keys

Solar Eclipse Day, seems to be clouding over as promised, can’t be helped. I stopped praying about the weather in October 1995 after being present at a Pensacola meeting that Bishop Duvall convened with prayer that Hurricane Opal, circling far south of us in the Gulf of Mexico, would go ashore in Mexico. The next day it rolled furiously ashore in my front yard. Knowing it was coming, we had boarded up and fled for Tallahassee, a thirteen hour drive in the traffic jam. No motels, we slept that night in the garage at Tallahassee Medical Center, made calls the next morning, and headed back home.

If every story has a gospel, that one’s was don’t pray your troubles off on somebody else. Eclipse Day come what may.

Below, scroll down, our gospel for next Sunday, the emblem above gives a revealing hint, keys of the kingdom. I like to play with the Son of Man symbol: Jesus uses it in three ways. One is referring to the cosmic figure in Daniel 7. A second is referring to human beings in general (some English translations render it “human being” or "mortal man" in other places where Jesus is not talking). A third is Jesus speaking obliquely, even modestly, of himself. Each time he uses the term Son of Man, it’s fun and appropriate to pause and ask oneself what he means in this particular instance. In this case the gospel writer may have Jesus tantalizingly mixing himself with Daniel 7. 

With this text I also like to compare it, and this is always a Sunday School idea, with the same saying in Mark, and see what Matthew has added to enhance Peter's confession. 

Matthew 16:13-20 (NRSV)

When Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. 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 sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

DThos+