These next two Sundays we shall meditate on Peter’s ministry as Jesus’ chosen servant for a special task in the service of the Church. Two Sundays back in the story of the Lord walking on the stormy sea, we saw Peter typifying the disciples’ faith, daring but doubting and needing the outstretched hand of Jesus. Now, in speaking out the faith of the disciples in Jesus, Peter receives from Him an unexpected responsibility in the community of faith (Matthew 16:13-20).
‘You are the Christ’
For the formation of His disciples, Jesus is about to reveal to them the mystery of His passion and death. Faith is clearly necessary for those following the suffering Messiah. Jesus sounds them off first about the people’s opinion of Him, then zeroes in on their own perception of Him. The very diversity of ideas shows that faith needs guidance to mature. Peter’s confession: “You are the Messiah [the Christ], the Son of the living God” is the gist of the faith of the disciples in Jesus as the long-awaited savior sent by God.
This most likely post-resurrection proclamation of faith in Jesus as “the Son of the living God” (1 Corinthians 15:5) is placed here by the evangelist as some sort of climax to the disciples’ formation to illustrate the importance of the witness of their faith in Jesus for their mission of leading others to Him. The very location of the confession underlines its momentous significance. Caesarea Philippi in the foothills of Mt. Hermon, a traditional site for encounters between God and His people, underscores that Peter’s faith is indeed coming not through human means (“flesh and blood”) but through revelation from Jesus’ “heavenly Father.”
‘You are Peter’
TO believe in Jesus as the Christ means to be involved and to be committed. Faith entails responsibility, and the name Peter (kepa in Aramaic, transliterated as kepas in Greek,
petros in Latin, means “rock”), particularly assigned by Jesus to “Simon son of Jonah,” indicates the task being entrusted to Him: to be the rock support that provides solidity and stability to the community of faith, the “ekklesia” (exactly “katipunan” in Filipino) Jesus is assembling and calling together. The apostles’ faith is a divine gift intended as a basic means of stability and permanence to the Christian community. Jesus promises, “The gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.” The forces and power of death shall not overcome the Church; faith served by those appointed to maintain it makes her invincible.
The pivotal role of Peter as a vital witness of faith to the early community is further emphasized by the symbolism of the keys (Isaiah 22:15-25). The keys of the kingdom of heaven signify that he has the authority to unlock and lock up, to allow in and to bar out, to “loose” and to “bind,” to permit and to forbid, anything or anyone that may be good or bad for the faithful in terms of God’s reign. And this authority on earth is confirmed in heaven; it will not just be human whim but fidelity to the divine intention. Under the stewardship of Peter as leader of the Twelve Apostles, the faithful did survive the aftermath of Jesus’ death, the persecution by the Jews and by the Romans, and the confrontations with conflicting cultures and ideas. The burden of authority has been given to Peter for the welfare of all those who would come to believe in Jesus through the ministry of the apostles.
Alálaong bagá, to recognize and confess Jesus is the Christ in times of joy as well as in moments of doubt and fear is the responsibility of Peter and his successors ensure till the end of time. Church stewardship is a loving service for the faith that saves; it is faith that serves that all may be saved. Authority in the Church is for the Church, to enable those responsible to carry out their tasks of love and service in, through and for the community of faith. It is received with a sense of unworthiness because it is a sacred trust undeserved. It is a share in Jesus Christ’s invincible mission to carry out the Father’s plan of salvation for all humankind.
Join me in meditating on the Word of God every Sunday, from 5 to 6 a.m. on DWIZ 882, or by audio streaming on www.dwiz882.com.