Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven

 

 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"  So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.  And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.  And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."  Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.

 

- Matthew 16:13-20 

 

Yesterday we read that the Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.  He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.'  Hypocrites!  You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.  A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."  And He left them and departed.  Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.  Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?  Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up?  Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up?  How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? -- but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

 

 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"  So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven."  My study Bible comments on today's entire passage that Christ's question, "Who do you say that I am?" is the greatest question that a person can ever face.  This is precisely because it is the question that defines Christianity.  Peter's correct answer to the question prevents the Christian faith from being seen or known as simply another philosophical system or path of spirituality.  This is because Jesus is the one and only Son of the living God.  Such a position excludes all compromise with other religious systems.  As Jesus indicates in His response to St. Peter here, St. Peter's understanding could not be achieved by human reason, but only by divine revelation through faith (see 1 Corinthians 12:3).  My study Bible points out that Christ means "Anointed One," the equivalent of the Hebrew title "Messiah."  It also asks us to note that Christ first draws out mistaken opinions about Himself.  He does this to identify incorrect ideas, as a person is better prepared to avoid false teachings when they are clearly identified.

 

"And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."  My study Bible explains that Peter/rock is a play on the word for "rock" in both Aramaic and Greek (petros/petra).  This rock does not refer to St. Peter per se, but rather to "the faith of his confession" according to St. John Chrysostom.  The true Rock, my study Bible tells us, is Christ Himself (and so says St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:4), and the whole of the Church is built on the faithful confession of Christ.  The gates of Hades are the powers of death.  In the Old Testament, my study Bible says, "gates" suggest a fortified city (Genesis 22:17, 24:60; Isaiah 14:31).  By shattering its gates, Christ has opened the stronghold of death to set free the souls of the righteous.  So therefore, the Church also shall not be stopped in her proclamation of salvation.  Moreover, my study Bible tells us that the term church is mentioned only twice in all the gospels, here and in Matthew 18:17.  This Church is the true Israel and the Body of Christ; her citizenship is heavenly.  

 

"And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."  Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.  My study Bible says that the keys of the kingdom is a reference to a special authority that will be given both to Peter and the other apostles after the Resurrection (see Matthew 18:18; John 20:23).  St. Peter was not a leader over the others, but rather among them.  This truth was confirmed at the Council of Jerusalem (see Acts 15) where the apostles and presbyters met as equals, and where St. Peter advised, but St. James presided.  This is the New Testament witness concerning St. Peter -- his role should neither be expanded, nor should it be diminished in opposition to such claims.  My study Bible also notes for us that binding and loosing is a reference primarily "to absolve sins," according to St. John Chrysostom (see John 20:23).  But it includes all the teaching, sacramental, and administrative authority of the apostles.  This authority was in turn transmitted to the bishops of the Church, and it continues in effect to this day.

 

There is a kind of dual impact of the information revealed in today's reading.  There is first of all the authority which Jesus confers to His apostles, and particularly through St. Peter, who was known as "first among equals" in the continuing spirit of conciliarity which guides the Church and is its aim.  But there is also the powerful, extraordinary understanding that Jesus is the Christ -- and that "flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven."  Let us remember that when Jesus will speak to the apostles of the sending of the Helper, the Holy Spirit,  He tells them that the Holy Spirit will be sent from the Father, and through Christ's prayers (see John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7).  This is very important, because it truly teaches us that Christ's life, death, Resurrection, and Ascension has the effect of bringing humanity into deeper communion not only with Christ, but also the Father and the Holy Spirit.  For if the Father -- as Jesus says in today's passage -- is working in St. Peter to effect this revelation, then how much more is promised through the fullness of the effects of Christ's mission to us as Incarnate Jesus and His completion of that mission in Resurrection and Ascension?  We really cannot estimate the fullness of what this means, and the fruits it will bear, has borne, and will continue to bear in our lives and in our world.  We simply don't know how to calculate what God does among us, and what God will do.  But we can look around ourselves and see what that has meant, even if we can't know its fullness.  See, for example, the work of the secular historian and award-winning author Tom Holland, titled Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World, in which he examines the effect of Christ upon our world through the present day.  Moreover, this "remaking" of the world is ongoing, continuing not only through the present time but through the future we don't yet know.  We are assured of this in Revelation 21:15, in which "He who sat on the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.'"  The English translation does not completely capture the meaning of the Greek, in which the word "make" is in a continuing present tense, better translated as "I am always making all things new."  For this is the reality of the Church and the fullness of Christ and Christ's ongoing work in our world, and we simply cannot know all that this entails, including all the possible dimensions it might indicate of which we are unaware.  But we can know the graciousness and love of God for the world and for us human beings, for so God has granted to us this enormous, inestimable gift of salvation, to be with God in the fullness of eternal life and what that might entail for us and for our world.  Let us marvel at this extraordinary gift, coming to us through St. Peter's confession on behalf of all of the apostles, and indeed of all of us, and through the revelation of our Father who is in heaven, as Jesus says. There is no greater honor nor gift in potential for all of us.  Let us truly place the value of this blessed treasure as is appropriate to is, for taken in this perspective, our faith is everything.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven

 

 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"  So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.  And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.  And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."  Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.

 

- Matthew 16:13–20 

 

 Yesterday we read that the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Jesus asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.  He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.'  Hypocrites!  You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.  A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."  And He left them and departed.  Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.  Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?  Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up?  Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up?  How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? -- but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees. 

