Reading
Matthew 16:13-19
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades[b] will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Meditation
In a moment of rest from his ministry, Jesus takes the opportunity to ask his disciples what people think of him. Opinions differ. On the other hand, Jesus said that he would come to bring division (Lk 12:51). Many hypotheses about him are good: some believe that he is Elijah, Jeremiah or John the Baptist returned from the dead. But they are not opinions up to the true nature of him.
He is not a simple prophet, but "the Son of the living God" (v. 16), and this truth is professed by Simon Peter, who speaks first, perhaps due to his somewhat impetuous character, but also making himself the spokesman for others apostles.
God opens his heart to the knowledge of Christ's nature by faith. Peter does not express an "academic" thesis regarding the identity of Jesus; that of Peter is a personal confession made possible by the inner regeneration wrought by the Spirit. Only those who believe can understand the true nature of Jesus of Nazareth.
Simon receives a new name, "Peter", "rock", becoming the father of the Church, the assembly of those who gather in the name of Jesus, just as Abraham, who also received a new name, became a father of all believers with his faith. The words spoken by Jesus to Peter attest that the Church is not a mere human institution but is founded on faith in Christ.
With his confession of faith, Peter lays the foundation stone of this divine construction. At the head of the Church, precisely as a supernatural institution, is Christ himself, as witnessed by numerous New Testament passages (Acts 4:11; 1 Cor 11; Eph 5:23), and by Jesus himself (Mt 21:41), and from Peter in his first epistle: "Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,”" (1 Pt 2:7).
Also significant is the use of the possessive adjective, "my Church" (Gr. mou ten ekklesian) by Jesus, to emphasize that he is its builder, owner, and Lord. The Church is not our Church, or the church of Peter, or the church of some particular Christian confession, but it is the Church of Christ. Thus affirms the apostle Paul: "What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?" (1 Cor 1:12-13).
Jesus represents hell as a walled fortress, whose "gates" symbolize the power of death, the ultimate weapon of Satan, from which the Church will be preserved. Indeed, far from weakening the Church, even the blood of martyrs will be the seed of new believers.
"To bind" and "to loose" are equivalent to "forbid" and "allow". This power conferred on Peter constitutes him the guarantor of Jesus' teaching in the Church. Understood as the possibility of forgiving sins, the power to "bind" and "loosen" must be considered in the light of what Jesus said a little further on (Mt 18:15-18), where the same authority is recognized to all disciples and the possibility of removing a sinner from the Church is entrusted to the assembly: "If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector." (Mt 18:17).
The judgment of the assembly cannot be arbitrary but based on the Word of God, of which the apostles are depositories, guardians, and announcers. The authority of the Church in the course of history must therefore be based on apostolic doctrine, as witnessed by the Scriptures. The judge does not make the law but declares what conforms to it.
It is also given to us to disclose to the world the secrets of the Kingdom, as long as we remain faithful to his teaching. We will then be blessed like Peter (v. 17) and a source of bliss for those we meet on our way.
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, we recognize you as the Son of the living God and shepherd of your Church; build us in it like living stones, to bear witness to your glory. Amen.
- Rev. Dr. Luca Vona
