Matthew 16:13-20

Matthew 16:13-20 (The Message)

 13When Jesus arrived in the villages of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "What are people saying about who the Son of Man is?"

 14They replied, "Some think he is John the Baptizer, some say Elijah, some Jeremiah or one of the other prophets."

 15He pressed them, "And how about you? Who do you say I am?"

 16Simon Peter said, "You're the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God."

 17-18Jesus came back, "God bless you, Simon, son of Jonah! You didn't get that answer out of books or from teachers. My Father in heaven, God himself, let you in on this secret of who I really am. And now I'm going to tell you who you are, really are. You are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out.

 19"And that's not all. You will have complete and free access to God's kingdom, keys to open any and every door: no more barriers between heaven and earth, earth and heaven. A yes on earth is yes in heaven. A no on earth is no in heaven."

 20He swore the disciples to secrecy. He made them promise they would tell no one that he was the Messiah.

Lots of stuff in the Gospel reading for this coming Sunday. For one thing, Matthew plays a word game with Son of Man and Son of God. On one level the Son of Man was the cosmic figure in Daniel 7:13ff, a divine being who would come from heaven with power and authority and a kingdom that would last forever. On another level the Son of Man simply meant a human being, and in Matthew’s gospel Jesus often uses it to speak of himself, an oblique substitute for the personal pronoun “I.” 

But “Son of God” in those days meant a human being, a man whom people said had been so blest and gifted in some way that he was above ordinary men, an extraordinary man. Many men were ascribed as a “Son of God.”It did not mean a divine being.

Matthew seems to mix the terms like ingredients and proclaim it as one, like mixing flour and water, popping it into the oven and serving up a loaf of bread. 

There’s the “I AM” phrase that hints of Exodus 3 where the Lord proclaims himself to Moses as “I AM,” startling for Jesus to say, it shows up powerfully in the Gospel according to John.

There’s the Messiah, the Anointed One, a man in David's line whom many expected to rise with earthly power, overthrow the Roman occupation and reestablish the throne of David.

There’s the blessing of Peter to be the Rock of the Church in which he apparently will have such power and authority that heaven and earth are united, and that whatever Peter says will be binding not only on earth but in heaven.

This last thing has been used by the Church to assert extraordinary authority and power of the Church and of the Head of the Church, power and authority passed along from supreme pontiff to supreme pontiff. Down through the centuries, not all Christians have agreed with this understanding of Jesus’ conversation with Peter in Matthew’s gospel.

It’s great Scripture for contemplating.

Not to mention preaching.

Preaching?

I said not to mention preaching.

TW+