 

 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"  So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven."  My study Bible comments that Jesus' response to the disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" is the greatest question a person can ever face, for this question defines Christianity.  Peter's correct answer prevents the Christian faith from being seen as simply another system of philosophy or spiritual path, because it names Jesus Christ as the one and only Son of the living God.  Such a position excludes all compromise with other religious systems.  As Jesus indicates, Peter's insight cannot be achieved by human reason, but only by divine revelation through faith (1 Corinthians 12:3).  Christ means "Anointed One," and it is equivalent to the Hebrew title "Messiah."  My study Bible also asks us to note that Christ first draws out false opinions about Himself ("Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?").  He does this to identify these incorrect ideas, as people are better prepared to avoid false teachings when they are clearly identified. 

 

"And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."   Here is a play on words, for in both Aramaic and Greek the name Peter and the word for rock are the same (petros/petra).  This rock does not refer to Peter per se, according to St. John Chrysostom, but rather to "the faith of his confession."  The true Rock is Christ Himself (1 Corinthians 10:4), and the Church is built on the faithful confession of Christ.  The gates of Hades are the powers of death.  My study Bible explains that in the Old Testament, gates suggest a fortified city (Genesis 22:17, 24:60; Isaiah 14:31).  By shattering its gates, Christ opens the stronghold of death to set free the souls of the righteous.  So also, the Church will not be stopped in her proclamation of salvation.  My study Bible also notes that the term church (εκκλησια) is mentioned only twice in all the gospels, here and in Matthew 18:17.  This Church is the true Israel and the Body of Christ; her citizenship is heavenly.  

 

 "And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."  Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.  According to my study Bible, keys of the kingdom refers to a special authority that will be given to both Peter and the other apostles after the Resurrection (see Matthew 18:18; John 20:23).  It says that Peter was not a leader over the others, but among them.  This truth was confirmed at the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15) where the apostles and presbyters met as equals, and where Peter advised, but James presided.  It says that papal claims in later centuries mustn't be confused with the New Testament witness concerning Peter, nor should Peter's role be diminished in opposition to those claims.  Binding and loosing is a reference primarily to the authority "to absolve sins" (according to St. John Chrysostom; see John 20:23), but this also includes all the teaching, sacramental, and  administrative authority of the apostles. This authority was in turn transmitted to the bishops of the Church, and continues in effect to this day. 

 

 In our reading for Tuesday, the commentary included the importance of understanding relationships and relatedness within our faith as those which are between persons.  That is, over and against the idea that we ascribe to a philosophical system, or that faith is an intellectual choice, or a one-time oath of some sort.  We, in the "community of the called" (a literal way to translate the Greek word for church in today's passage, εκκλησια/ekklesia) are those who relate to one another not as mere individuals in a system, not as numbers, or ones with nominal membership, but as persons.  That is, persons have attributes which are unique to themselves, as well as attributes which are shared with other persons.  We are body, soul, spirit, mind.  And as persons, our relationships span many levels and depths, because we are made up of so much.  It is in the fullness of ourselves as persons that we are to love God, for so says the Old Testament Shema, the one which Jesus named as the first and greatest commandment of all:  " You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength" (Deuteronomy 6:5).  He named this one as the second:  "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Leviticus 19:18).  This kind of love, both the love for God as expressed in Jesus' first commandment, and the love of neighbor expressed in the second, can only happen between persons.  We know Jesus as a person, and Himself also as the Second Person of the Trinity, the Son.  So while today's reading defines -- as my study Bible says -- what Christianity is, separating it from other philosophical systems or spiritual paths, it is distinguished also in the sense that it establishes faith as a relationship between persons; or rather, Person-to-person, so to speak.  Just as there is a depth of love and relationship between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, so this kind of love is extended to us, the εκκλησια, the Bride of Christ who is our Bridegroom.  This is a relationship of love with God Who is love (1 John 4:8); it extends and penetrates more deeply into who we are than we know ourselves, for only God can know the true depth of the heart within us.  This kind of knowing is different.  It is the kind of knowing that Jesus praises as revelation from God the Father:  "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven."   In that revelation which Jesus has praised as blessed is the power of relationship, even of God the Father to one of us, to St. Peter, and the working of the grace of God within it.  It reminds us of another expression of praise and gratitude from Jesus, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes" (Matthew 11:25; see also Isaiah 5:21).  Let us also praise God and be grateful for this love and depth of relatedness in His grace for us all (John 1:16-17). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life

 

 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?"  When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, "Does this offend you?  What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend to where He was before?  It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.  The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.  But there are some of you who do not believe."  For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him.  And he said, "Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it had been granted to him by My Father."  From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.  

 

Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?"  But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?"  He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.

 

- John 6:60–71 

 

This week we have been reading chapter 6 of John's Gospel, in which the eucharistic concepts of Christ as the bread of heaven, and also the sacrifice He will make on the Cross have been introduced.  Yesterday's text told us that the Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?"  Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.  Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.  For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.  He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.  As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.  This is the bread which came down from heaven -- not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead.  He who eats this bread will live forever."  These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.

 

  Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?"  When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, "Does this offend you?  What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend to where He was before?  It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.  The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.  But there are some of you who do not believe."  For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him.  And he said, "Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it had been granted to him by My Father."  From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.  My study Bible comments here that even His disciples took Christ's teaching on His Body and Blood as a hard saying, and many walked with Him no more.  To this day, there are still those who reject Christ's own words concerning this sacramental eating of His Body and drinking His Blood, and so do not walk in His teaching.  My study Bible further notes that because of the difficulty of grasping the depth of this Mystery, many attempt to define its nature in a rational way, or to explain away His words completely, giving them simply a metaphorical meaning.  But either extreme is dubious.  To reject this sacramental teaching is to reject the witness of the Scriptures and the unanimous teaching of the Church through its history.  

Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?"  But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?"  He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.  Here is St. Peter's confession that Jesus is the Christ as it appears in John's Gospel, within the context of other disciples turning away because of His hard saying on His Body and Blood (see above).  Let us note also the injection here of the note of betrayal, even among Christ's most intimate set of disciples, the twelve.  

For the first time in John's Gospel, the note of betrayal to come is mentioned.  Here, after a long discourse on Himself as the bread of life, and the bread which came down from heaven, Jesus finally interjects the truth about how His Crucifixion will come about -- the means by which He will give His flesh for the life of the world (see yesterday's reading, above).  Perhaps it is most noteworthy that just as other disciples desert Him for his hard saying about His Body and Blood, so it is at this time that Peter's faith is not simply crystalized, but the confession of faith (on behalf of the twelve as well) is made -- that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God.  John's emphasis is important and interesting.  Not only is Jesus the Son of the living God, with its emphasis on the power of life itself, but Peter's confession is also one about the very words Jesus offers to them and to the world.  His are the words of eternal life.  In the following chapter of John's Gospel, the temple officers are sent to arrest Jesus, but are unable to do so.  When asked by the religious authorities why they have failed, the officers reply, "No man ever spoke like this Man!"  As this Gospel begins with the teaching that Jesus is Logos, the Word, so we understand that in His very words is the power of eternal life also.  As Jesus says, "For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak" (John 12:49-50).  The power in His very words is the power of eternal life, rooted in the Source of all, God the Father.  Let us note once again that all things are determined through our response to these words of eternal life:  just as other disciples turn away, so Peter makes his confession of faith that Jesus is the Christ.  And just as this confession is heard on behalf of the twelve, so Jesus introduces the fact of betrayal among them, calling the one who will betray him a devil, indicating that in that betrayal is the power of the spiritual forces that oppose Him.  As we go through Lent, we head toward Holy Week and the story of the Crucifixion, death, and Resurrection of our Lord.  As Jesus informs the disciples about the betrayal to come (which they no doubt scarcely can comprehend), let us take into account what we know about that betrayal, that it is through Christ's death that the devil and death itself will be defeated, for all of us.  So let us also ponder that no circumstance can keep us from the love of God, nor from God's work in us and in the world.  Our present lectionary readings also give us selections from St. Paul's letter to the Romans.  Let us read his words:  "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? . . .  Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.  For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:35-39).  Neither will betrayal by a devil; for with God not only are all things possible, but for God's purposes all things may be used (see Romans 8:28).  When we see tribulation in our own times and in our lives, let us remember that God has a place and a way for us with which to meet all things.  We can say with St. Peter, "Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it

 

 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"  So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 

 

 Jesus answered and said, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.  And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

"And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."  Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ. 

 

- Matthew 16:13-20 

 

Yesterday we read that the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.  He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.'  Hypocrites!  You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.  A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."  And He left them and departed.  Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.  Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?  Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up?  Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up?  How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?  -- but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

 

 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"  So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  My study Bible comments that Christ's question, "Who do you say that I am?" is the greatest question a person can ever face, because it is the question that defines Christianity.  Peter's correct answer to this question prevents the Christian faith from being seen as simply another philosophical system or path of spirituality.  Instead, it names Jesus as the one and only Son of the living God.  Such a position means that all compromise with other religious systems is excluded.  Peter's understanding cannot be achieved by human reason, my study Bible adds, but only by divine revelation through faith (1 Corinthians 12:3), as Jesus says Himself in the following verse ("Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven").  Christ means "Anointed One," and is the equivalent to the Hebrew title "Messiah."  My study Bible also points out that Christ first draws out erroneous opinions about Himself (at the top of the reading).  This is done in order to identify these incorrect ideas, as a person is better prepared to avoid false teachings when they are clearly identified.  

 

 Jesus answered and said, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.  And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."  Here my study Bible shows us that Peter/rock is a play on the word for "rock" -- both in Aramaic and Greek (Gk. Πετρος-Petros/πετρα-petra).  It notes that this rock refers not to Peter per se, but, according to St. John Chrysostom, to "the faith of his confession."   The true Rock is Christ Himself (1 Corinthians 10:4), and the Church is built on the faithful confession of Christ.  The gates of Hades, my study Bible explains, are the powers of death.  In the Old Testament, gates suggest a fortified city (Genesis 22:17, 24:60; Isaiah 14:31).  By shattering its gates, Christ opens the stronghold of death to set free the souls of the righteous.  So therefore the Church also shall not be stopped in her proclamation of salvation.  My study Bible also comments that the term church is mentioned only twice in all the gospels, here and in Matthew 18:17.  This Church, it says, is the true Israel and the Body of Christ; her citizenship is heavenly.  

 

 "And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."  Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.  Keys of the kingdom is a reference to a special authority that will be given to both Peter and the other apostles after the Resurrection (see Matthew 18:18; John 20:23).  My study Bible tells us that Peter was not a leader over the other apostles, but rather among them.  This truth was confirmed at the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15) where the apostles and presbyters met as equals, an Peter advised but James presided.   My study Bible adds that certain papal claims in later centuries should not be confused with the New Testament witness regarding Peter -- and neither should the role of Peter be diminished in opposition to these claims.  Moreover, binding and loosing, it notes, is a reference primarily to the authority "to absolve sins" according to St. John Chrysostom; see also John 20:23.  But it also includes all the teaching, sacramental, and administrative authority of the apostles.  This authority was in turn transmitted to the bishops of the Church and continues in effect today.

