Today’s Reading: Matthew 16:13-28

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

“Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”

Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” – Matthew 16:13-15

What a powerful question for the disciples; what a powerful question for us today. Who do we believe Jesus to be? When others ask us about our faith, who do we declare Jesus to have been 2,000 years ago, and how do we describe his presence in our lives today? Simon Peter declared in confidence who he now understood Jesus to be.

“YOU ARE THE MESSIAH, THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD.”

Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.”

Then he sternly warned the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. – Matthew 16:17-20

This was a pivotal moment in the lives of the disciples; this was a moment of affirmation for Simon, Son of John. Jesus took the faith of a man who believed Jesus was who he said he was and made it a foundation on which to build generation after generation of faith. Believing in Jesus provides a solid rock on which to grow a community of faith for the sake of building the Kingdom of God. When we stand strong on our acknowledgement of the divine nature of Christ, hearts are strengthened and the church is effective in doing the work to which God has called us.

From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead. But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. – Matthew 16:21-22a

“HEAVEN FORBID, LORD,” HE SAID. “THIS WILL NEVER HAPPEN TO YOU!”

Peter was listening to Jesus. Jesus had said that whatever Peter would forbid on earth would be forbidden in heaven, and whatever he permitted on earth would be permitted in heaven. He was ready to test this new authority because he loved Jesus with all of his heart. The thought of Jesus suffering was more than he could bear; it was more than he wanted to allow. Perhaps if he confidently forbade the death of Jesus, he could stop these horrible things from happening. But Jesus made it clear to Peter that he was to follow the heart and will of the Father rather than lead according to his own desires. No matter how much he wanted this one thing, it was not for him to change the plan of God.

Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds. And I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.” – Matthew 16:23-28

“WHO DO YOU SAY I AM?”

We are human and, therefore, we tend to see this life through a human point of view. With a heart of mercy, we often want to protect those we love — to permit something on earth so that it will also be permitted in heaven. This leads us to softening our stance on sin and looking for ways to broaden the way to God’s Kingdom so that more can enter in — so that those we love will not be lost. But Jesus made it clear that it is not for us to lead according to our own way, but God’s; if we hang on to our own life, we will lose it. It is the Son of Man who will judge all people according to their deeds.

Peter’s understanding of who Jesus was did not come from human teaching; it came from God. The Spirit was actively working in Peter’s life to build a faith on which others could find their way to salvation. Now Peter was being called to follow Jesus by giving up his own way and letting go of his own life, allowing the Spirit to continue to give him a heavenly perspective. God is calling us, the Church, to do the same — to take up our cross and follow Jesus, to pray for God’s will to be done and not our own, and to lead others according to God’s way. May we submit to our Lord and declare today that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.