Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me

 

 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 comes in 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 Jesus, 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 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 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 comments that, "Who do you say that I am?" is the greatest question any person can ever face, for it's the question that defines Christianity.  As Peter answers correctly, this prevents the Christian faith from being seen as merely another philosophical system or path of spirituality, as it names Jesus as the Christ.  That is, the one and only Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16).   This position, it says, excludes all compromise with other religious systems.  Peter's understanding cannot be achieved by human reason, but only through divine revelation through faith (1 Corinthians 12:3).  Christ means "Anointed One."  It 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 so in order to identify these incorrect ideas, as a person is better prepared to avoid false teachings when they've been 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."  Here, following Peter's confession of faith that He is the Christ, Jesus reveals the true nature of His messiahship:  this is the mystery of Christ's Passion.  My study Bible explains that it was expected that the Messiah would reign forever, so the idea that Christ would die was perplexing to Peter and remained scandalous to the Jews even after the Resurrection (1 Corinthians 1:23).  Here Peter unwittingly speaks 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."    The cross was a dreaded instrument of Roman punishment, reserved for the worst of criminals.  But it is also a symbol of suffering by Christians in imitation of Christ.  My study Bible comments that we practice self-denial for the sake of the love of God and the gospel.  To accept this suffering is not a punishment, and neither is it an end in itself.  Rather, it's a means to overcome the fallen world for the sake of the Kingdom and to crucify the flesh with its passions and desires (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 notes that the central paradox of Christian living is that in grasping for what is temporal, we lose the eternal.  But in sacrificing everything in this world, we gain eternal riches which 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 comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."   Jesus asks, "What will a man give in exchange for his soul?"  My study Bible says that this question emphasizes the utter foolishness of accumulating worldly wealth or power, for none of this can 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."  This is a reference to those who would witness the Transfiguration (tomorrow's reading), as well as those in each generation who will experience the presence of God's Kingdom.  

My study Bible emphasizes Christ's gospel of the Kingdom as making that presence real to those who may experience it through faith.  Jesus will teach, as reported in Matthew's Gospel, "Where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them" (Matthew 18:20).  Here in today's reading, Peter's confession that Jesus is the Christ makes the presence of God's kingdom real and palpable in the midst of the disciples, for He is the only-begotten Son.  Therefore, Christ's final comment in today's reading is illumined through His real identity as the Christ.  He introduces the great paradox of saying that, although that kingdom of God may be present with power to some, nonetheless that Kingdom will be achieved and claimed for Him with all authority through the means of a tremendous sacrifice, His suffering and death on the Cross.  There are many, many things that can be inferred and understood from this sacrifice, Christ's mission in the world as the Incarnate Son of God and human being Jesus, and no doubt many more to come.  But for now let us pause to consider that in teaching the disciples about taking up their own crosses, He invites us into perfect participation in His life, death, and Resurrection.  These things do not simply mean the life of this one human and divine Person, but the entirety of the life of the Kingdom.  For in so doing, Jesus invites us to live the life of the Kingdom, and for that Kingdom to be present to us even in the here and now.  Let us remember that through His mission and the Cross, Jesus assumes all authority as Lord.  So, He teaches here, "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?"  How will we know what life of the soul is in store for us?  How can we understand these grave questions except in terms of participating in the life of the Kingdom, and what that holds for us?  There is no other way, except to understand that in imitation of Him, and through His invitation to us here to take up our own crosses, He invites us into that eternal life of the Kingdom, that "more abundant" life with Him.  We are asked to participate in His sacrifice ourselves so that we may also participate in His life and Kingdom.  Let us understand this great mystery, and the tremendous invitation to the gift of this life and this Kingdom.  Moreover, the gift of the soul is the gift of identity, and the "more abundant" life possible therein.  We can look at the saints and understand their sacrifices for the life of the Kingdom, and note that these lives are dynamic and powerful, people becoming somehow "more" themselves through such sacrifice, not less.  That door is open to us, and He is the Door Himself.

If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it

 

 And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"  So they answered and said, "John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God."  

 

 And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day."  

Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels.  But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God."

