NOTES for Mat 16:13-19

Peter's confession is one of the key Gospel episodes. Not only because here Peter recognizes Jesus as the Messiah for the first time, but also because at the very moment of this recognition he becomes the head of the apostolic community. Everything is logical: the one who first recognized the Messiah as the Messiah becomes the head. And yet there is something more here, something that cannot be reduced to a confession as a verbal formula.

There is precisely recognition, encounter, realization. It is no accident that the conversation begins with the Savior's question about who people consider Him to be. The answer gives the whole set of traditional cliches of that time: John the Baptist risen from the dead, Elijah come down from heaven, one of the ancient prophets whom God had raised to bear witness to the truth. Only not the Messiah: in this respect, the Savior's whole earthly path refuted the common ideas of traditional popular religiosity.

Remaining within those ideas, it was impossible to take Him for the Messiah. To recognize Him precisely as the Messiah, one had simply to look at Him, face to face, without any preassigned "points of view," without looking back at all the traditional views, models, and concepts. What was needed was the purity of direct perception, when the one who, or the thing that, stands before you is perceived directly, in a single whole act of will, without reflection, without looking back at all the "baggage" accumulated over a long life.

This was revelation, a moment of truth familiar to everyone who has seriously sought the truth. To see the person standing before you in this way, one had to find oneself in another reality. Or rather, in the fullness of reality, for the Kingdom is nothing other than the fullness of the reality of God's great world, opened to a person as much as he can contain it.

In such fullness, and only in it, can one see the Messiah as the Messiah. This is not a confession of Christ's divine-human nature, as is sometimes thought; there is no assertion here of any theological concepts at all. There is simply the Encounter. It was an encounter with Christ in the fullness of His person, and therefore in divine-human fullness, but there was none of the theological reflection that gives rise to doctrinal formulas.

Such an experience makes a person a follower of the Messiah, bringing him into the life of the Kingdom, and therefore Peter becomes the head of the apostolic community. Of course, not by inheritance: such an experience cannot be passed on to anyone; one can only bear witness to it, while each person must live through it for himself if he wants to become the successor of the apostle Peter not by status, but by spirit. In the same way, every Christian must live through it, if he wants to become a Christian not only in words but in deed, to become a follower of the Messiah and a citizen of the Kingdom.

It is hard to take responsibility for one’s choice. It is hard to state a definite opinion, hard to make a decision, because you bear responsibility for all its consequences and fruits. And if this choice, this decision, belongs to the religious or moral sphere, then one has to answer for it with one’s whole life. And in general it is hard to make decisions: can a person really know anything for certain?

That is why the moment is so important when the apostle Peter, whether on his own behalf or on behalf of all the Twelve, resolves to say the words: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Through this confession Peter receives the Lord Jesus as Savior. Everything that follows, witness, preaching, the weight of the night in Gethsemane, and the gift of Pentecost, is founded on this decision of Peter, on his personal act and confession. Becoming the foundation of the Church, he is joined, if not to the divine nature, for the Last Supper is still far off, then to Christ’s divine authority.

Peter himself appears to have experienced this moment deeply. In his letter, written around the year 63, when speaking about the essence of faith and life, he mentions precisely the readiness “to give an account of the hope” (1 Pet. 3:15). Strictly speaking, the apostleship of the Twelve consists first of all in their confession and only afterward in preaching over the whole face of the earth. And this applies in full measure to all their disciples.

It’s difficult to take responsibility for our own choice; difficult to express a certain opinion, difficult to make a decision since we bear responsibility for all its consequences and results. And if this choice and this decision are in the domains of religion and morality, we will answer for them {choice and decision} all our life. It is not on a broader scale easy to make a decision, because is it possible to a man to know something for sure?

Therefore the moment when Apostle Peter decides to pronounce from himself and on behalf of all the twelve: «You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God» is so important. Due to this confession of faith Peter accepts Jesus as the Saviour. Everything further - testimony, sermon, Gethsemane’s night affliction and Pentecostal gift are based on this Peter’s decision and action, on his confession of faith. Becoming the Church’s foundation, he joins if not the Divine nature (the Lord's Supper is still far enough), then the divine power of Jesus Christ.

Peter himself probably experienced this moment deeply. He alludes specifically the willingness to «give an answer of the hope» (1 Peter 3:15), while talking about the essence of life and faith written in the epistle about year 63. The Twelve’s apostleship consists first of all in their confession of faith and only after – in preaching all over the world. And this also concerns all their disciples.

