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). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 Christ, 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 the 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 Christ's question, "Who do you say that I am?" is the greatest question a person can ever face, because this is the question that defines Christianity.  Peter answers correctly, and his answer prevents the Christian faith from being seen as simply another philosophical system or a path of spirituality, because it names Jesus as the one and only Son of the living God.  This is a position, my study Bible explains, which excludes all compromise with other religious systems.  This understanding on the part of Peter 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."  My study Bible also notes that Christ first draws out erroneous opinions about Himself.  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.

"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), my study Bible teaches.  It says that this rock does not refer to Peter per se, but rather, in the words of St. John Chrysostom, "the faith of his confession."  The real 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.  In the Old Testament, gates are suggestive of a fortified city (Genesis 22:17; 24:60; Isaiah 14:31).  In shattering its gates, Christ opens the stronghold of death to set free the souls of the righteous; this is the historical way the Church understands Christ's mission which even extends to Hades and to those therein.  So, also, my study Bible adds, the Church shall not be stopped in her proclamation of salvation.   Moreover, my study Bible adds 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, 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.  The expression keys of the kingdom, my study Bible says, 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 rather 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.  Claims in later centuries, my study Bible asserts, should not be confused with the New Testament witness regarding Peter, nor should the role of Peter be diminished in these claims.  According to St. John Chrysostom, binding and loosing is a reference primarily to the authority "to absolve sins" (see also John 20:23).  It also includes all the teaching, sacramental, and administrative authority of the apostles.  This authority has been transmitted to the bishops of the Church, and continues today.

The concepts of the Church which arise in today's reading give the firm foundation of the Church as profoundly spiritual in nature.  That is, the Church is the Body of Christ, and as my study Bible puts it, her citizenship is heavenly.  As today's reading indicates, everything begins with the rock of faith, which is a  profound divine/human connection, dynamic in its energies, and producing what we understand of our faith and all that is connected to it.  It begins with Peter's confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.  In Christ's response to him is revealed to us this profound divine/human connection:  "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven."   Jesus affirms that this conclusion from Peter has not come through Peter's faculties alone, his capacity for reason and intellectual understanding, or any other resource that is Peter's alone.  Rather, we are given this extraordinary affirmation that the Father in heaven has in fact revealed the truth of Jesus' identity to Peter.  And this connection of faith is the rock upon which the Church is founded.  It is for this reason that we truly need to consider the spiritual nature of the foundation of the Church, all of its buildings, services, saints, our Book -- the Bible, and all our Scriptures.  All of it is the product of this profound spiritual entity, this divine/human reality of faith and the grace that it locks into the world.  If we think of the Church on these terms, we may come to see how central Christ's Incarnation itself is to the identity and meaning of the Church, for as the Body of Christ, the Church makes manifest Christ Himself as part of our world.  From there we come to see the Eucharist as so central to the Church as to be inseparable, for it is in the Eucharist where we find Him and His life that is given for us.  None of these things can be separate from our deep need to understand the Church as truly spiritual in nature, and not simply a collection of buildings or services or Scriptures or even a physical population of worshipers.  This spiritual reality is one that is dynamic and living, that must live and be revived through each new generation, giving life to the Church, meaning to the Scriptures, and generating faith in the world.  For each new generation will seek and find meaning in all of the aspects of the Church that have been produced through her history only through this living faith, this understanding of the spiritual foundations within which we must root ourselves and from which all else proceeds.  Just as the disciples will come to the fullness of their understanding of Christ and all of the Scriptures fulfilled in Him, His teachings, and His life, only after Pentecost, so we need to rely upon the grace of our spiritual foundation to rediscover those meanings and enlightening values in the saints, in our prayers, in our Scripture, and all else that the Church can offer.  Let us understand the incredible revelation given to Peter, wherein even God the Father indwells us and "speaks" to us, a more powerful foundation than any the world can give us.  Even the gates of Hades cannot prevail against it, and we are always in need of it, in each generation, for the true life of the world.

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. I am the bread of life.

 

 The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven."  And they said, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?  How is it then that He says, 'I have come down from heaven'?"  Jesus therefore answered and said to them, "Do not murmur among yourselves.  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.'  Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.  Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.  Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.  I am the bread of life.  Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead.  This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die.  I am the living bread which came down from heaven.  If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."