 

- Luke 9:18–27 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.  He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.  And He said to them, "Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.  Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart.  And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them."  So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.  Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him; and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again.  Herod said, "John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?"  So he sought to see Him.  And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done.  Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida.  But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.   When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, "Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here."  But He said to them, "You give them something to eat."  And they said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people."  For there were about five thousand men.  Then He said to His disciples, "Make them sit down in groups of fifty."  And they did so, and made them all sit down.  Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.  

 

  And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"  So they answered and said, "John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again."   My study Bible comments here that, as in every generation, what the crowds have to say about Jesus is usually unpredictable and misguided. 

 

He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God."   Here my study Bible tells us that Who do you say that I am? is the ultimate question in Scripture and in all theology.  This is because how this question is answered will define the universe.  Christ (Hebrew Messiah) means "Anointed One."   This declaration of Peter that Jesus is the Christ of God reveals that Jesus isn't simply another anointed king or prophet.  It distinguishes Jesus as the long-awaited Savior.

 

  And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day."    My study Bible says that Jesus desires to keep His identity as the Christ hidden in order to avoid popular political and theological misunderstandings, which are rife at His time, as they have been at so many others.  It is only after His Passion and Resurrection that His identity as Messiah can be properly understood.  Isaiah prophesies this secrecy (see Isaiah 42:1-4).  Various reasons for secrecy include the growing hostility of the Jewish leaders (and in yesterday's reading -- above -- we read of Herod Antipas' desire to see Jesus); the people's misunderstanding of the Messiah as an earthly, political leader; and Christ's desire to evoke genuine faith, which is not based solely on marvelous signs.  

Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels."  My study Bible asks us to note two things.  First, that each person must take up one's own cross.  That burden in this world will be different for each person; each has been chosen, my study Bible says, to bear certain struggles for one's own salvation and the salvation of those around oneself.  Second, Our cross is to be taken up daily.  That is, commitment to following Christ is not simply a one-time event.  Instead, it is the continual practice of faith and obedience, even to the point of being shamed and persecuted by the world.  

"But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God."  My study Bible says that this is a reference to those who will witness the Transfiguration (in our next reading, Luke 9:28-36), as well as to those in each generation who experience the presence of God's Kingdom.  

In today's reading, Jesus asks, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"  And then He deliberately contrasts that with the answer of His disciples, "But who do you say that I am?"  St. Peter answers on behalf of all of them:  "The Christ of God."   But how does Peter know this?  Do we stop to think about how we have this kind of faith, or this kind of knowing?  There is a type of certainty that goes beyond all of our training in life, our parental upbringing, our being raised in the Church (or not), or what others around us tell us.  Certainly this contrasting set of questions as posed by Jesus teaches us that on some level, and to some extent.  After all, as my study Bible comments, what the crowds have to say about Jesus is usually misguided, then as now.  So let us explore where Peter's correct answer comes from.  First of all, what we know about Peter is that he is a core person in Christ's "inner circle" of His key disciples.  That is, Peter forms a trio, together with Sts. John and James Zebedee, of Christ's disciples with the strongest faith.  It is this three that goes into the home of Jairus when all else are put outside in order to help facilitate the healing, and raising, of Jairus' daughter (see Tuesday's reading).  Peter and the others were first disciples of John the Baptist, and John directed his disciples to Christ (see John 1:35-42).   Certainly we know that from the time these men left their nets "and forsook all and followed Him" (see Luke 5:1-11), they have been companions of Christ through His ministry, living with Him and learning from Him.  Now they have already been sent out on their first apostolic mission as well (see yesterday's reading, above).  But what is it -- what is that mysterious component within St. Peter -- that gives him the kind of faith that he has to know who Christ is?  Certainly at the time when Christ told the men (Peter, James, and John) to let down their nets for an extraordinary catch of fish, the result was something that spiritually struck St. Peter like a blinding light, a slap in the face, causing him to fall down at Christ's knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" (Luke 5:8).  We can understand that such a response tells us only one thing:  that St. Peter's perception of Christ as Lord makes a brilliant visceral contrast to the way he sees himself, as one lacking such perfection and holiness.  This, too, is a mark of a holy person who can see this truth, and recognize the difference between the Lord and ourselves on these spiritual terms.  Perhaps the biggest answer to this question of where Peter's faith is rooted comes from another Gospel.  St. Matthew tells the story in Matthew 16:13-28.  In Matthew's Gospel, when St. Peter confesses that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, Jesus replies 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" (Matthew 16:17).  How does God the Father work through St. Peter to create this revelation of faith?  That is a mystery that one wonders if anyone knows.  But certainly we can say that St. Peter's heart is open to the promptings of God.  We can see throughout the Gospels, that Peter is a man who speaks from the heart, often with very little filter, it seems from what we know of the Gospels.  He is a man who is able to humbly take a stunning rebuke from his Lord, because we also read this in St. Matthew's account of Peter's confession of faith.  When Jesus follows with His prophecy of His own death and Crucifixion, St. Peter sincerely says, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!"  Jesus' response is to say to Peter, "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).  How is it that Peter's faith is such that he can bear such a rebuke from Christ?  Yet his loyalty is unwavering, and he continues to follow as disciple.  Rebuke or no rebuke, he trusts in his Lord, and he trusts who Jesus is.  Perhaps the greatest and surest victory of the Cross comes in our security in God's love, for Peter's steadfast love of Christ will overcome this obstacle of rebuke, and the temptation and shame of denial at the time of Jesus' arrest and trial at the home of the High Priest (Matthew 26:69-75).   Even Peter's bitter tears of failure do not stop him from returning to Christ and the disciples, and from his final challenge from Christ, which is all about love:  asking him three times, "Do you love Me?" the risen Christ charges Peter to feed His sheep, also teaching him by what death he would die, following his Lord (see John 21:15-19).  In St. Peter's faith, we see the story of the struggle that encompasses all the highs and lows of human experience, for love conquers all of it.  It's Christ's love that defeats and encompasses everything else, and Jesus' words of response in Matthew's Gospel are proven true:  "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" (Matthew 16:18).  From the heights and the depths of Peter's journey all that lasts is Christ and the strength of faith that encompasses everything, for love is the key to it all.  In today's reading, Jesus teaches, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it."  It is the bonds of love to Him that allow us to "lose ourselves," allow St. Peter to overcome all of his own stumbling, and remain unyielding in clinging and returning to Christ.  For, like St. Peter, where we find ourselves in losing, He is there for us.

