"Sharing Your Story - BC/AD" V

Matthew 16:13-28

The theme of the lessons this week examines the difference faith in Christ has made in our lives. Today, we look at Peter's story. We considered him last week, but now we have Matthew's more expanded version of Peter's encounter with Christ. In my Board of Ordained Ministry meeting they said the most important job of leadership is asking the right questions. The idea that the best leaders are those who have an agenda or vision and convince people to follow it is not the best because it does not bring out the best ideas and creativity of those who are involved. Jesus was the master questioner. He would ask a man in need of healing, "Do you want to get well?" He would ask others, "Do you believe?" He asks the disciples here, "Who do people say that I am?" They begin to tell him what people are saying - that Jesus to some is a prophet like Elijah or to others another eccentric teacher like John the Baptist. There have always been a variety of opinions about who Jesus was or is. Then Jesus asks another question, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter responds, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God." Christ was not Jesus' last name, it was a statement that he was "the Messiah", "the anointed one." We don't know how long the disciples had been following Jesus by this time. Was Peter speaking out of the inspiration of the Spirit not really knowing what he was saying or is this what he had deduced after following Jesus many months. Clearly, for Jesus, this was a watershed moment.

Jesus blesses him and says that "upon this rock, I will build my church." It's a play on words as his name Peter means "rock," and his confession of faith would be the rock on which the Christian movement would be built. The Christian faith is unapologetically Christ-centered. When someone asks, "What is God like?" our response is to say, "Look at Jesus." Even in the catacombs, you find drawings and writings from the early church that say simply, "Jesus is Lord." In Acts 4:12, we see even more just how Christ-centered Peter's faith was as he says, "there is no other name under heaven by which a person can be saved." We immediately are drawn into a debate about whether Jesus is the only way compared to other religions. For me, there is a two-part response to that issue. First, people who had followed in another religious tradition saw something so decisive in Jesus that they chose to follow him and call him Lord. I am one who believes there is much to be gained by learning what people of other religions believe. But Christians do believe that God did act uniquely and decisively in Jesus. It is important that we share that truth wherever we go. We can do that without pronouncing judgement on those who believe otherwise. I can boldly proclaim Jesus as Savior and Lord and still be in positive and creative dialogue with people from other religions.

The surprise in this encounter is the immediate discussion of Jesus' sacrificial death. The Messiahship of Jesus would be a confrontation to both the religious and secular worlds. The claim of Jesus as Messiah would fly in the face of the religious leadership. The claim of him as "son of the living God" was already taken by Caesar. So Jesus must have heard Peter's words with both joy and trepidation. This would be the beginning of the end.

Peter is deeply offended that Jesus talked about a sacrificial death and argues with him. And the one who was "the rock of the Church" is now called "Satan." I can't help but see this in the light of Matthew 4 when Jesus was tempted by Satan and said, "Get out of here." Peter wants Jesus to take the revolutionary, public approach of rule by force and popularity. Jesus had already struggled through that and knew that the cross was God's way for him. Yet, I understand Peter and likely you do, too. Jesus makes no sense. But there is something else I see here. Peter was indeed the great man of faith on whom the early Church was founded. But he also was flaky as could be - the one who walked on water and the one who denied Jesus. One moment we are close to God and bold to share with anybody. The next moment we're full of ourselves and afraid to say a word. Yet, Jesus continued to put his message and the welfare of the disciples in Peter's inadequate and sometimes volatile hands. He does the same with us. Full of faith and unbelievably flaky - That's who we are. It makes you thankful for grace doesn't it? It is a grace that I am utterly dependnent on. See you tomorrow night.