 

So, if Christ is the true Rock of the Church, then how shall we look at His words today to Peter (whom Jesus named "Rock")?  Clearly, as my study Bible teaches (quoting St. John Chrysostom), it is the faith of Peter's confession -- which we may also share -- that becomes the rock.  It is yet one more instance among many that demonstrates for us the power of faith to make a connection to Christ, and through which Christ's power and authority may be shared with us.  In all of the healings done by Christ, in the miraculous feedings in the wilderness, it is the presence of faith that enables such things to happen, making a connection with Christ.  In the healing of the woman with the twelve years blood flow, it is her faith -- as she dares to touch the hem of His garment -- that connects to release power from Christ and make her well.  As He tells her, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well."  When the Canaanite woman dared to struggle with Christ for a healing for her daughter, she was rewarded for the persistence of her faith.  Jesus told her, "O woman, great is your faith!  Let it be to you as you desire."  When Jesus was rejected in His home town of Nazareth, we're told that He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.   All of this is to show that it is the power of faith in Christ that connects us mysteriously to Christ's power and authority, just as He has also shared the same with the apostles as they went out on their first mission to heal, cast out demons, and preach the gospel message.  Repeatedly we're shown that it is faith that makes such connection and sharing possible.  So, the idea that the Church is built on the faithful confession of Christ becomes all the more vividly illustrated through these other events in the Gospels that also depend upon faith in order to happen.  They give us the clues in the Gospels about the power of faith and what it does and makes possible.  On this strength, then, we should not wonder that our Church depends, and so much else depends in the world.  It seems that we frequently fail to give sufficient consideration to that power of our faith, and what are the consequences when we become tepid or uncaring, or take it for granted.  Certainly in the Revelation we witness the chastising response for a Church grown lukewarm in its faith (Revelation 3:16).  But if, by the connection of this faith, healings happen, the Church is built, and the demonic is supplanted by the authority of Christ, what then will be the consequences when faith is dismissed or considered to be extraneous to our lives?  There is currently a best selling book on Amazon.com entitled Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World, by Tom Holland, in which the historian explores all the ways in which Christianity has shaped so much of the things we take for granted as part of culture, ethics, values, legal systems, and the common assumptions behind much of our thinking.  In light of that context, it is perhaps illuminating to consider what we might stand to lose when we take all of that for granted, and separate it from the faith out of which it came and was built.  Can we abstract out all the good things that have benefited us from our faith?  Will those "live" in the same way and with the same power and potential?  Perhaps it is time for all of us to set greater stock in the value of our faith itself, and the things it has created in the world through which the whole world benefits.  Let us consider the very thing that gives us the rock upon which we build, and which can prevail even against the gates of Hades. 

 

 

 

 

For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it

 

 Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, "Who do men say that I am?"  So they answered, "John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said to Him, "You are the Christ."  Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.  

And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.  He spoke this word openly.  Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.  But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind Me, Satan!  For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."

When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it.  For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He come sin the glory of His Father with the holy angels."  And He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power."

 

- Mark 8:27-9:1 

 

Yesterday we read that the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him.  But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign?  Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation."  And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side.  Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat.  Then He charged them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "Why do you reason because you have no bread?  Do you not yet perceive nor understand?  Is your heart still hardened?  Having eyes, do you not see?  And having ears, do you not hear?  And do you not remember?  When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  They said to Him, "Twelve."  Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  And they said, "Seven."  So He said to them, "How is it you do not understand?"  Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him.  So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town.  And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked Him if he saw anything.  And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking."  Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up.  And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.  Then He sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town."

 

 Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, "Who do men say that I am?"  So they answered, "John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said to Him, "You are the Christ."  Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.  My study Bible says that, "Who do you say that I am?" is the greatest question that any person can ever face.  This is because it is the question that defines Christianity.  Peter answers correctly, and this answer prevents the Christian faith from being seen as simply another philosophical system or path of spirituality.  In Matthew's Gospel, Peter answers fully, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Such a position, as unique Son of  God, excludes all compromise with other religious systems.  This recognition of Christ, my study Bible says, cannot be achieved by human reason, but only by divine revelation through faith (1 Corinthians 12:3).  Christ means "Anointed One," and is equivalent to the Hebrew title, "Messiah."  Additionally, it is noted that Christ first draws out the erroneous opinions that men say about Him.  This is done in order to identify incorrect ideas, as one is better prepared to avoid false teachings when they are clearly identified.  

And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.  He spoke this word openly.  Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.  But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind Me, Satan!  For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."  After Peter's confession that Jesus is the Christ, Jesus now reveals the true nature of His messiahship.  This is the mystery of His Passion.  My study Bible explains that it was expected that the Messiah would reign forever.  Therefore the notion that Christ would die was perplexing to Peter and remained scandalous to the Jews even after the Resurrection (1 Corinthians 1:23).  Unwittingly, Peter has spoken for Satan, as the devil did not want Christ to fulfill His mission and save humankind through suffering and death.  

When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me."  This central teaching of Christianity is a reflection of the Passion and Resurrection, and our participation in these realities.  My study Bible notes that the cross, a dreaded instrument of Roman punishment, is also a symbol of suffering by Christians in imitation of Christ.  It says that we practice self-denial for the sake of the love of God and the gospel.  To accept this suffering is not a punishment, nor it is an end in itself, but a means to overcome the fallen world for the sake of the Kingdom and to crucify the flesh with its passions and desire (Galatians 5:24). 

"For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it."  My study Bible comments that the central paradox of Christian living is that in grasping for temporal things, we lose the eternal; but in sacrificing everything in this world, we gain eternal riches that are unimaginable (1 Corinthians 2:9).  

"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He come sin the glory of His Father with the holy angels."  Christ's questions emphasize the foolishness of sacrificing one's salvation for the accumulation of wealth or power, for these cannot redeem a fallen soul, nor benefit a person in the life to come.  