 

 

 

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

Soorp Purgich "Holy Savior" Armenian church (wall detail; likely an ancient stone re-used).  1830, Istanbul

 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 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?"   My study bible calls this latter question the greatest a person could ever face.  It is the question that defines Christianity.   My study bible invites us to note that here, Jesus first draws our wrong opinions about Himself.  He does so in order to identify the incorrect ideas:  a person is better prepared to avoid falsehoods and false teachings when they are clearly identified.

  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 Peter's correct answer to this question prevents the Christian faith from being seen as simply another philosophical system or path of spirituality, as it names Jesus as the one and only Son of the living God.  This distinct understanding distinguishes Christianity from other religious systems.  Peter's understanding cannot be achieved by human reason, my study bible notes, but only by divine revelation through faith (1 Corinthians 12:3).  Christ means "Anointed One," and is the same as the Hebrew title "Messiah."

"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."  In both Aramaic and Greek there is a play on words here.  The same word for Peter also means rock.  St. John Chrysostom comments that this "rock" isn't referring to Peter per se but rather to "the faith of his confession."  The real Rock is Christ Himself (1 Corinthians 10:4), and the Church is built upon the faithful confession of Christ.  The gates of Hades, my study bible says, are the powers of death.  In the Old Testament, gates suggest a fortified city (Genesis 22:17, 24:60; Isaiah 14:31).   My study bible comments that 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 the proclamation of salvation.  "Church" (ἐκκλησία/ekklesia or "assembly") is a term only used twice in the gospels, here and in 18:17.  This Church is the true Israel.  It is the Body of Christ, and 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 keys of the kingdom is a reference to the special authority given to both Peter and the other apostles after the Resurrection (see 18:18; John 20:23).  It explains that Peter was not a leader over the others, but rather a leader among them.  At the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15) the apostles and presbyters met as equals, and Peter advised, while James presided.   Peter's role should be neither diminished nor expanded in terms of later controversies.  Binding and loosing refers primarily to the authority "to absolve sins" according to Chrysostom (see also John 20:23).  This also includes the teaching, sacramental, and administrative authority of the apostles, my study bible says, and this authority in turn is transmitted to the bishops of the Church, continuing to today.

