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Gospel: Matthew 16: 13-19
When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi
he asked his disciples,
“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Simon Peter said in reply,
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
And so I say to you, you are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my Church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Have you ever wondered why the Lord chose Peter to be the rock of the Church?
Why not John, the Beloved Disciple?
John stood faithfully at the Cross while Peter was somewhere else cowering in fear.
Why not Mary Magdalene, whose devotion to Jesus was undeniable?
She was the first person to approach the empty tomb on Easter Sunday, and the first to see the Risen Lord.
Why not John or Mary? Why Peter?
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Peter was embarrassingly human – a man filled with courage, and at times, cowardice.
He was the first disciple to profess his faith in Jesus, saying rightly, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!”
Then three times he denied ever knowing him.
Peter walked trustingly towards Jesus on the stormy Sea of Galilee – but quickly sank in fear.
Jesus names him the “rock” in today’s Gospel, but later rebukes him, calling him “Satan.”
More than any other disciple, Peter experienced both success and failure.
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Maybe that’s why he was chosen.
Peter could be any one of us. He wasn’t perfect, but he loved the Lord and knew he was saved.
He reminds us that some days we succeed, and other days we fail. But God’s love and plans for us never change.
The invitation is always there: “Come, follow me.”
Saint Peter, pray for us.
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Image credits: (1) Saint Peter, Peter Paul Rubens (2) The Delivery of the Keys to St. Peter, Perugino (3) Zion Lutheran Church