YOU ARE THE MESSIAH

 

YOU ARE THE ANNOINTED ONE

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, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

15He said to them, “BUT WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM?”

16Simon Peter replied,

“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

17And Jesus answered him,

“BLESSED ARE YOU, SIMON BAR-JONAH! FOR FLESH AND BLOOD HAS NOT REVEALED THIS TO YOU, BUT MY FATHER WHO IS IN HEAVEN.

18AND I TELL YOU, YOU ARE PETER, AND ON THIS ROCK, I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH, AND THE GATES OF HELL SHALL NOT PREVAIL AGAINST IT.

19I WILL GIVE YOU THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, AND WHATEVER YOU BIND ON EARTH SHALL BE BOUND IN HEAVEN, AND WHATEVER YOU LOOS ON EARTH, SHALL BE LOOSEDD IN HEAVEN.”

20Then He strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

Matthew 16:13-20

COMMENTARY

These events seem to have occurred after Jesus and his disciples returned from feeding the 4000 men (Matthew 15:38).

Since Jesus just had a discussion with some of them about his own identity (Matthew 16:1), He decided to also ask his own disciples to tell who did they think Jesus was.

From the middle of the disciples, and after a moment where they summarized the different people, the crowds believed He was.

From them all, Simon gets up and confesses Jesus as the promised Messiah (Matthew 16:16).

This story declares GOD’s approval of Jesus’ ministry, and the promise of Jesus that his Church, or better said in modern language, his community of faithful believers, would be based exactly on the declaration that Simon just made, which is, acknowledging Jesus as the awaited Messiah. This faith is called the ‘Rock’ upon where this community will be established, and for that reason, Simon is called ‘Stone’ by Jesus, (Petros – Matthew 16:18).

Even though this story is also found in Mark 8:29, and Luke 9:20, where the whole dialogue is mentioned, except the change of Simon’s name, or mention of any rock; which, judging by the importance that the Roman church has given to the Matthew passage, and being the only sustain of the Papal doctrine, it is assumed by most scholars to be a latter addition to the Matthew passage, since such an important doctrine would not have been left aside by the authors of Mark and Luke, if it truly happened.

However, it is a fact that the Christian church exists upon the faith and confession that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah promised to Israel. Whether this event happened or not.

OFR