Whatever debates and controversies might have ensued from this passage in today's reading down the centuries since this event took place, one thing remains very clear from it:  that is the power of faith.  It is Peter's confession of faith that is the rock upon which the Church has been built, and it is the rock upon which the Church remains standing, through which holy power in any instance or setting -- or at work in a human being -- effectively exists and is present in this world.  There is little doubt, from St. Peter's example, of the powerful effect of this building block.  In fact, Peter himself would go on to use the illustration of "living stones" as the power of the Church in its faithful.  He writes, "Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious,  you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.  Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture,  “Behold, I lay in Zion/ A chief cornerstone, elect, precious,/ And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.” (1 Peter 2:4-5, citing Isaiah 28:16).  In this image begun by Christ, as He renamed Peter based on His confession made on behalf of all of the others, we find the greatest and most powerful statement regarding faith itself.  Jesus spoke of faith as a mustard seed, from which the greatest tree may grow, housing even birds in its branches (13:31-32).  He used another illustration of the power of faith when He said that faith as a mustard seed could move mountains (17:20).  At this time as we look around the world, we see many entrenched in the power of politics and political movements, slogans, rage, anger, and clamor as methods to change the world, to correct or redress injustices, and fix everything that we might think is wrong with the world.  But I do not see a lot of people reminding us of the power of faith.  So for today I am going to start there.  Because this is what our bible passage is telling us.  No matter how powerful you think the media might be, or political slogans might be.  Regardless of what moves people to build a movement, or even to burn down a city or tear apart someone's neighborhood, we must not forget this all-powerful potent power of faith and Christ's words in today's example in which He renames Peter.  We see a world engulfed in misunderstanding and excitement, but we must not forget also that it is the word of God that goes everywhere in the world and reaches into human hearts, grasping them with its power found only in real faith.  We should not underestimate where the power of our faith might take us, even as we, too, may become living stones to build up life in this world -- to make it and not break it.  Whatever we choose and wherever we go now, 2,000 years after Christ's Incarnation in this world, let us be sure that what we want to do is build up, to make better.  We want solutions and healing.  What makes life better and more meaningful for people?  What builds life?  To my way of thinking -- and also in my experience -- this will not happen properly without faith.   When everything is confusion and so much is couched in rage, let us consider turning first to our faith for guidance and to be led.  Let us turn to faith to correct whatever is in the heart, to adjust us where we are mistaken, to calm harsh and hurt feelings, but most of all to affirm what we need to believe in so that we can build up the good.  If we think we see the gates of Hades showing themselves in chaos, let us remember the rock that will prevail against them.  Christ's love for us is where we start, and His word for how we need to go forward applies to any and all circumstances.  Start there, for the power of faith is real.  We might not see its effects in the next five minutes, but on the other hand prayer does a powerful amount of good to soothe the heart and set us in the right place with the perspective we need to see clearly.  Let us remember to turn to the rock.  Let us all be living stones building something good up, for everyone.

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

Saints Peter and Paul with Christ, 1050, Saint Sophia Cathedral, Novgorod

 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 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 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 any person can ever face.  It is, indeed, the very question that defines Christianity.  According to my study bible, Peter's correct answer is one that prevents the Christian faith from being seen as one more philosophical system or path of spirituality, as it names Jesus as the only Son of the living God.  This position, it says, excludes all compromise with other religious systems in terms of its uniqueness, and the being of the Son.  Peter's understanding is not achieved through human reasoning, but rather by divine revelation through faith (1 Corinthians 12:3).  Christ means "Anointed One," and is equivalent to the Hebrew title "Messiah."  My study bible also points out that Christ first draws out erroneous opinions about Himself in this passage.  He does this in order to identify incorrect ideas, as a person is better prepared to avoid false teachings if 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."    Jesus offers here a play on words:  in both Aramaic and Greek the words for "rock" and "Peter" are the same, only changed by gender (Greek:  petros/petra).  My study bible suggests that this rock refers not simply to Peter per se, but, as John Chrysostom comments, to "the faith of his confession."   It notes that 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, according to my study bible.  In the Old Testament, 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, which sets free the souls of the righteous.  Also, the Church will not be stopped in her proclamation of salvation.  My study bible adds that the term church is mentioned only twice in all the gospels, here and in 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.   My study bible explains that the term keys of the kingdom refers to a special authority given to Peter and to the other apostles after the Resurrection (see 18:18; John 20:23).  Peter was not a leader over the others, my study bible explains, but rather a leader 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.  The New Testament witness regarding Peter is clear, and nothing in later times of the Church should either aggrandize nor diminish Peter's role.  Binding and loosing refers primarily to the authority "to absolve sins" according to St. John Chrysostom (see John 20:23).  But, according to my study bible, 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.