 

- John 6:41-51 

 

In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught the townspeople who had wanted to make Him king:  "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God he Father has set His seal on Him."  Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."  Therefore they said to Him, "What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You?  What work will You do?  Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"  Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."  Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always."  And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.  But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.  All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.  For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.  This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.  And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

 

  The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven."  And they said, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?  How is it then that He says, 'I have come down from heaven'?"  Jesus therefore answered and said to them, "Do not murmur among yourselves.  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.'  Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me."  Jesus quotes to the people from Isaiah 54:13.  We recall that He is in Galilee, where His family is known.  Here, He defends His declaration in yesterday's reading, above, that God the Father will bring others to Him who will believe, and He will raise them up at the last day.  Again, the forceful emphasis is on the tie He has to the Father, the unshakable confidence He has in the Father, regardless of the rejection He faces here among those who know Him as Jesus.  

"Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.  Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.  I am the bread of life.  Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead.  This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die.  I am the living bread which came down from heaven.  If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."   My study Bible has a note which focuses on this last statement by Jesus, and applies to the verses which (which will be in tomorrow's reading).  It notes the eucharistic significance of this passage, and calls that eucharistic sense indisputable here.  Christ declares that He is Himself the living bread, and that it is He who gives life.  My study Bible calls it a revelation of the Mystical Supper of the New Testament Church.  John does not include the details of the Last Supper such as are found in Luke 22:19-20, but instead the focus in this Gospel is on giving us the significance of these events.  We recall that they were already known to his hearers at the time of writing.  In reporting Christ's own words, John gives us these intended meanings.

Following upon Jesus' declarations in yesterday's reading (see above), He builds upon the relationship to the Father, even before these who scoff at Him.  He says, "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.'  Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me."  Jesus emphasizes once again His complete confidence in the will of the Father.  But in so doing, He reveals also a deeper unity than the one we understand He has with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  It is always something over which to marvel that this unity with the Father not only includes the other divine Persons of the Trinity, but here Jesus extends it also to human beings.  He clearly states that the Father will draw believers to Him, who will in turn -- and in this sense of unity of faith -- be raised by Christ on the last day.  While Christ may be divine by nature and substance, we may also be part of this communion by adoption, and through faith.  The closest reminder of these words by Jesus is found in St. Matthew's Gospel, when St. Peter gives his confession of faith that Jesus is the Christ.  Jesus replies to St. Peter, "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" (Matthew 16:17-18).  That rock is the substance of the faith Jesus declares is coming in those given to Him by the Father.  It is the substance which we discussed in yesterday's reading and commentary as spoken of by St. Paul, in writing, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1).  But what is truly astonishing about this rock of faith that Jesus reveals to us, and its substance, is that it includes the Father working in us, and teaching us.  We are used to thinking about Christ Himself as One who is always with us ("I am with you always, even to the end of the age" - Matthew 28:20), but to consider God the Father as not only in unity with Christ the Son, but also at work within us, even teaching us, is an extraordinary thing to contemplate. When Jesus quotes Isaiah in today's reading ("They shall all be taught by God"), He makes it explicitly clear to whom it refers.  He says, "Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me."  It is little wonder then, that St. Paul can speak of faith as substance, while Jesus refers to it as a rock.  St. Peter got his name, meaning "Rock" for the strength of his faith when he made his confession.  So the power of this rock and substance of faith makes sense in light of the connection Jesus makes between our faith and the activity of no less than God the Father.  This, therefore, as in the words of St. Paul, is a substance we can rely on.  So strong, in Christ's teaching, that "the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."  In today's reading, Jesus teaches that faith connects us with the very power of life itself:   "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.  I am the bread of life."  Little wonder it can defeat death, even the "gates of Hades."

 

 

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.  

 

 

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.

