Loving God, just as your blessing rested upon Simon Peter, so you bless us when we recognize and confess Jesus as Lord.  Stir up our hearts by the power of your Holy Spirit, strengthening our faith and deepening our love; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    For many people today, the question really hasn’t changed that much: Who is Jesus anyway?  Many will tell you that they really aren’t sure, and will even ask if Jesus was a real person.  Others will tell you without hesitation that Jesus is their Lord and Saviour and is Lord of heaven and earth.  Today, of course, we hear Peter’s confession of faith: Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God (Mt. 16:16).  And for this confession, Peter is pronounced to be blessed.  God blesses those who confess Jesus as Lord.

    It starts out as an innocent enough conversation.  Jesus and his disciples have stopped to rest somewhere around Caesarea Philippi.  Having walked up to the plateau that overlooks the Jordan Valley, they sit down for a bit to enjoy the view and the cooler air.  And as they are resting there, Jesus wants to know what people have been saying about him.  Who do they think Jesus is?

    The answers come slowly at first.  Apparently some have been saying that Jesus seems a lot like John the Baptist, and perhaps John has come back from the dead in Jesus.  Another disciple has heard that Jesus must be Elijah, for Elijah was supposed to come again to announce the Messiah and the day of the Lord (cf. Mal. 4:5-6; Mt. 11:14).  Another disciple chimes in and says that he had heard Jeremiah mentioned, along with various other prophets.  To some, it seemed as though Jesus was speaking the word of the Lord just like the prophets of old.

    However, the conversation suddenly becomes a lot more intense and personal as Jesus asks the disciples what they have to say: “Who do you say that I am?” (Mt. 16:15).  Simon Peter, always the one to speak first and think later, doesn’t hesitate for a moment.  “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Mt. 16:16).  And in that moment, Simon Peter is pronounced to be blessed, for God blesses those who confess Jesus as Lord.

    Fast forward to here and now, today.  What do you hear?  Who do people today say that Jesus is?  What have you heard?  (A prophet (Islam); a good man; a wise teacher; some wonder if he was a real person; Son of God; Saviour; Messiah; God Incarnate; Immanuel; a curse word)  So there are lots of different things that we might hear about Jesus.  But you – who do you say that Jesus is?  (Possible responses: I don’t know; Lord and Saviour; Son of God; Messiah; same as above)

    Blessed are you who take no offense at Jesus (Mt. 11:6).  Blessed are you who know Jesus and confess him as Saviour and Lord (Mt. 16:17; Rom. 10:9).  Blessed are you who know your need of God (Mt. 5:3).  Blessed are you who see who Jesus is and hear what he has to say (Mt. 13:16).  We’ll think more in a moment about how this blessing happens, but first we also need to consider at least briefly what happens when people don’t recognize who Jesus is.

    For some, their minds will go immediately to hellfire and brimstone, and you can certainly use those images if you find it helpful.  However, another way to think about it is simply as separation from God.  Those who don’t recognize Jesus as their risen Lord and Saviour are in effect depriving themselves of a life-giving relationship with our loving God.  They are depriving themselves of forgiveness and salvation.  They are depriving themselves of the abundant life that Jesus came to bring.

    Of course, separation from God will also be evident in behaviour.  And so where you see violence or greed or sexual promiscuity or hatred or self-centredness or fighting or over-indulgence, you can be sure that there is no recognition there of who Jesus is or of the power that he has to change lives.

    One might wonder, of course, if knowing who Jesus is can really make that much of a difference.  With any other person it might not, but when you know the Lord of the Universe, it makes all the difference in the world.  Take Simon Peter, for example.  He is pronounced to be blessed – to have the highest degree of peace and contentment that a person can have – because he has recognized who Jesus is and has confessed it.  As part of this blessing, Peter will be part of a church – a community of people who will come together in order to be strengthened to go back out into the world and be a blessing to others.  Not even death - symbolized by the gates of Hades - will tear this church down (Mt. 16:18).

    Even better, the church of Christ will be given the authority to forgive sins - sometimes called the office of the keys.  And in this forgiveness through Jesus Christ, so many more people will find blessing.  In fact, Peter himself would experience this forgiveness, for even though he has a rock-solid confession in today’s gospel, he later denies even knowing Jesus out of fear.

    However, Jesus’ love and forgiveness win out.  Peter is forgiven and restored and goes on to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to be filled with joy and peace throughout his trials and hardships.  Peter is, indeed, blessed, for God blesses those who confess Jesus as Lord.

    Now, does this mean that you will have all kinds of worldly success and lots of money and a big house and a fast car?  Maybe, but it’s highly unlikely.  For one who confesses Jesus as Lord doesn’t live only for themselves, but also for brothers and sisters in Christ who are in need.  And so, what can we say that this blessing might look like?

    Imagine that you believe and confess that Jesus is risen from the dead and is your Lord and Saviour.  Imagine that you walk daily with Jesus, coming to God regularly in prayer and listening for God’s Word to you from the Scriptures.  Imagine that you approach every challenge, every trial, and every piece of bad news knowing that God’s power is greater than any other in this world.  Imagine that you live with peace in your heart because you know that you belong to God through Jesus Christ.

    Imagine that you have learned to give generously and joyfully, and have discovered that the more you give, the more God gives back to you.  Imagine that you take each decision that you make and lay it before God and ask what God would have you do.  Imagine that you can face danger, or even death, knowing that you are in God’s care no matter what.  Imagine that you can forgive yourself and others, because you know that God in Christ has loved and forgiven you.

    God has acted in order to make such blessings possible.  God pours out the Holy Spirit into our hearts and gives us gifts like joy and peace and love.  God even gives us the gift of faith, so that we can believe and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.  And then, God blesses us, for God blesses those who confess Jesus as Lord.  Thanks be to God!  Amen.

Lectionary 21(A)                                Matthew 16:13-20
August 21, 2011
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

© 2011 Lynne Hutchison  All Rights Reserved