Mar 2, 2008
“But who do you say that I am? Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood did not reveal 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.”
–Matthew 16: 15-18
If you are Catholic this is THE verse to know. It is the passage that is perpetually referred to in declaring the start of the one true Church. When the words sink in we cannot help but be proud to be linked to Peter, the first Pope of our beloved Church. As great as the outcome of the story is, let’s go back for a second and focus upon the question that was asked to Peter. The question that Jesus asked and the answer that Peter gave was a moment that changed Peter and the Church.
Who do you say that I am?
A few verses prior to this question, Jesus asked the same question but wanted to know who everyone else was saying He was. The disciples reflected and said that most people thought that Jesus was Elijah, John the Baptist, or another prophet. Disappointed, he then turned to his own disciples to see what their answer was. Nothing like being put on the spot uh? I can imagine them looking around at one another and thinking to themselves, “this is not going to go well.” My friends, the question that Jesus asks gets at the heart of the matter. Jesus is basically asking “who am I to you?” Am I just a good man, a talented teacher, a fisherman, and a guy who wants to be a king? This is a pivotal moment in the Gospel because the people around Jesus have to for the first time, declare from their hearts who He is to them.