It's quite remarkable how the confession of Peter renders a momentous effect in the presence of Christ and the disciples.  As explained by my study bible, these statements of Jesus affect an extraordinary future for the Church, its meanings, and what it will become, and remains in the process of becoming.  Here at once Christ pronounces solemn statements about the power and the authority of the Church, about the extraordinary nature of Peter's confession as revelation from the Father, and moreover about the confession as foundation for the future.  It is almost hard to imagine side-by-side the possible scene of this confession as it occurred, together with the effects that Christ names here.  We might imagine a rather intimate conversation between Christ and His disciples.  But suddenly it is the right time for Jesus to ask them this question:  "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"  They offer various answers, but Peter gives the confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.  How does Peter know this?  How does he come to this conclusion?  Is it simply by the signs they've seen?  We look in yesterday's reading (above), with its misunderstanding by the disciples, and realize that Jesus has just reasoned with them, wondering how they could forget about the extraordinary signs He's done of feeding the multitudes, twice!  First of all, this revelation of the Father is meaningful in that it teaches us God's presence fully with us.  How else is it possible for human beings to receive revelation from the Father?  Peter's mind is illumined through a mysterious communication that can only be a great grace.  This is also a gift of faith, for it is through faith that this revelation is possible.  Therefore, just as Christ as emphasized throughout His ministry that signs are made possible through faith, and not given conversely, in order to create faith, here we have yet another instance of what potential faith can unlock.   This revelation of the identity of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is also an example to us that faith is capable of "unlocking" or revealing things through us that we ourselves haven't necessarily a conscious idea about.  Jesus Himself testifies that Peter's revelation of Jesus' identity as Son is that "flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven."  It makes it that much more clear that the power of faith working through us may unlock or reveal possibilities, even for wisdom, that have not been considered in the normal run of day to day life, or even our conscious awareness.  In the potentials Jesus names additionally, namely "the keys to the kingdom" and the power to bind and loose sins, including all the teaching and sacramental authority of the Church, we understand that dynamic strength of potential unlocked or made possible through faith.  Moreover, the power of death ("the gates of Hades") -- that which prevails over flesh and blood in our worldly understanding -- has no power over the potentials which grace can reveal through faith.  Even our prayer, we understand, can work to help those who cannot help themselves, and those who longer dwell in the world.  As such, the prayers of the faithful are always made for both the living and dead.  Jesus' word today, in response to Peter's confession made on behalf of all and for all the faithful, teach us more about the extraordinary power and explosive growth and potential of the Kingdom, as is so well illustrated by all the parables He taught in chapter 13.   The real question remains for our faith as one of ourselves as witnesses to this explosive growth.  We understand and behold the history of our Church, past and present.  But we have yet to see what it will bring into the future.  All that we can do is share this faith, and await what it can do -- with God's grace, and even the work of God the Father within us -- for our own lives and for our world.  Let us remember always that the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.  The icon above, although quite ancient and therefore a little worse for wear, depicts St. Peter and St. Paul, together with Christ the Lord in between.   St. Peter's hand upholds what in other icons of this type is a depiction of a Church (and seems here to be missing simply from age), while St. Paul holds the Gospel of the living Word, and points to Christ.  The icon gives us a sense of the fullness of the Church, resting upon all of the apostles, and fully within Christ.  Let us consider where its future lies, as it is built upon this rock, but eternal in its character as the Body of Christ.

Who do you say that I am?

 And it happened, as he was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"  So they answered and said, "John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God."

 And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day."

Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels.  But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God."

- Luke 9:18-27

On Saturday, we read that Jesus called His chosen twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.  He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.  And He said to them, "Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.  Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart.  And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them."  So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.  Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him; and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again.  Herod said, "John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?"  So he sought to see Him.    And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done.  Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida.  But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.  When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, "Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here."  But He said to them, "You give them something to eat."  And they said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people."  For there were about five thousand men.  Then He said to His disciples, "Make them sit down in groups of fifty."  And they did so, and made them all sit down.  Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.

