Rocky 5 Billion

Pentecost 10, Year A, 2011

Text: Isaiah 51: 1-6; Romans 12: 1-8; Matthew 16: 13-20.

Let us bow our heads in prayer –
Living God, help us as the Church to unlock our doors with the keys that you give us, so that others may be welcomed in. Amen.
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Today’s Gospel passage is among the most studied and debated in the New Testament. Historically, of course this passage has been central to issues surrounding authority in the church, especially the authority of the episcopacy of the Bishop of Rome, or the Pope. However, I think this is a misunderstanding of what this passage is actually truly about and I want to suggest today that it is in fact suggesting something much deeper.

Our Gospel passage begins with Jesus and the disciples reaching Caesarea Philippi where he asks his disciples “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”, which is followed by quite a debate among the disciples as to the ‘Son of Man’s’ identity. I don’t want to get into discussing the meaning of the term ‘Son of Man,’ suffice to say that this was an apocryphal figure who Jesus seemed to identify himself with.

Turning the attention to himself Jesus then asks them “But who do you say that I am?” Perhaps there is a bit of a clue here as to what Jesus is trying to suggest in asking the question about the ‘Son of Man’ first, and then in the words ‘I am’, which are words used throughout the Hebrew Scriptures to refer to God. In other words maybe Jesus is suggesting here ‘I am God’.

It’s important to realise that Caesarea Philippi was in the far north western part of the Holy Land. This was an area in which Jews mixed with Gentiles and where Roman rule was immediate and not exercised through local Herodian kings. And so when Peter says to Jesus ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God’ in response to Jesus’ question, Peter’s statement could in fact be interpreted in a very revolutionary way and could be interpreted not only as a challenge to the religious establishment but also the power of Ceasar himself.

Of course it is impossible to separate the scripture from its historical context and Peter may well have understood this implication in what he was saying, but I don’t think Peter’s prime motivation in making this statement was political – but was rather spiritual. And this is acknowledged in Jesus answer when he says “Blessed are you, Simon son of Johan! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.” Jesus is saying that Peter has finally got it. Peter finally understands his true identity. Of course this does not mean that Peter totally understood Jesus’ identity and all it’s implication for his own life, as we are to later witness in his denial of Jesus before his crucifixion, but Peter has at least got started!

Peter becomes the very first person to make the great Christian Confession of faith. He names Jesus as the Messiah, the hope of Israel, the Son of the God who created heaven and earth. Prior to Peter the Gospels say that only the demons knew who Jesus was. Now Jesus is beginning to be known by people as well – something new is happing, something new is being built.

In response to Peter’s confession Jesus gives him a new name – ‘Peter’. And this truly is a new name. There is absolutely no record of anyone using ‘Peter’ or ‘Petros’ in Greek meaning rock, or ‘Cephas’ the same word in Aramaic, as a proper name before this event. And so in spite of moves to the contrary, Peter really was ‘Rocky 1’!

In the Hebrew mind a name was a summary of the existence of the thing named. To change a person’s name, like God changing Abram’s name to Abraham or Jacob’s name to Israel, was to alter fundamentally that person’s identity, relationships and mission. It still works that way today. To confess Jesus as the Christ is to be changed, it is to be given, by him a new name, a new identity and mission. At our Baptism our new identity is recognised in the giving of our first name, which is why our first name is also called our ‘Christian name’.

Part of our name, part of our identity that we receive from God is the same as Peter’s. He is Rocky 1, the first rock of the edifice of God’s building the Church, that’s Church with a capital ‘C’ by the way, and we are in effect the movie sequels. Have you ever thought of yourself as a movie sequel before? You are Rocky 5 billion, or whatever. The same director, same plot, just a larger cast. Through us and by us, Christ continues to build God’s church. Though us Christ continues to be present to the world.

Jesus then says something very interesting to Peter ‘I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

This famous verse has been used in many ways. It is a pity that all too often it has served as a “proof text” by the church, with a small ‘c’, to justify exactly the sort of power Jesus opposed. The power Jesus claims and gives to his followers, the true Church, has nothing to do with force, coercion, dominance, or “control,” which are the attributes the church with a small ‘c’ have lorded over society for so long.

Rather Jesus is addressing our very function here as his Church. To be keys of forgiveness to the world. Remember Jesus was teaching within a political context and there were those who would have liked him to lead a political uprising against the Roman authorities, and who thought he was going to do just that. Jesus here is saying, however, that freedom is not found in doing things in an earthly way but rather in a heavenly way through forgiveness. And it is for this reason that he then sternly orders the disciples not to tell anyone that he is the Messiah. He doesn’t want Peter’s recognition of him as the Messiah, and his mission or love and forgiveness to be confused with the political context in which he finds himself at that point in time. That’s is not what he is on about.

So as individual and corporate members of the church, as many parts of one body, while our gifts may be different, as recognised in our Romans reading, our function is the same. We are each individually, and as a corporate body, called to see forgiveness as our function and it is only then that the world will be brought out of darkness into the light. Forgiveness is the demonstration that you are the light of the world and it’s through your forgiveness that you will find God. Therefore, it is through your forgiveness that your salvation lies.

Stop and think for a moment about what you need to forgive in your life. Illusions about yourself and the world are one. That is why all forgiveness is a gift to yourself. Every time we attack someone else or ourselves we call upon our own weakness, while each time we forgive we call upon the strength of Christ. Only forgiveness removes our sense of weakness, fear, guilt and pain. Only forgiveness can bring us to the place that God wants us to be. Jesus has given us the keys of the kingdom as descendents of Peter. It is up to us to unlock the forgiveness within ourselves and help the world proclaim of Jesus “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Amen.