And He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power."  My study Bible says that this is a reference to those who would witness the Transfiguration (Mark 9:2-10; in our next reading), as well as those in every generation who will experience the presence of God's Kingdom.

 

In today's reading, Jesus makes this powerful central statement, reflecting on our need for Christ and our salvation:  "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."   But what is our soul, and why is it of such significance?  My study Bible defines soul as follows:  "A living substance, simple, bodiless, and invisible by nature, activating the body to which it brings life, growth, sensation and reproduction. The mind is not distinct from the soul but serves as a window to the soul. The soul is free, endowed with will, and the power to act. Along with the body, the soul is created by God in His image. The soul of man will never die  (Genesis 1:26; 2:7; Matthew 10:28).  In Genesis 2:7 we read that "the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being."   "Living being" is also translated as "living soul."  What we understand, then, is that the soul is inseparable from life itself, that which constitutes and gives us life.  The eternal soul, therefore, is not simply something we should preserve, protect, and cherish for the sake of a life which we understand continues after our physical death in this world, but the condition of the soul also defines how we will experience life as a human being, fully in this world.  Therefore, the priceless nature of this soul, as defined by Christ, applies to every single day of our lives, and the choices that we make in life.  We should therefore not relegate this statement to something that applies only to an afterlife, or to the final judgment at Christ's return.  For we are surrounded by those holy angels mentioned in Jesus' statement, and the power of the Cross inspires us even in the ways in which we live our daily lives, just as Jesus indicates when He says, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me."  Whatever we desire in our lives, whatever plans we make and follow for the shape and direction of life, the soul is present and with us, activating us, giving us life, and the true care and nurturing of the soul thus becomes the condition within which we experience and frame our lives.  When we set our lives on the path that Christ lays out, when we choose to shape our lives by living "for My sake and the gospel's" we choose a path that gives us purpose and meaning.  Every choice and direction becomes a way to set a pattern, to consider what values we add to ourselves and our lives -- and what values we communicate to others.  We live for a higher purpose, and we can take on qualities that we see in Christ.  It is His example that has inspired countless people to the qualities of leadership Jesus embodies, in particular the willingness to sacrifice what is temporary and fleeting to what becomes a part of us, what we can pass on that makes the world good, giving a quality of life that materiality alone cannot give.  It takes courage, foresight, and a deep appreciation of what is truly good -- in short, what makes life truly "civilized" -- to make such choices.  But when we bear the gospel into the world, and Christ with it, we have a higher good to fulfill, a greater power and strength and depth of meaning, and a purpose and image to manifest that helps to create life "more abundantly"  The easy way is not the best way.  But with Christ we are promised that we should first seek the Kingdom, and all else is added unto that.

 

 

The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life

 

 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?"  When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, "Does this offend you?  What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before?  It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.  The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.  But there are some of you who do not believe."  For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him.  And He said, "Therefore I have said no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father."  From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.  Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?"  But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?"  He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.

 

- John 6:60–71 

 

 

Yesterday we read that the leaders of the synagogue in Capernaum quarreled among themselves regarding Jesus' teaching, saying, "How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?"  Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.  Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.  For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.  He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.  As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.  This is the bread which came down from heaven -- not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead.  He who eats this bread will live forever."  These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum. 

 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?"  When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, "Does this offend you?  What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before?  It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.  The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.  But there are some of you who do not believe."  For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him.  And He said, "Therefore I have said no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father."  From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.   My study Bible comments that even Christ's disciples took His teaching on His Body and Blood as a hard saying, and many walked with Him no more.  There are still those, it says, who reject Christ's words concerning the sacramental eating of His Body and drinking of His Blood.  This is a highly difficult Mystery to grasp, and many have attempted to define it rationally or to explain it away as purely metaphorical.  (See yesterday's commentary in which we discussed what the sense of "Mystical" means.)   My study Bible comments that either extreme is dubious; to reject Christ's sacramental teaching is to reject the witness of the Scriptures and the unanimous teaching of the Church throughout history.  

Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?"  But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?"  He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.   Here in John's Gospel, we have Peter's confession in the light of the words and teachings of Christ:  "Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life."   My study Bible comments that Peter's understanding that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God cannot be achieved by human reason, but only by divine revelation through faith (1 Corinthians 12:3).  

In today's reading, Jesus repeats His teaching from Saturday's reading ("No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him"), saying, "Therefore I have said no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father."   But coupled with this teaching is a new element, which we might say in some sense characterizes John's Gospel, and that is the life of the Spirit.   In Matthew's Gospel, when Peter makes His confession of faith that Jesus is the Christ, the long-awaited Messiah, Jesus tells him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven" (see Matthew 16:16-18).   This therefore underscores Jesus' repeated teachings in our recent readings that no one can come to Him unless drawn by the Father; we are only capable of knowing Christ through a desire for God in the heart.  But here, the vivifying, living reality of the Spirit is also given to us in both St. Peter's words and in Christ's teachings.  Jesus says, "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.  The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life."  And St. Peter affirms the human perspective that grasps for such a living reality where it is met:  "Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life."  So, in a sense, there is a theophany, or revelation of God -- Father, Son, and Spirit -- in today's reading.   Here in John's Gospel, as contrasted with Matthew, Peter's confession of faith includes this working of the Spirit, in the "words of eternal life" which Jesus says are "spirit" and "life."  Therefore,  Father, Son, and Spirit are inseparable also from Peter's confession of faith.   Perhaps it is that John's Gospel is the last of the Gospels to be written, and reflects the illumined understanding in the experiences of the early Church, and the unfolding of the work of the Spirit that informs it.  It is distinguished through Christ's words and teachings, and through Peter's confession, that the role of the Spirit is also inseparable from how we experience faith and how we grow in that faith, and this is the experience of the early Church as reflected here.  The Father draws us and makes possible our capacity to know Christ as Son, and His words are spirit and life.  And we, like Peter, are also drawn by His words, for nobody else has the words of eternal life.  We can look around and ask ourselves, where else shall we go?  Who else has the words of eternal life?  In the literature of the world, we can search and find, no matter the beauty, or the inspiration, or the sublime quality we find elsewhere, none has had the impact of Christ's words -- so that even those who quote wisdom often don't realize they are quoting the teachings of Christ.   Jesus brings together Father, Son, and Spirit -- and together they are met in us, with us.  For we, like Peter, are given these words of eternal life, and Father, Son, and Spirit work in us to help us to come to faith and to grow in that faith through time and through their communion.  Let us accept the power of His words, the light and the life that are in them, and understand.

