Isaiah 22: 19-23
Psalm 138: 1-3, 6, 8
Romans 11: 33-36
Matthew 16: 13-20
Some truths seem so obvious, retrospectively.
Often though, right in the moment we fall back on the safe and predictable, whether or not they are accurate.
So when Jesus asks his disciples for the 'word on the street' about him, it's not so surprising that the feedback falls into positive but safe answers. The crowds recognize him as someone special, but don't regard him by their definition of 'Messiah': the one who will overthrow the Roman occupation.
Jesus then asks his disciples for their own description of him. Titles and labels are helpful in many circumstances to give us insight into where things stand. When a customer needs an exception to a policy: "May I speak with the manager?" The trust in taking a medication because the doctor said it would help. We go to a tax preparer for one set of problems and a licensed counselor for another. Each title denotes a particular area of power, ability, and authority. And so- perhaps holding his breath in anticipation- Jesus asks, "who do you say that I am?"
Simon Peter, his feet perhaps still damp from that walk on the lake (the Gospel from two weeks ago), is moved by God to recognize and speak the truth. Of course he's the Messiah! All those healings, the way he taught, just that way about him. And because of this grace of perception, Jesus calls him Rock- the foundation on which the community of Jesus' followers will find stability. The authority symbolized by a conferral of keys is a power given for service and protection of others, not self-glorification.
What is the truth of your relationship with Jesus? Who do you say Jesus is?
The topic for the Catechumenate this Sunday is Church Structure and Hierarchy.
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