Matthew 16:13-20 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 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.” Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.
My hand shot into the air. I know! I know! Pick me!
When I was a student, I never wanted to disappoint my teachers or embarrass myself. I studied hard, long, and often. I always wanted to be prepared to give the answer. The right answer.
But if I had been among the crowds of people to whom Jesus had spoken, I may have failed to recognize Him for who He is. As a concrete, logical thinker, I’m afraid I would have been just like those who tried to put Jesus in one of the known “boxes”: John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.
Yet when Jesus posed the question, “Who do you say I am?”, only Simon Peter answered. And he got it right. For all of his blunders and faults, this is one of the times when Peter shines as the star pupil. God had revealed to him that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of the living God.
During Advent, we celebrate Jesus’ first coming, when He came to earth as a baby and dwelt among us. But Advent is also a time to look forward to Jesus’ second coming. When He returns, I don’t want to confuse Him with anyone else; instead, I want to recognize Him right away and be able to proclaim, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!” Don’t you?
Father God, please continue to reveal more of Yourself to me each day. I want to know You more.
Amen.
Yes, Alyssa, I do! I want to study hard and be prepared. That is one final exam I don’t want to fail!
Thank you, as always, for a wonderful, thought-provoking post. You know how to get right to the heart of a matter – I love that about you!
Blessings, dear friend.
Love that you brought out that Peter DID get it right that time!! I would have been in your camp, A!