In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 16:13-19
At that time, when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do men say that the Son of man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
In our Gospel reading today, our Lord asks an interesting question of His Apostles: ‘who do men say that the Son of Man is?’ The Fathers point out that it is significant that our Lord specifies ‘men’, for by this He makes it clear that He is not speaking of the religious rulers but the ordinary people, the man in the street to use a modern phrase.
Not that He does not already know the answer to His own question, as the Fathers remind us; He does not ask for the sake of informing Himself, but He is leading somewhere with His question. Because He already knows that ordinary men and women, even though they can see He is a man of great holiness, a man sent by God, a man who is so amazing that perhaps He is even one of the great prophets sent back among them by God, these ordinary people do not understand Who He is.
That is why He asks His follow up question – ‘But who do you say that I am?’ It is Saint Peter who answers Him; and knowing from elsewhere in the Gospels how impulsive Saint Peter can be, it is not hard to imagine him jumping straight in with his response, even as his brother Apostles hesitate, unsure of what it is that they should say.
But being first and being quick doesn’t always ensure the right answer. And we know from the Gospels that Saint Peter often gets things wrong. At the Transfiguration we are told that he doesn’t know what he is saying. At the Last Supper he tells our Lord that he will never abandon Him, even if everyone else does, only for Jesus to tell him that before the cock crows he will deny Him thrice. And in other Gospels accounts of this very scene, when Jesus tells His disciples how He will suffer and die, Saint Peter attempts to correct Him, only to be sharply rebuked by our Lord.
However, when he gives his answer to this question he is correct. When Jesus asks ‘but who do you say that I am?’ he immediately declares ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ And we know that Saint Peter is correct, because Jesus at once confirms his answer ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.’ Jesus not only tells Saint Peter that he has answered truly, but that the way he answers is a result of divine revelation. Why? Because many already suspected or at least wondered if Jesus might be the Messiah; but Saint Peter declares Him to be the Son of the living God.
This, the Fathers point out, is of great significance, because the living God is the one true God. The gods of the pagans are false gods. Imaginary at best, wood or stone or metal that can feel nothing and do nothing; and at worst, as Saint Paul tells us in his letters, demons who deceive men. They are devils from the pit of hell pretending to be divine, but instead intent on leading men astray so that rather than joining God in heaven they will instead join them and all the other demons in hell.
And Saint Peter’s understanding of who the Son of Man reminds us that divine revelation lies at the heart of the Christian faith. Man can, and has from the very beginning, imagine that there must be a god or gods; but only divine revelation can let us know, for example, that it was God who created the heavens and the earth. This was something that had not even previously occurred to anyone. If one reads the cosmologies of the old pagan religions, in them the universe had always existed; and it is from the material of that universe that their ‘gods’ are born.
It is only by way of God’s revelation in Genesis that the truth became known to man, that it was He, God, who had created everything. Before His creative word there was nothing; and after it – everything. This was the truth that was known in the West as Christianity spread; and this was the truth that was held by all until men began to think themselves very clever indeed during the course of the Enlightenment.
And where did their cleverness lead them? Back to the old, pagan notion that the universe had always existed! And they made fun of those who thought otherwise until the discovery of the Big Bang, proof that the universe had indeed come into being in an instant, out of nothing, and before it there existed neither time nor space.
For what passes for human wisdom can lead us astray; but divine wisdom, shared with us by God Himself, opens our eyes to the truth. When the men of Christ’s day considered the question of Who He might be using only human wisdom to guide them, they could get no further than that He was someone special, perhaps someone sent by God, but still only a man.
But when Saint Peter considered it, guided by the Father by way of His Divine revelation to Him, he was able to perceive the whole truth, that this Son of Man was more than man, He was the Son of God. Ponder this question for yourself; and if you find that truly you can answer as he did that day, then, like him you will be truly blessed, now and always. Amen
The Holy Orthodox Order of St George the Great Martyr works tirelessly to help those in need. We focus particularly on our brothers and sisters in Christ who live in the Holy Land and those who suffer because of their Christian faith. However, we strive to help all in need. Funds are desperately needed at this time to help those facing the horrors of war in Gaza and Lebanon. Please help if you can by making a donation to the Order. And please keep all those who suffer in your prayers. Thank you and may God bless you.