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 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."   According to my study bible, the question "Who do you say that I am?" is the greatest question that a person can ever face.  It is the question that defines Christianity.  Peter's correct answer to this question prevents our faith from being seen merely as another philosophical system or path of spirituality.  Rather it names Jesus as the one and only Son of the living God.   Such a perspective excludes all compromise with other religious systems by the nature of the truth it reveals.  This understanding of Peter could not be achieved merely by human reason.  It's by divine revelation through faith that it comes (1 Corinthians 12:3).  Christ means "Anointed One."  It is equivalent to the Hebrew title "Messiah."   My study bible also makes note that Christ first draws out erroneous opinions about Himself.  This is so that He identifies incorrect ideas; we're 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.  Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ."    Jesus' saying here regarding Peter/rock is a play on the word for "rock"  in both Aramaic and Greek (petros/petra).   The rock is not Peter per se, but rather, in the words of St. Chrysostom, "the faith of his confession."  The true Rock is Christ Himself (1 Corinthians 10:4).  Therefore the Church is built on the faithful confession of Christ.   The Gates of Hades are powers of death.  In the Old Testament, gates are suggestive of a fortified city (Genesis 22:17, 24:60; Isaiah 14:31).  Shattering those gates, Christ opens the stronghold of death, my study bible says, to set free the souls of the righteous.  Additionally, the Church shall not be stopped in her proclamation of salvation.   Only twice in the gospels is the church mentioned, and both in Matthew -- here and in 18:17.

"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 both to Peter and the other apostles after the Resurrection (see 18:18; John 20:23).  Peter was not a leader over the others, but rather among them.  This truth, it says, was confirmed at the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15), in which apostles and presbyters met as equals -- where Peter advised, but James presided.  Modern struggles over interpretations of this passage should neither diminish nor over-inflate the role of Peter.  Binding and loosing, according to Chrysostom, is primarily a reference to the authority "to absolve sins" (see also John 20:23).   My study bible says 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 to this day.

 Why does faith give such an unfathomable and unshakeable bond to Christ?  Here, the confession of Peter not only renders such a bond as we might conceive of it, but also confers tremendous powers which are shared by Christ with His disciples.  The power to bind and loose sin, for instance, is not something that is conferred through human prestige, nor reasoning, nor intelligence.  This is something that faith confers, an unshakeable bond with Christ, as illustrated by the "rock" in the image Christ gives here.  That bond is such that the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.  We have to think of ancient cities, fortified by city walls and gates as protection against invaders and outsiders.  The gates of Hades are those that prevent anyone from entering upon the territory of that which is against Christ, which would seek to keep God out.  Inside of ourselves we may find all kinds of walls we've set up -- consciously or unconsciously -- against our faith, against incursion by the Holy Spirit's work in the world.  There are all kinds of defenses we have against opening up to what God might have in mind for us, and all kinds of reasons for those defenses.  Psychologically speaking, we may hold onto an identity we don't want to change, relationships that will need shifting, and any number of assumptions about ourselves and our own behavior we don't want to challenge or question for all kinds of reasons and depending upon where they came from.  But Christ promises that faith is stronger than all the fears and troubles and worries that the "gates of Hades" can use to keep Christ out.  This expression, gates of Hades, also puts us in mind of another statement in which Jesus speaks of the taking of a kingdom.   In referring to John the Baptist, He said, "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force"  (11:12, see this reading).  The faith of the Kingdom is such that those who grasp this faith in Christ possess a kind of power that isn't available any other way.   Jesus refers again to an action of one kingdom raiding another when He replies to accusations that He casts out demons by the power of demons:  "But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.  Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man?"  (see this reading).  In the centuries just prior to Jesus' time, the history of Israel and the surrounding regions was one of endless wars of kingdom against kingdom.  Jesus gives us a picture of our faith as that which prevails against any gate that would keep it out, keep us bound or oppressed or enslaved or held hostage.  In fact, this bond of faith is that which confers to the faithful the powers that He shares with them.   As faithful, we must remember the power of this bond and the image that Jesus gives of it.  We remember that not only do we share in His life through the gifts He gives, but also through the persecutions we may experience, just as He did.  Ultimately, in the Eucharist and other sacraments or mysteries of the Church, we participate in His life, death, and Resurrection.  When we face what seem like insurmountable problems, or feel assaulted in any number of ways, let us remember the strength and power of this bond that He pictures as a rock, and the power with which He describes it.  We are heirs of that faith and Kingdom.  Let us see how it works in surprising ways in our lives, as it did for these earliest faithful we read about.

But who do you say that I am?

 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?"   "Who do you say that I am?" is the greatest question a person can ever face, my study bible tells us.  Indeed, when we consider the controversies and counsels and various heresies throughout the history of Christianity, it all seems to center on this question.  Indeed, the answer defines Christianity.   We note that Jesus 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.  Indeed, in later debate throughout the centuries, this would be a method used by theologians.

 Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Peter's correct answer to Jesus' question prevents the Christian faith from being simply another philosophical system or path of spirituality.  It names Jesus as the one and only Son of the living God.  This is an absolute and eternal reality, and embeds the Incarnation as the central act of history, lending myriad and ongoing meaning for human beings.  This position excludes compromise with other religious systems, my study bible says.   Christ means "Anointed One," and is equivalent to the Hebrew title "Messiah."

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."  Peter's answer about Jesus' identity cannot be achieved by human reason.  It is only understood by divine revelation through faith (1 Corinthians 12:3).  This statement about Peter is a play on the word for "rock" in both Aramaic and Greek (petros/petra).  The rock, my study bible says, does not refer to Peter per se.  Rather it refers, in the words of 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 are the powers of death.  In the Old Testament, my study bible notes, 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.  My study bible adds that so also, the Church shall not be stopped in her proclamation of salvation.  Church (ekklesia) is used as a term only twice in all the gospels, here and in 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.  Keys of the kingdom refers to a special authority that will be given to both Peter and the other apostles after their Resurrection (see 18:18; John 20:23).  My study bible adds that Peter was not a leader "over" the others, but rather among them.  At the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15) this was confirmed.  There, the apostles and presbyters met as equals, and Peter advised, but James presided.   Peter's role should neither be exaggerated nor diminished in accordance with the New Testament witness.  Binding and loosing refers primarily to the authority to "absolve sins" according to St. John Chrysostom; see also John 20:23.  But, my study bible says, it also includes all the teaching, sacramental, and administrative authority of the apostles.  Apostolic succession is meant to continue to transmit this authority to the bishops of the Church, and continues in effect today.

Here in today's reading is the central question of Christianity, and even for the world.  Who is Christ?  "But who do you say that I am?" is an even more important, and personal question.   Depending on our answer is our orientation to life, to the world, to all the cosmos, even to ourselves.  The Incarnation -- Christ the Son incarnate as human being and born as Jesus of Nazareth -- becomes not just the central question of Christianity.  It becomes the central focus of the purpose of our lives.  The Son born as human being indicates that all of our lives in this world, and all the material reality of who we are:  our bodies, our surroundings, our planet, and all of creation, is glorified in this Incarnation.  The Son, purely divine, takes on human nature.  He will even take on death in order to transfigure and defeat its power over human beings, giving us the capacity for eternal life.  The Incarnation of Jesus Christ declares that everything that is created is good -- it is made for glory.  Up until the Incarnation, there were all kinds of philosophical systems that declared the divine or heavenly good, but the material as bad.  Because of our separation from God, because of sin, our bodies and material life were seen as "pulling down" a better nature.  Temptation that is possible through our senses and experience of life was seen as confirmation that material life is inferior and "bad."  But the Incarnation changes all of that.  Sin is a product of separation from God, not of our bodies.  Ascetic practice is meant for the body, not against it.  Moreover, the experiences of the mystics throughout the centuries of our faith confirm that our very senses can be transformed to encounter God in inexplicable ways.  All of this is to say that the Incarnation gives us a perspective on our faith and its purposes.  How else do the fruits of the Spirit manifest in human beings, in the here and the now, except that body, soul, mind, heart, and strength are all one, with a central root in Creator?  How else should we see all the marvelous healing miracles of Christ, whether they be exorcism or healing blindness, lameness, deafness, etc. except to understand the connection between body, soul, and spirit in relation to Creator?  Jesus' Incarnation takes it all on, takes it all in, glorifies it all, even our suffering takes on purpose and meaning because Christ is both divine and human.  We participate in the life He brings into the world.  We participate in His life, death, and Resurrection only through the possibilities of the Incarnation.  And that is why Christianity is important, even essential to understanding life in our world and its basic goodness and capacity for restoration in relationship and union with Creator.  The Incarnation confirms that we are created in God's image; and it teaches that we are free to grow in God's likeness through the fruits of the Spirit working in us.  The Incarnation means that there is not a moment of our lives that is lost to meaning.  That is, every choice becomes important, because every choice that He made was important -- and His life is the example for all of His disciples.  Jesus as Christ brings us as close to God as we can possibly be, and ties the divine into our world, giving illumination to everything.    He has made it possible for us to live in that light and share in it and be a part of its illumination of the world (5:14).  He has commanded us that we do so, even as each one is faithful:  "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (5:16).   His Incarnation has taught us that we are never alone, just as He was not alone, and it made possible the sending of the Spirit for us.  Let us be always grateful and remember what He is here for when we doubt the value, importance, or meaning of our own lives and choices.

