St Matthew 16: 13 – 20
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
Reflection
It’s 325CE, and Emperor Constantine is worried. The Christians are divided about who Jesus is. Divided Christians could mean trouble for the Empire so the Emperor convened a council of bishops to sort this out. So the Nicene Creed, that we celebrated in 2025, was born. Political crisis clarified faith for centuries to come.
Sixteen centuries later, the Nazi-controlled German state proclaimed only one ultimate lord, and was not Jesus. So the Confessing Church was born that made its costly claim that ‘Jesus is Lord.’ No person, political party, nor governing power could be allowed to challenge this commitment. Some years later, in prison for living out this Confession, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote that the key question for us is “Who is Jesus Christ for us today?” It’s getting personal! And it would cost Bonhoeffer his life.
In first-century Israel, we’re in the northern city of Caesarea Philippi under Roman occupation. The Empire demands ultimate loyalty. Jesus challenged his disciples in this threatening moment, “Who do you say that I am?” It’s Peter who gets it, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” It was a dangerous confession then too. Ultimately, Peter is martyred for his, sometimes wobbly, but always committed, witness to this truth about Jesus.
Empires, powers and ambitious, self-aggrandizing, leaders still want centre stage in our frightened hearts and in our fragile, threatened global community. After all these centuries, it’s still the question that challenges us, “Who do YOU say that I am?” Our Christian discipleship is still about discovering and rediscovering the transforming and costly truth about Jesus, and staking our life on that discovery in our personal lives and in the global community of nations. This will always be ‘the Rock’ on which God will build the Church of Christ, ‘beset by change but Spirit-led’ and ‘the key’ to God’s kingdom in Jesus, with its ‘challenge and choice’.
Prayer
Jesus, in whose name I trust,
and whose ultimate claim on me I confess,
give me new courage to face the world –
at my feet and in distant places –
so that I can bear witness,
through my life and with my words,to your promise of restoration and hope,
for nations and peoples.
Help me to stand on the Rock of this faith
and be an instrument of your kingdom
of love, justice and peace. Amen.