August 27, 2023 Thirteenth Sunday After Pentecost The text is Matthew 16: 13-20.

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¹³Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” ¹⁴And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” ¹⁵He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. ¹⁸And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. ¹⁹I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” ²⁰Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

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 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.

Grace, mercy, and peace are yours from God the Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

“Who do YOU say that I am?”  This is the question that Jesus poses to the disciples after asking them who the people say he  is.  They respond with what they have heard from the crowds they have encountered as they traveled with Jesus; “John the Baptist”, “Elijah”, “Jeremiah”.  Note that all the names suggested are prophets; one contemporary in John the Baptist; the others, from ancient Hebrew scripture.  Notice also that they are all either recently or long ago dead.

So it seems that the populace is on the right track, for it’s generally accepted by the people that Jesus is thought to be a prophet and likely one who has been resurrected.  But it’s clear that Jesus wasn’t inquiring only about who his wider audience thought about his identity, the next question is the one of vital importance.  He asks his disciples, the ones who have witnessed his teaching, preaching, and deeds of power who they think he is.  “Who do YOU say that I am?”, is the question they are pressed to answer.  “You have given up your entire lives to follow me, an itinerant preacher from a small, unimportant town, and at no small risk to yourselves”.  When he asks them who they think he is, the question is really what they think he is; what is his nature, his identity, his mission and ministry.  “Who do YOU say that I am?”; Peter responds not with a name of one of the prophets as the people have suggested, but with a title, Messiah.  Peter understands what it is that Jesus is asking; he knows that the question is about Jesus’ identity as the Savior of God’s people and of his relationship to the Father.

Jesus acknowledges his identity and commends Peter for perception, his recognition of the truth, and most importantly, his faith.  And thus, Simon becomes Peter, the rock upon which the church of Christ will be built.  We will come back to the question, “Who do YOU say that I am?” in a moment, but first we might want to examine where this discernment took place, it’s relevance to Peter and the yet-to-be initiated church, and why Jesus chose this particular spot to reveal his identity and his plan to establish his ministry.

Jesus and his disciples have come to the district of Caesarea Philippi.  This area was in the foothills of Mount Hermon, and was about 25 miles north of Nazareth.  Since they traveled there on foot, we can appreciate that this was a rather long way from home for Jesus and the disciples; so why did Jesus select this particular place for the discussion about his identity and the institution of his church?  Caesarea Phillipi was originally called Paneas, named after the Greco-Roman god Pan, who according to ancient mythology was said to have been born there.  And there were temples erected to honor Pan and the many other Roman gods scattered all over the area.

The Roman emperor Caesar Augustus gave control of Paneas to King Herod, the Roman-sanctioned ruler of the Jewish people, about 50 years before Jesus and his disciples arrived there this morning.  Herod’s son, Phillip renamed the city Caesarea, in honor of the emperor.  Thus, the district became known as Phillip’s homage to Caesar, “Caesarea Philippi”.  Most of the city is built on the top of a stone outcropping. This massive cliff stretches for 500 feet and is over 100 feet high.  And this is the place that Jesus chose to question his disciples about their understanding of who and what he is, and to affirm that this is the time and place that his church is to be established.  He and they are in a city built on a rock that was originally named for a pagan god, and that now bears the name of the Roman emperor.  Let’s remember that the Roman occupiers of Israel compelled the people to worship the emperor as a god incarnate.

But neither Pan nor Caesar can any longer lay claim to this rock-foundation city, this district, this country, this world, this kingdom.  On this rock Jesus has established his church, and polytheistic temples and Roman overlords will not prevail against the coming of the kingdom of God!  Simon, son of Jonah is the first to proclaim Jesus of Nazareth as God’s Son, and as the Messiah; he is the rock upon which Christ’s church will be built.  He is the one who correctly answered Jesus’ question, “Who do YOU say that I am?”. 

Fast-forward 2,000 years or so and we find that the Christian church today has, in fact built upon Peter’s acknowledgement that Jesus is the Son of God, and has spread to all the points of the globe.  Numerous denominations have codified their belief systems and there are more Christian theologies than we can count.  Corporately, Christology has been examined, deliberated, analyzed, and canonized.  When Christians gather it is understood that there is a shared understanding of that faith community’s accepted theology.  Most denominations have creeds and other expressions of the belief system and traditions of the collective group.  And it is these articles of faith that bring churches together, that give them their corporate identity. 

As Lutherans we have adopted the Apostles’ Creed as one of the main statements about what we collectively believe.

We will recite together in a moment.  In it, we affirm our acknowledgement of the several belief statements that make us Lutheran Christians.  The second article of the Creed speaks to the way in which the wider church views Christ; you all know what it is we say we believe about Jesus when we speak the Creed together.  This is a good thing! 

But back to Jesus’ question to the disciples, the one answered correctly by Peter, the Rock of the church.  Jesus posed this question to his disciples, and it is clear that he expected them to answer for themselves, as individuals.  “Who do YOU say that I am?”, he asked; not what are the opinions of others.  I invite each of you now to imagine that Jesus is standing before you and he has posed this same question to you.  How would you respond?  “Who do YOU say that Jesus is?”  Not the description in the Creed, what you were taught in Sunday School, or what you discussed in Confirmation class.  Not what the preacher has suggested from the pulpit; but who Jesus Christ is and what he is, specifically to you. 

Some of you might have already given this a great deal of private individual thought and you know in your heart exactly how you would answer Jesus.  Some of you may never have considered this before and you might struggle to come up with an answer.  But whether you have pondered your understanding of Jesus and what his promises mean to you, or even if this is the first time you’ve ever been invited to think this through, I urge you to consider how you would reply to his question.  There is no doubt that the way we view ourselves and the world around us changes as time and circumstances affect us, but the answer to Jesus’ question to Peter and our response to it, remains constant.  Taking the time to ponder how we answer Jesus is certain to be a worthy exercise.  Jesus is asking you, “Who do YOU say that I am?”.  What will you tell him?            

Will you pray with me?  Good, and gracious, and holy God, Jesus designated Simon Peter as the rock upon which he built his church.  Peter was the first to acknowledge Jesus as Messiah and as your Son.  Bless us with the same revelation you bestowed upon Peter, to recognize Jesus for who he truly is.  And we ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, the One who calls us to build up his church, upon the foundation he has laid.

Amen.  

God is Good, all the time.  All the time, God is Good.  Amen.