Keys of the kingdom

 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 the 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 says "Who do you say that I am? is the greatest question we can ever face.  You are the Christ, the Son of the living God is Peter's ringing confession -- an insight given to him by the Father.  Jesus' messianic identity and divinity, the mystery hidden from eternity, cannot be truly known by human reason, but only by God's revelation (1 Cor. 12:3).  Christ means 'the Anointed One.'  Christ is the Son of the living God, whom the Father has anointed with the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:38).  David says, 'Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions' (Ps. 45:7).  Isaiah, speaking in the name of the Lord, says, 'The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me' (Is. 61:1)."

"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 tells us that Peter/rock is a play on the word for rock in Aramaic and Greek (petros/petra).  Rock refers not to Peter himself but to the confession of his faith.  The true Rock and foundation of the Church is, of course, Christ Himself.  The Church rests upon this Rock by her unchanging faith, her confession. With this faith as the foundation, the gates of Hades, the powers of death, are powerless against her.  In the Old Testament gates suggest a fortified city . . . Hence, by shattering the gates, Christ is opening the stronghold of death to set free the souls of righteous men.  In all the Gospels, church is mentioned twice by the Lord, here and in 18:17, describing the true Israel whose citizenship is heavenly.  She is the body of Christ, the divine-human organism, and to her comes the call of Jesus for the whole of mankind to abide with Him and in Him (Eph. 1:23)."

"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.  A note here tells us that keys of the kingdom clearly implies a special authority given to Peter himself, but never separated from his confession of faith.  While Peter was a leader of the disciples and of the early Church, all the apostles were empowered with Christ's authority (18:18).  Further, Peter was not a leader over the others but a leader among them, as seen at the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15), where elders, or presbyters, met with the apostles together as equals. . . . Binding and loosing is a reference to the teaching, sacramental, and administrative powers of the Apostles which were transmitted to the bishops of the Church."

Today's reading contains extraordinary news, of many kinds.  Not only is there the confession itself, that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, but there's all kinds of other news here.  This Messiah isn't merely a great leader, a human being, the expected One, but He's God who is also human.  There is no getting around this extraordinary and staggering news.  There's not a secondary form of our faith that waters it down.  It is quite literally awe-inspiring or even awe-some in the sense that those two things just can't seem to be put together!  It is the greatest paradox and yet it's the core of our faith.  But that isn't the only news here:  the real news just might be the confession of faith that this is so from Peter, because this isn't an analysis, it's not based on required proofs (which Jesus has steadfastly refused to give to anyone).  No, the staggering news here is given to us by Jesus, that it is the Father in heaven who revealed this understanding to Peter.  God is not only present in human form in Jesus Christ, but God the Father is present (or rather, at work) in each one of us, although there is only one Christ.  Jesus has revealed the Father's presence to us in several readings in the Gospels, perhaps most stunningly and vividly when He tells us that whoever receives a little one in His name, or one whom He has sent, also receives not only Jesus Christ, but also the Father who sent Him (forms of this appear in all four Gospels).  He has also told us that of the little ones "their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven."  This powerful news extends to us as well.  Not only do we have faith that Jesus is God incarnate as human being, but He tells us that God the Father is with us, revealing and working -- even through the angels which guard us.  This is truly "awesome" news, awe-inspiring, because it tells us of our connection with the divine, with that which is so infinitely beyond ourselves.  Inspiration isn't just a matter of brain power (although inspiration will incorporate all skills, gifts, talents that we've been given).  It's a question of the openness of our hearts to receiving this news, with eyes and ears that are ready to hear spiritual truth.  There really could be no greater gift than the depth of this connection, because we have no idea where such a thing can take us.  Let us remember how extraordinary God's love and presence are.  Christ is with us, God is with us, the Father works with us, within us.  How ready are we to accept such an extraordinary gift?  How shall the keys of the kingdom take us ahead, and what strong gates can keep Him out?