Who do people say I am? Matthew 16

When Jesus puts the question to his disciples, who do people say the Son of Man is, a new period in their training begins. [Jesus often referred to himself as Son of Man. It’s a reference to a vision of the prophet Daniel of one like a son of man being given all authority in heaven and on earth]. Up to now they have seen Jesus in action as a preacher, miracle worker, and interpreter of the law. Jesus is starting to look towards the final work he has to do in Jerusalem. The disciples must know who he is and what kind of messiah he is if they are to carry on his work in, and carry his name to, the world at large. And so must we, since we are also his disciples and his witnesses to the world at large.
At first the disciples give a safe answer, you might be John Baptist, Elijah or one of the prophets. But safe answers to the question of discipleship are not answers at all. And that’s why Jesus probes them further. But who do YOU say I am? Now it’s getting personal and perhaps uncomfortable. Each man has to answer for himself. What do they really think, honestly and authentically? It’s a question to be put to us also, his 21^st century disciples. Who to YOU say Jesus is? What to YOU really think, honestly and authentically?

Simon answers, you are the Christ, the son of the living God. It’s a watershed answer which Jesus acknowledges has not been taught by human wisdom. It is a revealed truth. Blessed are you Simon because flesh and blood have not revealed this to you, but my father who is in heaven. You can’t lecture someone into recognizing Jesus as Christ; and you can’t argue anyone into the Kingdom of Heaven. The truth about that is a revealed truth, taken hold of as if eyes are opened and hearts are set free. It’s not a truth that can be taught by human intervention. That’s why those to whom that truth has been given are the blessed ones.

And one other point about Simon Peter’s confession: it was made in presence of the other disciples. It wasn’t a quiet tete-a-tete on the side in private. Confession of Christ as Lord is never a private cosy affair; it’s public, and that’s what keeps you accountable to it.

Now you might ask why Jesus told his disciples not to say anything about what had just transpired between them, and he made that very clear. Why not share it on the social media of the day to the wider world? It’s because the time for that was not yet. What do you think would have happened? The general populace was expecting a messiah like King David of old who would restore the empire of Israel to its former glory, and to defeat the hated Roman occupation. Jesus would have been seen as the new David and his faithful band of fighting men. The general populace would have beaten their plowshares into swords and joined in the fight. Pontius Pilate, in turn, would have called in re-enforcements from Syria and crushed the whole thing asap. Jesus was not that kind of messiah. Remember what he said to Pilate at his trial; my kingdom is not of this world.

Peter might have grasped the divine nature of who Jesus was, but not what kind of messiah he was. The time for that was after the Lord’s death and resurrection. Only then did they begin to understand.
A common criticism of Christianity’s doctrine of a suffering saviour is that critics simply cannot fathom how on earth God can bring victory for himself and win the world by sending the Son of Man as one of us, and ending being crucified. It’s definitely not success story language, and therefore is a meaningless message to those who cannot think beyond victory-in-prosperity and success-for-the-winners. They are the ones who will answer, maybe he is one of the prophets or maybe not, who knows. They are the ditherers who won’t commit themselves to a straight answer.

Peter is given a new name, Rocky. It’s a play on words as Jesus declares that on this rock I will build my church.

What is this rock? Whatever interpretation you might like to put on it, any interpretation that minimizes the importance of faith that found expression in Peter’s statement must be rejected. The church and its mission does not depend on Peter the man himself. Peter, though he was a preeminent figure amongst the apostles, being one of Jesus’ inner circle of three, and with a significant preaching ministry, wasn’t the elected leader of the Jerusalem church. James was. So in effect, James was the first bishop of Jerusalem. But Peter is the first to confess, with divine gift of insight, that Jesus is the Christ. That is the rock on which the church is built. That, the church does depend on, people together with their declared recognition of Christ as Lord.

So when we say the creed together as the gathered church, and believe it with all heart, mind, soul and strength, that’s the heritage we have received from the Apostle Peter, the rock.

What then should we say about Peter being given keys to the kingdom, and whatever is bound or loosed on earth shall have been bound or loosed in heaven?

Well, the metaphor of being the holder of the key to a door is obvious. It’s all about stewardship. If the church, built on its leaders’ confession and God-given insight into who Christ is, holds the keys to the kingdom, it therefore has responsibility for good stewardship of that which has been entrusted to it, that is, the people to whom it is ministering. And that means our church leaders, to whom good stewardship of the kingdom has been entrusted, must exercise that responsibility as shepherds, not as lords or barons. There is no place in the church of God for power politics. Power politic does not win people into the Kingdom of God, but the pastoral ministry of a shepherd does.

Now Jesus also said to Peter, and the other apostles who were in on the conversation of course, whatever you bind or loose on earth, shall have been bound or loosed in heaven.

Here I chose my words carefully. The Greek text does not express those words as straight forward future tense, as if what the church says somehow puts an obligation on the Kingdom to rubber stamp its decisions. Remember, our church leaders are not lords or barons, they are shepherds. And what they decide as being permitted or forbidden on earth, has already been sorted out as such in heaven. In other words, our bishops, in their God given roles of chief shepherds and stewards of the church, will have made their decisions through prayer and conversation with God first. Nothing they do should be of their own volition. Same goes for priests, the local church shepherds. Prayer is number one in the life of every church leader and minister. Father, hallowed by thy name, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Jesus did not teach, let man’s will be done on earth, while God’s will be done in heaven.
And that’s why we need to pray for our bishops, particularly at this COVID time when ministry is difficult and many of the clergy under their charge are stressed out.

Our church is not immune from stressful times, needless to say. COVID is taking its toll on our worship life and our ability to provide pastoral care in the best possible face to face way. And of course it continues to be under threat from secular forces that would like to see the Christian faith destroyed. The attacks are sure and sinister, undermining the Christian voice at every turn. The weeds are indeed growing alongside the wheat, as I spoke about last time. But, Jesus says, the gates of hell will not prevail against God’s church or our confession of Christ as Lord, and the divine gift to us which makes that possible.

So friends, stay true to your confession that Christ is Lord, the son of the living God, and the gift of knowing he is Messiah that has been given to you through the Holy Spirit. Be confident that his kingdom will prevail, and that these times of distress will pass.

Philip Starks
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