Who do you say Jesus of Nazareth is? It’s impossible to ignore this question. Who’re You, who do You think You are? Son of Man, Who is He? Who do you say I am? – it’s one of the main questions in the Gospel. They brought to Him a demon-possessed man? And He healed him. Then people said: Is He not Christ, the son of David? Isn’t the one who has to save the world? And He Himself says: I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. Your answer to the question who is Jesus – is that sword, penetrating till the depths, “till the disjunction of organs and brain”. Know you can’t give an evasive answer to this question.

So, the Pharaoh becomes hardened when God tells him through Moses: let My people go. It is written in the book of Exodus: “I will harden Pharaoh's heart” (Ex 4 :21). It will be naive to believe that God compels the Pharaoh to refuse by a special creative action. Only demons taking possession of people’s will can act in this way. But the Pharaoh, faced to a dilemma can’t remain evasively polite: either the One Who sent Moses is God and he should then obey, either there is only one living god in Egypt– the Pharaoh.

Pharisees also as the Pharaoh are faced to a choice to make: either this Man is the Redeemer of the world, or He isn’t. There is no place for soft-hearted political correctness here. Actually this main life question transforms our hesitating weak-willed heart, and gives opposite properties to it {heart}. But depending on the answer we give to this question, it {heart} will be either the firmness of a living faith, either a hardening, cruel heart as the Pharaoh and Pharisees had.

This is exactly what Jesus notice, when saying: “who is not with me is against me, and who does not gather with me scatters”. Nowadays such formulation seems to us too rigoristic. We’d prefer to elude a direct answer. But nothing except this answer to Christ’s appeal will make your heart strong and your life real. Therefore this question is a gift to us from God.

That is the announcement of the fact which is the foundation of the whole Christian faith. Neither the Theantropic idea, nor the beauty of Jesus’ moral law, but a fact! Christianity is not about theological systems, but about accepting that fact into your life. And the verse we read today is a strong support for embracing the fact of the Resurrection. First of all the news is delivered by an Angel – God’s messenger. That means that the message is of supernatural importance and truthfulness. He begins with “Be not afraid!” These are the words that God uses to begin almost any contact with a human being, showing that his power won’t be turned against the person. “You seek Jesus of Nazareth” – continues the Angel meaning not some abstract concept but a real Man who lived a real life. “Who was crucified,” - without the execution and death, without the free-willsacrifice for my sins Jesus’ story has nothing to do with me and my life.“He is risen” – this is the core of the message. These words strongly proclaim Christ’s victory over death. Over every death, including mine. “He is not here”, he cannot be ‘caught’ anywhere, tomb is not a trap for him. He is free and able to free us. But this is not just a mere phantom. “Behold the place where they laid him”, says the Angel. Everything is real, it happens in space and time – in the normal conditions for our life. Life which from now on is capable to embrace Christ’s Resurrection.

On what is the Church founded? What qualities make Simon, son of Jonah, Peter, the rock laid in the foundation of the Church? Ardent faith? Reckless decisiveness? Leadership charisma? Perhaps... Peter has all these qualities. But it seems that something else is more important. Jesus says these words not immediately after Peter has called Him the Christ, the Son of the living God. First Jesus said that Peter had not come to this confession by his own human powers, but by revelation from the Father.

Thus Jesus puts Peter's openness to God in the first place. This is really so: Peter is strikingly open. He does not always understand everything correctly or at once, he sometimes hurries, sometimes misses the mark, sometimes shows weakness, but he is open, active, and bold. And this is what the Church of apostolic times becomes: it is constantly instructed by the Holy Spirit, it does not shut itself within four walls, fearlessly bearing witness to Christ before the whole world. The Church's invulnerability to the forces of evil, the fact that "the gates of hell will not overcome it," is explained precisely by its openness to God, by its reception of the power of God, the power of the Holy Spirit, which drives away every evil.

What is the foundation of the Church? What qualities make Simon, son of Jonah, Peter – the rock, put in the foundation of the Church? Ardent Faith? Reckless determination? Leadership charisma? Maybe... Peter has all these qualities. But it seems to me that another thing is more important. Jesus says these words not just after Peter named Him Christ, the son of the living God. Firstly Jesus said that Peter didn’t come to this creed by himself, but by revelation from the Father. So, Jesus puts Peter’s openness to God at the first place. This is true, Peter is amazingly open, he doesn’t always understand everything correctly and immediately, he hastens sometimes, sometimes he can miss the mark or show weakness, but still he is open, active and daring. And the Church of apostolic times becomes just like this: it’s constantly counseled by the Holy Spirit, it doesn’t shut itself within four walls, bearing witness of Christ throughout the world without any fear. The Church’s invulnerability to the forces of evil and the fact that «gates of hell shall not prevail against it» is explained exactly by its openness to God, by its acceptance of God’s virtues, of the power of the Holy Spirit, driving away all evil.

