BIBLE STUDY #56
TWENTY FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
August 21, 2011

Reading 1
Is 22:19-23

Thus says the LORD to Shebna, master of the palace:
"I will thrust you from your office
and pull you down from your station.
On that day I will summon my servant
Eliakim, son of Hilkiah;
I will clothe him with your robe,
and gird him with your sash,
and give over to him your authority.
He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
and to the house of Judah.
I will place the key of the House of David on Eliakim's shoulder;
when he opens, no one shall shut
when he shuts, no one shall open.
I will fix him like a peg in a sure spot,
to be a place of honor for his family."

The Word of the Lord

Reading 2
Rom 11:33-36

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!
How inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable his ways!
For who has known the mind of the Lord
or who has been his counselor?
Or who has given the Lord anything
that he may be repaid?
For from him and through him and for him are all things.
To him be glory forever. Amen.

The Word of the Lord

Gospel
Mt 16:13-20

Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi and
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."
Then he strictly ordered his disciples
to tell no one that he was the Christ.

The Gospel of the Lord

Reflection

Caesarea Philippi is located about 20 miles north of the Sea of Galilee in the territory (northern Transjordan, up in the very northern area) ruled by Philip, a son of Herod the Great. Philip rebuilt the town of Paneas and renamed it Caesarea in honor of the Emperor and Philippi (of Philip) to distinguish it from a city on the coast with the same name. Jesus is now at the northern most part of ancient Israel. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus ministry encompasses the whole of Israel, but he never leaves it.

In the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), we learn about Jesus’ identity in the first half of the gospel through stories, miracles, healings, sayings and the like, building up to today’s gospel passage (also, see Mark 8:27-30, and Luke 9:18-20).

Jesus asks the disciples about his identity: "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" “Son of Man” is a title referring to: 1) the earthly Jesus, 2) the suffering servant, or 3) the glorious judge. In today’s passage, it refers to the earthly Jesus.

One of the disciples replied “John the Baptist”. Herod, after learning about Jesus, speculated that John had come back to life in the person of Jesus (see Matthew 14:2). It is unknown how widespread this belief was.

Another replied “Elijah”. In 2 Kings 2:11, Elijah was taken up into heaven, and in Malachi 3:1 and 3:23, Elijah is supposed to precede the Messiah in returning to earth.

Another responds “Jeremiah”, who, for Matthew, is considered a Jesus figure. Jeremiah is named in three passages (Matthew 2:17, 16:14, and 27:9) there are some allusions to the book of Jeremiah (Matthew 7:15-23, 11:28-30, and23:37-39). Matthew also uses some motifs in common with Jeremiah: the sending of prophets, the murder of the prophets, and a judgment against the Temple.

Jesus then asks them, "But who do you say that I am?" He is asking them to take a stand, to express what they really feel about him: not what someone else says, but what do you say? He is asking them to make a commitment.

Simon Peter said in reply, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

What’s interesting to note is the progression of Peter’s name, which reflects the progression of his faith. At first, he is called just Simon (no faith). After a little while, he becomes Simon Peter (some faith). In today’s passage, he becomes Peter, the Rock (a believer). His name has changed because he has changed. He has been changed from a fisherman to a fisher of men. When someone is given a great task in the bible, it is common to change names (i.e. Abram to Abraham, Sarai to Sarah, Jacob to Israel, and Saul to Paul).

The term “Christ” means anointed in Greek, and “Messiah” in Hebrew. Jesus is the one who was sent by the Father to be the final and definitive revelation of God’s will for us. He is to be the Messiah, the suffering servant, who will pay the price for our sins. In fact, the first prediction oh Jesus’ passion comes immediately after today’s passage.

So now we see why it was necessary for Peter to be inspired. How could anyone know of this beforehand? "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.” The term flesh and blood refers to a limited human being, as opposed to the heavenly Father.

The apostles never seem to understand Jesus during his earthly ministry; and in fact, don’t really ‘get it’ until Pentecost with the gift of the Holy Spirit. There’s a passage in John’s Gospel after the resurrection, where some of the apostles are fishing, signifying going back to their old life. The gospel seems to indicate how sheepish and embarrassed they were when they saw Jesus on the shore. Even after the resurrection, they didn’t understand and needed the gift of the Spirit at Pentecost. No wonder Peter needed to be inspired by the Father to say what he did.

Peter is blessed by Jesus, which confirms his statement about Jesus. This is the only time Jesus blesses someone in Matthew’s gospel. This blessing is similar to the beatitudes. People are blessed when they live the beatitudes in their lives. Like Peter, we are blessed when we confess Jesus to be the Messiah and Son of God.

Here is where Jesus changes Simon’s name to Peter. This is not a real name, but means ‘rock’. Peter is to be the leader, the bedrock, if you will, for all of us to stand on in faith. He is the first leader of the church and a great example for all who follow.

Here in this passage and in Matt 18:17 are the only two places where the word ‘church’ (ecclesia) is used. It’s assumed that this is an intent to separate the fledging church from the synagogue, and the Essenes at Qumran.

Jesus is founding his church on Peter, and nothing and no one will ever destroy the Church. The Church is safe from all outside threats, whether from other people or from Satan and evil, and is also protected from any inside threats. This is quite comforting considering our past history.

Peter is then given the keys to the kingdom and is told that whatever is bound on earth is bound in heaven, and whatever is loosed on earth is loosed in heaven. This can refer to forgiveness, excommunications, laying down rules, making exceptions, and all those things it takes to ‘teach, govern, and sanctify’, as is the role of the institutional church as we say today. God will ratify and stand behind all the decisions of Peter (and his successors).

In the first reading from Isaiah, we see the same idea of keys to a kingdom. Shebna was master of the palace and his key (actually a large key he wore on his shoulder) signified his authority: he had the ear of the king. Shebna made the mistake of having a tomb carved for himself on a height. This would have been an ostentatious display, against the usual practice of a simple underground burial as was the custom for the Jews. Shebna was denounced by Isaiah, and was eventually replaced by Eliakim, who now controlled access to the king. We can see the parallel with Peter, who, as keeper of the keys to the kingdom, controls access to the kingdom and the king.

The final sentence of today’s gospel is a command from Jesus. “Then he strictly ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.”

Why would he do this? Wouldn’t he want everyone to know who he is? This idea is prominent in Mark’s Gospel and is called the “Messianic Secret.” We need to look at Jesus whole life in light of his death and resurrection to understand his identity. Otherwise, it’s too easy to misinterpret him.

Jesus is more than a nice man, a good teacher, a holy person, a healer, a miracle worker: he is our Lord and Savior, the Messiah. To say that Jesus is just one of these things places little or no responsibility on us to change our lives. Believing that Jesus identity is limited to only being a holy man , or that he is a only a good teacher, for example, allows me to decide what I will or won’t accept about him. Perhaps that’s why people like to reduce Jesus to one or two of these categories: so there is no obligation on their part to do anything, to believe anything, or to change in any significant way.

It’s much different if I accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I am making a commitment to live as Jesus taught as interpreted by the church (remember Peter and the keys to the kingdom?). I am not the master of my own life: I have given it over to Jesus. I let my life be directed by the Lord in all ways.

But in doing this I find my own life. I unlock the strength, power, and grace of Jesus for guidance, strength, and direction. Who else knows what’s best for me?

How do you answer Jesus question: "But who do you say that I am?"


Fr. Phil