Who Is Jesus?
Today’s Bible passages are :
Matthew 16:13-20 New International Version (NIV)
Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah
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,[a. rock] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades[b. Realm of the dead] will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be[c. will have been] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[d. will have been] loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
Footnotes:
a.Matthew 16:18 The Greek word for Peter means rock.
b.Matthew 16:18 That is, the realm of the dead
c.Matthew 16:19 Or will have been
d. Matthew 16:19 Or will have been
Romans 12:1-8 New International Version (NIV)
A Living Sacrifice
12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Humble Service in the Body of Christ
3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your[a] faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead,[b] do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
Footnotes:
a.Romans 12:6 Or the
b.Romans 12:8 Or to provide for others
Comment:
The Northern Frontier – Mt Hermon, Caesarea Philippi, Golan Heights and Baptism in the Jordan River.
Caesarea Philippi: remnants of the temple of Pan with Pan's grotto. The white-domed shrine of Nabi Khadr shows in the background.
In the gospel reading Matthew 16v13-20, we find Jesus and the disciples, having travelled from the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 14), to the region of Tyre and Sidon (Matthew 15), have now reached Caesarea Philippi, in the north of the country. (Now in the Golan Heights of Israel). It was here that Jesus chose to ask his disciples who they thought he was! Why here at Caesarea Philippi, I wonder? What was so special about this place when it came to identities and allegiances. What was its history?
It all began with a stream of water being there, the source of the River Jordan. To the Ancient Greeks this was a place of significance and they worshipped their god, Pan at the site. The nearby road was used, not only by traders but by conquering armies and it became a seat of political as well as religious power.
King Herod the Great built a Temple there and then his son, King Philip, built this city visited by Jesus and his disciples. To keep in with the ruling Roman Emperor, Augustus, Philip called the city Caesarea, but over time it became customary to give it his name also and so it became known as Caesarea Philippi. Thus the city became the seat of Roman power through Philip, their ‘puppet king’. As might be imagined, for Jews this newly renamed city was a blasphemous, idolatrous horror ; not only was Caesarea Philippi the headquarters of the foreign Roman rulers (and thus a symbol of oppression), but also its ancient links to Pagan Pan Worship and now to the Cult of Roman Emperor Worship, made it a place with a dark spiritual cloud hanging over it. To confirm this dubious status for the devout Jewish visitor, there in the Temple and its inscriptions at Caesarea Philippi, Caesar was worshipped as “Saviour”, “Son of God”.
And it was in this charged atmosphere of Caesarea Philip that Jesus, having taken his disciples there, posed this question about his own identity. “Who do people say the Son of Man is? Who do you say I am”?
Dear old Peter, who often seemed to get bad press for being hasty and for getting things wrong, on this occasion, despite all the evidence to the contrary, he got the answer “bang on” right. ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Of course the disciples had said something similar about Jesus back in Matthew 14:22, when Jesus calmed the storm, but the significance here is that the apostle Peter is making this declaration in the Eastern Capital of the Roman Empire. (As indeed he would later proclaim it, in person, in Rome itself). In the shadow of the walls of Caesarea Philippi, the seat of government, where there was already a king this was treasonous, dangerous talk! However, it was also a declaration that Jesus then wholeheartedly confirmed was also God’s view on the matter. “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”.
This realisation that “Jesus is Lord” was to be a pivotal experience for Peter. We may think, today, that this was a spiritual dawning alone but for Peter, in the contextual in which he made this declaration, it was also a deeply political statement to make. After all, if Jesus was Lord then it followed that neither Caesar, nor anybody or anything else could also be Lord. There was and is room only for one ultimate being!!!
Perhaps even more startling is that Jesus said that he would build his church on this confession, that “ Jesus is Lord”, and that nothing would be able to prevail against it, (v 18 And I tell you that you are Peter,[a. rock] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades[b. Realm of the dead] will not overcome it.).
Because “Jesus really Is Lord”, these early followers of ‘the way’, would break out of Caesar's empire and take countless thousands with them. Set free through this allegiance with the King of Kings, they would hold the “Keys of the Kingdom”. (v19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be[c. will have been] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[d. will have been] loosed in heaven. Notice the wording in the present tense. This administrative illustration speaks of the disciples of Jesus having authority to act in the name of Jesus to bring about the will of heaven upon earth. It suggests that if the followers of Jesus seek the guidance of Jesus, that they will receive it, and in following it, they will show the world the liberating message of King Jesus.
St Paul, in Romans 12 applies this approach practically for those who were seeking to follow Jesus in the church in Rome, “2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Thus Jesus, the one who renews our minds through the action of the Holy Spirit, equips us with gifts that are given to be used for the benefit of all.
At the centre of the mission both of the early church and of the church today is Peter's confession that “Jesus is Lord”. Across all of time it reveals the plan of God to liberate people from ungodly rule and to unite them as a single people (or body) under the rule of Messiah, Jesus. Amen!
Points to Ponder:
-In Choosing to follow Jesus as Lord, who/what are today’s competitors?
What (or who) are the empires today that demand our allegiance, (and indeed our time - worship)?
-Are nation based Empires like China, USA or Russia, also to be joined by multinational businesses, sport and media as being demanding of our allegiances, time and worship?
(Retail Giants, Petrochemical Conglomerates, Internet Companies, Facebook, Twitter, Broadcasting Companies etc, etc.)
-Has Jesus been knocked off the throne of Lordship in our lives?
Prayer:
Jesus as we stand amidst the legion of demands upon our time and allegiances we echo the declaration of the apostle Peter, that our hearts desire is that “Jesus be the Lord and Messiah” in our lives. Please hear our prayer and realign our lives to your will and purposes. For your glory we pray. In Jesus Name. Amen.