From our Rector

Jesus asked, “And what about you? Who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Matthew 16:15-16 (Common English Bible)

Dean Rebecca Barnes from St. Paul’s Cathedral shared with our clergy Bible study group this week that it is important to remember the physical location of this encounter. Having visited Caesarea Phillipi herself, she was struck by the reality that carved into a large rock edifice were niches in which were placed the gods of the Roman pantheon. The disciples would have seen this, may even have been looking at it, when Jesus asks who others have said that he is. They would have seen the images of powerful deities from the cruel empire who lorded over them, powerful reminders of empire.

“Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.” Each of these answers are of people, those who walked the Earth, who were known to have lived and died, mere mortals. What is jolting is Peter’s answer, recognizing and lifting Jesus above the human: you are the Anointed One, the Son of the Living God.

This was no simple answer, nor was it an attempt to butter-up their rabbi. Peter had witnessed the miracles, had heard the teachings, had seen the changes that Jesus had made in the lives of thousands, and there were no human terms that could capture what he knew and saw. Jesus was not a mere healer, teacher, or advocate.

First, Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah – the promised Savior of all who were oppressed, marginalized, defeated, brokenhearted. He was the One for whom the people of Israel had been waiting. Second, Jesus was the Son of the Living God – who embodied in human form that God who created and loved us. Peter’s pronouncement was revelation at its greatest moment: Jesus is Christ, Jesus is God.

It is important for us to note this pivotal moment in the Gospel, one after which the disciples can never go back to who they were before. It would be easy to follow and disengage from a teacher who waxed and waned in leadership. It would be fine to walk away from a healer who gradually loses their abilities to soften the pain of others.

But not Jesus – he was, is, and always will be the Incarnation of our Creator, walking with us, caring for us, suffering as us, and raising us to eternal life – for all time. May we hear Peter’s assertion with new ears, and with grateful hearts accept again and again that Jesus is our Christ, our God.

In Love,

Father Shawn