And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it

 

When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"  So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.  And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.  And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."  Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.

 

- Matthew 16:13-20 

 

Yesterday we read that the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Jesus asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.  He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.'  Hypocrites!  You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.  A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."  And He left them and departed.  Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.  Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?  Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up?  Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up?  How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? -- but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

 

 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"  So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.  My study Bible comments that "Who do you say that I am?" is the greatest question a person can ever face, for it is the question that defines Christianity.  It says that Peter's correct answer to this question prevents the Christian faith from being seen as merely another philosophical system or path of spirituality, as it names Jesus as the one and only Son of the living God.  This position effectively excludes all compromise with other religious systems.  Peter's understanding cannot be achieved by human reason, but only by divine revelation through faith, as Jesus indicates in His response (1 Corinthians 12:3).  Christ means "Anointed One," and is equivalent to the Hebrew title "Messiah."  My study Bible also asks us to note that Christ first draws out erroneous opinions about Himself.  He does this to identify these incorrect ideas, as a person is better prepared to avoid false teachings when they are clearly identified.

"And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."  Peter/rock is a play on the word for "rock" in both Aramaic and Greek (petros/petra).  This particular rock refers not to Peter per se, according to St. John Chrysostom, but to "the faith of his confession."  The true Rock is Christ Himself (1 Corinthians 10:4), and the Church is built on the faithful confession of Christ.  The gates of Hades is a reference to the powers of death.  In the Old Testament, my study Bible says, gates suggest a fortified city (Genesis 22:17, 24:60; Isaiah 14:31).  By shattering the gates of Hades, Christ opens the stronghold of death to set free the souls of the righteous.  So also, the Church shall not be stopped in her proclamation of salvation.  There are only two mentions of the term church in the Gospels; here and in Matthew 18:17.  This Church is the true Israel and the Body of Christ; her citizenship is heavenly.  

"And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."  Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ."  My study Bible says that the term keys of the kingdom refers to a special authority that will be given to both Peter and the other apostles after the Resurrection (see Matthew 18:18; John 20:23).  Peter was not a leader over the others, but among them.  This was confirmed at the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15) where the apostles and presbyters met as equals, and where Peter advised, but James presided.  My study Bible says that claims in later centuries shouldn't be confused with the New Testament witness regarding Peter, nor should the role of Peter be diminished in opposition to those claims.  Binding and loosing is, again according to St. John Chrysostom, a reference primarily to the authority "to absolve sins" (see also John 20:23).  But it also includes all the teaching, sacramental, and administrative authority of the apostles, my study Bible notes.  It says this authority was in turn transmitted to the bishops of the Church and continues in effect to this day.  

If we look at this place where Peter's confession is made -- and the revelation that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God -- we find that it is a place of Gentile civilization.  It was established during the Hellenistic period by Alexander the Great and dedicated to the god Pan, previously having been dedicated by local peoples to the god Baal (a form of Ba'al dedicated to luck), and later it became a part of the Roman Empire, as is reflected in its name for Caesar by Philip.  Pan was the god of wild places, or what one might call wilderness or desolate places, and there was a great road nearby upon which marched countless armies in the history of conquering and war in this region.  So perhaps into this place, previously dedicated to Ba'al (a form of the god for Luck), and Pan, and now under the Romans and near a great road that connected the kingdoms of the world and the conquering armies of history, it is fitting and appropriate that somehow the birth of the true faith in Christ should take place.  Jesus calls Peter's confession the rock upon which He will build His Church, made by the appropriately-named Peter (whose name means "rock").  For, after all, Christ is "the stone the builders rejected" which became "the chief cornerstone" (Matthew 21:42, Psalm 118:22).  So, in this place previously dedicated to seemingly all that is the opposite of Christ the Son and Logos, both ancient worship and the conquering armies of history and also of empires of the time of Christ, we have the birth of the Church.  It is fitting in the sense of all that was rejected in the concepts of the history of this place, which was anything but the gracious and humble Christ, dedicated to the will of the Father, and opposed to all manner of manipulation and materialism, we have the birth of the Church which will replace all of that and turn its values upside down.   The empires and ancient gods will come and go, and armies and conquerors as well, but the Church -- based in the rock of faith in Peter's confession -- remains.  And this is our conquering Savior in action.  For His Church is founded in a place whose very foundations stand in opposition to Him (we can see, in some sense, those ancient concepts and values rooted in the temptations put to Him in the wilderness, in Matthew 4:1-11).  He is One who is the rejected stone which becomes the head of the corner, the One who "scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts," who "put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly.  He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty" (Luke 1:46-55).  He is the One who is always making all things new, turning the values of the world upside down, and replacing the powerful; He is the "stronger man" who storms the house of the strong man and plunders all his goods, the only One who can say without arrogance or pride, "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters" (Luke 11:20-23).  In this place once dedicated to the worship of the demonic, to the conquering power of all kinds of armies, Jesus begins His Church.  In the Holy Spirit, the "leaven" of the Church will continue to transform and make its way through our world, through our values, through all that might be opposed to it.  The world might be far from perfect, but we are armed by the One who dares establish His Church here, armed only with the rock of faith that carries us forward, and the Holy Spirit who continues His work (fitting to think about in this week of Pentecost).  Let us consider what we do when we sign on to this rock of faith, when we engage with the Spirit of truth, when we ask Him to build up our lives no matter what environment we come from or what needs transforming and changing.  He is the One who takes it all on, and continues to work with us and in us and among us, and even the gates of Hades can't prevail against it.  He is the One who storms Hades to free us, against whom even death cannot prevail.  

