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“When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heave4n; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Sister Joseph Ellen Keitzer at prayer.
Reflection
Who do you say I am? The question Jesus asks of the disciples. A question asked of us today. When Jesus initially asked the question, it was about the whole community. Who do the people say I am? The disciples listed several prophets, naming Jesus as part of a long line of faithful servants willing to give their lives for the sake of God’s people.
Then Jesus got more specific. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter confessed Jesus as the Messiah, Son of the Living God. Jesus is the revelation of God. “This was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.” Peter’s confession was a divine revelation.
In response to Simon Peter’s confession Jesus gives a blessing. “Blessed are you.” Jesus then renames him Peter and proclaims him as a Rock upon which the church would be built. This use of the word “rock” signifies that the church is built on faith in the divine revelation of God, in Jesus the Messiah Son of the living God. And, in that faith the powers of “Hades (evil) will not overcome it.”
The meaning of Luke 16:13 is not solely on Jesus’ identity as Messiah but includes a commitment of faith and faith-in-action. To grasp this further meaning, the location is significant.
Both Matthew and Mark, Matthew’s source, assert that Jesus is the Messiah, and include the question. In Mark the question of Jesus’ identity is asked on the journey; in Matthew, it is raised by Jesus once the disciples arrive at Caesarea Philippi.
Caesarea Philippi was under the administration of Herod’s son, Phillip the Tetrarch. People of the day were aware that the Roman commanders who headed the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE had returned with their troops to Caesarea Philippi to celebrate their victory. Caesarea Philippi was a place devoid of faith in Jesus the Messiah and known as a “gate of hell.”
Jesus’ question placed at Caesarea Philippi is an invitation to live by faith in Jesus the Messiah, Son of the Living God and not to live by faith in wealth, creed and domination. It is implied in the use of earth and heaven that what the earthly community decides will be honored by the Son of the Living God.
Action
In what way is your faith lived out amid the world? Who do you say Jesus is?
Sister Barbara Sheehan, SP, a Sister of Providence since 1960, lives in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods after several years in Chicago, where she ministered as Executive Director/ACPE Supervisor of the Urban Clinical Pastoral Education Consortium, Inc. and as a spiritual director. She has extensive training not only in clinical pastoral supervision but also in care with those sexually abused, those challenged with mental illness and those suffering trauma. She has offered many workshops at regional, national and international conferences, is the author of Partner in Covenant: The Art of Spiritual Companionship and of numerous articles including one of her latest, Formation For Professional Practice: Addressing Social Hurts" in Reflective Practice: Formation and Supervision in Ministry, Vol. 34 2014.
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Thank you for this reflection, Sister Barbara. Every day I search for how my faith can be lived out amid the world.