict a bright future for the Jewish people, one which was almost here.  And Jesus is probably referring to himself when he uses these words.  And it’s a good question today.  Because most people have some sort of opinion about Jesus. The Qaran mentions Jesus many times, but he’s not as great a prophet as Mohammed.  Jews usually have an opinion about Jesus -- good or bad.  He’s either a wise prophet who started out founding a Jewish sect, or he started a religion which has been proclaiming antisemitism for 2000 years.  And in secular America, there are a large number of people who don’t consider themselves religious at all, and to them Jesus is just another irrelevant figure from the distant past, like Cicero or Aristotle.  What do the people you know think about Jesus?  

The second question is “Who do you say that I am?”  The apostles are put on a spot. They confidently answered the first question -- some say John the Baptist -- because a lot of people thought John would return, including if you remember, Herod, who suspected Jesus was John reincarnated.  Some say Elijah, because it was believed he would return; he had been taken up to heaven in a fiery chariot, after all; he hadn't really died.  And some say Jeremiah or one of the prophets.  A number of the prophets had been martyrs.  We have hints in scripture and in later writings of Jewish scholars.  Jeremiah, Isaiah, Zecharia, and Ezekiel were all thought to have been martyred, and it stood to reason that they would be saved from permanent death because they had been devoted to God.  But who do you say that I am?  And Peter, with the help of the Holy Spirit, answers, “You are Christ the Son of the living God”.  Faith is a gift of the Holy Spirit.  It’s not something you can get on your own.  If you have a little, pray for more; if you have a lot, be thankful.  

And Jesus commends Peter, and commissions him to be the first Pope, right?.  But our Protestant brothers don’t see it that way; they say everyone who has faith will be part of God’s church, and those who are will have authority to speak and act in Jesus’ name.  We can agree that professing our faith in Christ is central to being a Christian; as Saint Paul said, “if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

But there is a third question that Jesus doesn't ask:  Who do others say that you are?

In my case, some people know me as a retired doctor; others as a deacon; some people call me father, or grandfather, or if she could talk, great grandfather.  I’m known as brother and cousin.  My wife knows me as “hey, you!”  But seriously, if I’m blessed with faith that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, I better be known as someone who makes a difference in the world, someone who ushers in the kingdom of heaven.  My life needs to be such that people who know me in some way recognize Christ in me.  Remember when Jesus said “Many will tell me on that day, “Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name and cast out demons, and do many mighty works?” and the Son of Man will tell them “I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers”.

If you aren’t in a state of sin, you are empowered to be another Christ.  A good way to open up those channels of grace that come to you to be given to others is to remind yourself how what you do carries on the work of Jesus.  Think about that; if you are a lawyer, you seek justice for someone; if you are a nurse or a physician, you carry out Jesus’ healing work.  If you are an accountant you help people take care of their resources.  A parent, like Jesus, is a teacher and a shepherd.  A spouse is a sign of Christ’s love for his church.  And so it goes.  

Who do others say that the son of man is?  If the answer is not  Peter’s answer, who is going to set them right?

And if I truly believe he is the Christ, the Son of God, then if that belief doesn’t somehow inform all my words and actions, something is wrong.  

Who do others say that I am?  At the end of the day, we hope to live so that they will answer “another Christ”.