 

 

Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God

 

 Therefore many of His disciples, when they hard this, said, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?"  When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, "Does this offend you?  What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before?  It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.  The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.  But there are some of you who do not believe."  For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him.   And He said, "Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father."  From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.  Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?"  But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?"  He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.

 

- John 6:60–71 

 

Yesterday we read that those in the synagogue at Capernaum therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?"  Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.  Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.  For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.  He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.  As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.  This is the bread which came down from heaven -- not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead.  He who eats this bread will live forever."  These sayings He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.

 

 Therefore many of His disciples, when they hard this, said, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?"  When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, "Does this offend you?  What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before?  It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.  The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.  But there are some of you who do not believe."  For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him.   And He said, "Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father."  From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.   My study Bible comments that the text tells us that even His disciples took Christ's teaching on His Body and Blood as a hard saying, and many walked with Him no more.  It notes that to this day, there are still those who reject Christ's own words concerning the sacramental eating of His Body and drinking of His Blood, and thus do not walk in His teaching.  There is a great difficulty in grasping the depth of this Mystery -- and perhaps even the notion of Mystery itself.  Many attempt either to define its nature rationally or, on the other hand, to explain away Christ's words altogether, and give them only a metaphorical meaning.  But my study Bible comments that either extreme is dubious; to reject this sacramental teaching is to reject the witness of the Scriptures and the unanimous teaching of the Church throughout history.  In the Orthodox churches, Christ's words regarding His Body and Blood have always been accepted as true, as Justin Martyr writes, "that the food consecrated by the word of prayer which comes from Him is the flesh and blood of that incarnate Jesus."  This is a mystical truth; like so much of Scripture itself, it cannot be explained away only as symbolism nor taken in terms of literal earthly understanding.

 

Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?"  But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?"  He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.  Here is Peter's confession of faith in John's Gospel.  There are two important parts to it:  that Jesus has the words of eternal life, and that, as spokesman for all the disciples, Peter says, "Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  My study Bible remarks that Peter's answer prevents the Christian faith from being seen as merely another philosophical system or path of spirituality, as it names Jesus as the one and only Son of the living God.  This excludes compromise with other religious systems; this can only be achieved by divine revelation through faith (1 Corinthians 12:3, Matthew 16:17), not human reason.  

Simon Peter replies to Jesus, "Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."   And so it might be with us, who live and believe so many centuries later.  Where else will we go?  Who else has these words of eternal life?  Where else do we hear the word that makes our heart burn as with a flame except in these Gospels, the word of Christ, as His words did to the disciples on the road to Emmaus?   (See Luke 24:32.)   Jesus says, "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.  The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life."  When we step into Scripture, and especially into the words of Christ, we step into a place which the Spirit must help us to understand; and yet, it is the Spirit that gives life, as we say in the Creed ("the Lord, the Holy Spirit, the giver of life").  Even when it is hard to have faith in the face of what we experience in life, even when it is hard to believe given our limited understanding, these words of eternal life grasp us in places we didn't know we had, deep inside our hearts, in our souls.  And the words of St. Peter remain true, there is nothing that equals the power and effect on the heart of what we read in Scripture.   We have repeatedly quoted from St. Augustine's commentary on this chapter, and let us do so again.  He writes that Christ teaches us that even the act of believing is a gift and not a matter of merit.  Earlier in the Gospel, Jesus said, "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God'."  St. Augustine points out that this is more literally read, "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me drags him," and this is quite true, to "drag" or pull is the meaning of the word in Greek, a compelling drawing power.  It means to attract, in the sense that a magnet attracts and draws iron alloys to itself.  St. Augustine writes, "This violence happens to the heart, not to the flesh. So why be surprised? Believe, and you come; love, and you are dragged. Do not regard this violence as harsh and irksome; on the contrary, it is sweet and pleasant. It is the very pleasantness of the thing that drags you to it."  And so, the words of life contain Father, Son, and Spirit, and we respond in our heart and soul.  Whether or not we fully understand, there is a part of us that responds with a kind of flame inside of us, and we are taken along on this journey of faith.  It is not Christ who must conform to us, but ultimately we who conform to Christ, we who are conquered by love and the power of love -- and that is really the power in the words of eternal life.  That is why we put our trust in Him, especially when there is nowhere else to place it.  This is Peter's faith, and we may have the grace to find it in us, in the heart that responds to His word.  We should not think we are so different from the disciples nor that we live in such a different time:  there was a dizzying array of belief systems and philosophies in the ancient world into which Christ came.  But there remains only One with the words of eternal life that touch hearts around the world.

 

 

And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it

 

 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"  So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.  And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.  And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."  Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.