 And it happened, as he was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"  So they answered and said, "John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God."  My study bible emphasizes that as in every generation, what it is the crowds say about Jesus is usually both unpredictable and misguided.  But who do you say that I am? is the ultimate question in Scripture, and also in all theology.  My study bible adds that how this particular question is answered defines the universe.  Let us also emphasize the pointed direction of the question to the disciples, and ultimately, to each one of us.  Peter answers for all.  Christ (in Hebrew, Messiah) means "Anointed One."  My study bible tells us that the declaration of Peter that Jesus is the Christ of God reveals Jesus to be not just another anointed king of prophet (such as King David; see 1 Samuel 16:12), but He is the long-awaited Savior.

 And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day."   My study bible comments that Jesus desires to keep His identity as the Christ hidden in order to avoid popular political and theological misunderstandings.  It is only after His Passion and Resurrection that His identity as Messiah can be understood.  His mission must be fulfilled, and unfold in a particular way; all must make their choice for faith based on that mission and its fulfillment.

Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels."  My study bible draws our attention to two things of note.  First of all, Jesus phrases His words here to indicate that each person must take up his or her own cross.  That burden, my study bible emphasizes, is different for every person, because each one has been chosen by God to bear certain particular struggles for one's own salvation, and for the salvation of those around oneself.  Second, the cross is to be taken up daily.  The commitment to following Christ isn't a one-time event.  It's a continual practice of both faith and obedience, sustained through prayer and communion, and even to the point of being shamed and persecuted by the world, as the witness of the Church testifies.

"But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God."  My study bible tells us that this is a reference to those who will witness the Transfiguration (9:28-36), but also to those who in each generation who experience the presence of God's Kingdom.

Today's reading seems to emphasize a kind of knowing, a particular kind of knowing.  The answer to the question, Who do you say that I am? must come from a place both of experience and awareness of a certain kind.  Surely Peter speaks for all of the disciples, especially the chosen twelve, who are closest to Christ, and have had the most complete experience of living with Him and learning from Him, and of observing all that He does.  But still, the communion within which awareness comes is closer than observation.  It gives us a kind of experience of living with someone that occurs only at a depth of awareness within the soul that is possible through spiritual communion.  In other words, our perception of who Christ is very much depends upon our own encounter with the spiritual side of ourselves, and our willingness to open to God to find more and to know more.  In this sense, our discipleship is intimately connection with a capacity for spiritual seeking, an openness to the things of God which will take us where we haven't gone before, and push us toward a greater acceptance of the spiritual life.  In Saturday's reading, Christ fed "the world" (in the form of the five thousand) with a prefiguration of the Eucharist, as such an image of the spiritual food which co-exists within our material existence as in the Incarnation itself.  But this food isn't something we simply passively accept.  It is something we must eagerly desire, and for which our own personal spiritual hunger ("Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness" - Matthew 5:6) encourages us to active participation, a kind of synergy within us in which we cooperate with that grace He offers ("from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force" - Matthew 11:12).   In John's Gospel, after Jesus teaches about His Body and Blood, we're told that many disciples turned away from Him.  Peter's confession of faith in that Gospel comes in the form of an answer to Jesus' question 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" (John 6:67-69).   Our impulsive need for and response to those "words of eternal life" tells us something about discipleship and also how we know.   There is a depth of spiritual connection within ourselves -- the spiritual part of ourselves we must feed and that desires also to live side-by-side, part-and-parcel, hand-in-hand with our worldly material life, as we are creatures of both material and spiritual stuff.  We have a body which lives through spirit, animated with a soul, and in the fullness of who we are, we need what Christ offers to us.  It is not a question of separating ourselves from material life, but of fulfilling the fullness of our true natures as created human beings who straddle both spiritual and material worlds.  It is a question of recognizing the depth of our need for what Christ offers to our lives, and not living in blindness or ignorance to that fullness.  As those who grow in recognition of this deep need, we also grow in our capacity and recognition of the choice to sacrifice in order to deepen its fulfillment, by taking up our cross daily, as He teaches.   So, "Who do you say that I am?" remains the question for us all, and hopefully one in which we can continue to grow in our response throughout our lives.