Isaiah 22:19-23/Psalm 138/Romans 11:33-36/Matthew 16:13-20
Our Gospel for this Sunday is about the declaration of St. Peter the Apostle about the identity of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the Gospel reading, Jesus appoints Peter as the first Pope because of Peter's answer to Jesus' question regarding His identity. Peter's was given authority by Jesus because of the grace the Father has bestowed on Peter. Peter did not answer Jesus' question on his own, God the Father has revealed it the answer to Peter by His grace.
The Lord used the opportunity in Caesarea Philippi in order to teach His disciples once again. This time, the Lord Jesus used the opportunity in private to test His disciples on how other people and the disciples know Him. In the quiet place of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus gets to ask His disciples two questions. Caesarea Philippi was a quiet place for Jesus and His disciples away from the crowds, away from Jesus' countrymen. For Jesus and His disciples, Caesarea Philippi is a place away for them in order to reflect and for Jesus to teach His disciples in private. While they were in Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asks the disciples two questions.
First, Jesus asks the disciples what other people think about Him. Who is Jesus according to other people? He is not asking this question because He is concerned about what people think about Him. Instead, Jesus asks this question in order to know how well other people know Him. How well do other people think about Him? Let us look at what the disciples answered Him. Some say that Jesus was either John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or other prophets.
Other people see John the Baptist in Jesus. We all know John the Baptist as the forerunner of Jesus. John the Baptist prepared the way of the Lord. He prepared people to greet the Messiah by baptizing them. As John the Baptist prepared the way for the Messiah, he spoke the truth. Jesus also spoke at testified to the truth. In the Gospel of Saint Mark, He also called the people to repent and believe in the Gospel, just like John the Baptist (Mark 1:15). Herod Antipas also believed that Jesus was John the Baptist.
Jesus is also being compared by others to the prophet Elijah. Like John the Baptist, people think that Jesus is Elijah. Other people think that they have seen the prophet Elijah again. The prophet Elijah was the boldest among all the prophets. He challenged the prophets of the false god Baal in Mount Carmel. Jesus is also being compared to Jeremiah. Like Jeremiah the prophet, Jesus spoke boldly against greed and hypocrisy. To summarize it up, people think that Jesus is a prophet.
The second question of the Lord is who He is according to His disciples. It is not about what other people think about Him now. It is about what His disciples think who He is. Other people did not get the answer correct. By asking these two questions, Jesus is teaching the disciples who He is. The other people who listened to Him did not get the correct answer about the identity of the Lord Jesus. Christ is revealing Himself once again, this time to His disciples personally.
St. Peter, with the grace of God, confesses that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus is the Christ. Christ and Messiah mean the same thing. The two terminologies mean, "Anointed One." Jesus is the Chosen One, the Anointed One of God. God anointed Jesus to be the Savior, the promised Messiah. The prophecies of the prophets of the Old Testament have been fulfilled in the person of Jesus. Jesus is the fulfillment of God's promise to mankind.
Jesus knew that God the Father revealed it to Peter. It was the grace of God that allowed Peter to say that Jesus is the Messiah. As a result, Jesus anointed Peter as the rock on which Jesus will build His Church. Jesus gave Peter the keys to heaven, as a sign of his authority here on earth. St. Peter will be Christ's Vicar or Representative on earth once Christ returns to Heaven. The line does not stop with Peter. It keeps continuing. Our Holy Father Pope Francis is the 266th successor of Peter.
Who is Jesus? Jesus continues to ask us, "Who do you say that I am?" There are a lot of answers to the Lord's question. St. Peter, the very first Pope, gives us the most simple answer, "The Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God." Like St. Peter the Apostle, may our faith in the Lord grow deeper. May we continue to have faith in Jesus, the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God.
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