 

- Matthew 16:13-20 

 

Yesterday we read that the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Jesus asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.  He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.'  Hypocrites!  You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.  A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."  And He left them and departed.  Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.  Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?  Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up?  Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up?  How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?  -- but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

 

When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"  So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven."   My study Bible comments here that "Who do you say that I am?" is the greatest question a person can ever face, for it is the question that defines Christianity.  It says that Peter's correct answer to this question prevents the Christian faith from being seen as merely another philosophical system or path of spirituality, for it names Jesus as the one and only Son of the living God.  This position excludes all compromise with other religious systems.  Peter's understanding cannot be achieved by human reason, but only by divine revelation through faith (1 Corinthians 12:3).  Christ means "Anointed One," and is the equivalent of the Hebrew title "Messiah."   Let us note Jesus' astonishing statement to Peter, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven."  This is a statement that implies even God the Father's revelation to human beings.  My study Bible also remarks that we should note that Christ first draws out erroneous opinions about Himself here ("Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets").  He does this to identify these incorrect ideas, as a person is better prepared to avoid false teachings when they are clearly identified.

"And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."  Peter/rock is a play on the word for "rock" in both Aramaic and Greek (petros/petra).  According to the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, this rock refers not to Peter per se, but rather to "the faith of his confession."  The true Rock is Christ Himself (1 Corinthians 10:4), and the Church is built on the faithful confession of Christ.  The gates of Hades are understood to refer to the powers of death.  In the Old Testament, my study Bible comments, gates suggest a fortified city (Genesis 22:17, 24:60; Isaiah 14:31).  By shattering its gates, it is Christ who opens the stronghold of death to set free the souls of the righteous; this happens through Christ's Passion and experience of death.  My study Bible adds that so also, the Church shall not be stopped in her proclamation of salvation.  Furthermore, there are only two places the term church is mentioned in all the gospels:  here and in Matthew 18:17.   This Church, my study Bible explains is the true Israel and the Body of Christ; her citizenship is heavenly.

"And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."  Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.  My study bible comments that the term keys of the kingdom refers to a special authority that will be given both to Peter and to the other apostles after the Resurrection (see Matthew 18:18, John 20:23).  Peter, it explains, was not a leader over the others, but rather among them.  This truth was affirmed at the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15) where the apostles and presbyters met as equals, and where Peter advised, but James presided.  My study Bible comments that other claims in later centuries must not be confused with the New Testament witness regarding Peter, nor should the role of Peter be diminished in opposition to these claims.  To bind and loose is a reference primarily to the authority "to absolve sins" according to St. John Chrysostom (see also John 20:23), but this also includes all the teaching, sacramental, and administrative authority of the apostles.  This authority was in turn transmitted to the bishops of the Church and continues in effect to this day.

Today's reading invites us to think about authority.  What constitutes authority in the Church, and in the wider body of the Church as a whole?  Certainly the role of faith cannot be diminished, as today's reading continues on that theme that has been central of our recent readings in Matthew.  But let us also note discipleship as an important factor as well.  These men are the ones who have been with Christ from the beginning.  They have invested their lives in His ministry and teachings.  So we have a combination of both faith and discipleship, each growing together in these apostles.  We tend to divide faith and works, and especially the discipline of following Christ's teachings and the practices of the Church.  But in Peter, the two meet, and when we define these things properly, they go hand in hand, and must not be separated.  Each "needs" the other for wholeness.  In the Epistle of James, he writes of Abraham, "Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?  And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.'  And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only" (James 2:22-24).   While we may consider that "works" includes prayer, almsgiving, and fasting, we must understand that the work of discipleship is the constant fashioning of our own character through the discipline of the teachings of Christ, and the spiritual heritage we all share through the Scriptures and also traditions of the Church.  We might have the greatest faith, but without humility of character before God, what good is our faith?  If we are not aware that God is at work in us, that we will all come to times when repentance is necessarily, how much fruit do we bear of our faith, and even more importantly, how can we grow in our faith?  For even Peter himself will be chastised for his lack of faith, his reliance upon himself, his lack of awareness of his own weakness in a time of temptation.  In fact, in our very next reading, Jesus' discipline will be given with a rebuke to Peter, with the remark, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men" (Matthew 16:23), when Peter cannot accept Christ's prophecy of His Passion.  In chapter 26, we'll read Jesus' prophecy of Peter's denial of Him, Peter and the other disciples' failure to remain awake and pray with Christ in the garden, the mistake of defending Christ with a sword, and finally Peter's denial that He even knew Christ (see Matthew 26:31-75).  These are failures in a time of tremendous demand, confusion, temptation, pressure, even terror.  But leadership and authority are tested through such times, and Peter's repentance, restitution, and leadership will continue.  It is in this disciplining of faith through the transformation of character that real leadership and authority are honed, built, tested, and grown.  And this, also, can be the story of our own lives of both faith and discipleship as we seek to bear Christ's cross into the world, and participate in our own ways in His Passion, death, and Resurrection.  We look to leadership for these qualities of both faith and discipleship, developed through experience, honed through appreciation and reception of what has come before, and maybe most importantly developed through the humility of service.  Peter has revealed a tremendous secret through faith:  the identity of Jesus as "the Christ, the Son of the living God."  But the character Jesus reveals about this disciple, by changing his name from Simon Bar-Jonah to Peter, is one that will continue to be hewn in the fire of faith, of experience and difficulty, and in the challenges that lie ahead.  Like a statue that is formed from a hunk of stone, Peter's identity will continue to be refined and built, tested and challenged, through many experiences of sacrifice and courage to come.  So it is with us, faith plus discipleship must carry authority and leadership, and so we look today to the Church to continue her work of building up living stones.