Who do people consider Jesus to be? This question still stands before each of us, and we still hear different answers to it.

First He asks the disciples about the opinions circulating among the people. The opinions the disciples repeat differ, in essence, only in whose name is mentioned, but all of them come down to an evaluation of Jesus as a great prophet. And this opinion, in fact, has not disappeared; the most people can decide, looking from a distance, is that He is a prophet. In our time other definitions would be added, for example, "great teacher," and so on. But for the time being all these definitions remain in the realm of abstract information.

Then He asks the disciples for their personal opinion, and this question is addressed to all of us. Here bare theorizing ends and the hour of choice begins. How I will live depends on whom I acknowledge Christ to be.

Therefore Peter's confession became not only his personal acknowledgment of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God. Through his lips all the apostles confessed Christ, and disciples of every time and nation join this confession. Flesh and blood did not reveal this to Peter; that means it was not human reasoning and traditions, but the Heavenly Father. Human reasoning can bring us to the threshold of truth, but the Lord Himself helps us cross that threshold, mysteriously and unnoticed by ordinary perception.

The passage from the book of Numbers tells of human distrust, of how this crowd that came out of Egypt, because of its problems, does not see the presence of the One who can solve all its problems.

How contagious the opinion of the crowd is! Even Moses appears to fall under its influence and, losing trust, strikes the rock twice with his staff instead of bringing water out of it by the WORD. This small irresolution on the part of the one "to whom much has been given" leads to his inability to enter the desired promised land.

A distinctive answer to this story is found in the Gospel passage. Jesus, after listening to various opinions about Himself that come from the crowd, asks the disciples: "But who do you say that I am?" - helping them overcome this pressure from the crowd. And He receives Peter's God-inspired answer: "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God."

The apostles do not understand Jesus at once. Peter, calling Him Christ, that is, the Anointed One, King of Israel, cannot take in His predictions of His own death in Jerusalem.

Do we understand what it means to be Christians? For us, Christianity is most often associated with a certain form of spiritual life, a particular worldview, particular behavior, particular rules of life. Does our "salvation of the soul" not contrast with the words about those who "want to save their soul (life)"? He does not speak about rules, about a worldview, about "Christian values." He speaks about the cross, about bearing the cross, as the mark of a Christian.

If this is hard for us to understand and take in, we should not despair; the apostles could not either. The only important thing is to move along the path of this awareness. And in order to move, we need to know the goal.

Today's reading tells us about Peter's confession (vv. 13-20), which is preceded by Jesus' conversations with the Pharisees about signs (vv. 1-4) and with the disciples about the "leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees" (vv. 5-12). It concludes with a description of Peter's conversation with Jesus, during which Jesus speaks rather sharply about His disciple (vv. 21-28).

The central event here is Peter's confession: he recognizes in Jesus the Messiah, the Christ promised by God, while the people considered Him a prophet (vv. 14-16). And then Jesus, confirming Peter's conclusion, says that he could understand this only through revelation from God (v. 17).

It would seem that the Messiah was expected not only by Jesus' disciples: in Gospel times, messianic expectation among the Jewish people was very intense. But the point is that Jesus least of all resembled the Messiah whom both the people and the learned rabbis expected. The people expected a Messiah-king who would free Judea from Roman rule; the learned rabbis and theologian-scribes wanted to see a Messiah who matched their theological theories. It is no accident that the Pharisees and Sadducees ask Jesus to show them one of those messianic signs by which, according to their own concepts, the Messiah alone could be recognized. And Jesus refuses - not, of course, because it was difficult for Him, but because He did not want to fit into any theological concept and had no intention of conforming to anyone's ideas. Accepting such a Messiah, one who matched no generally accepted norms or views, and in whom the majority were ready to see an ungodly man and a violator of the Torah rather than the Messiah, was truly possible only by revelation.

Soon after this, it was time for Peter and the other disciples to learn about the cross and the Resurrection (v. 21), and then it turned out that this knowledge was unbearable for a person. It was still possible to accept a persecuted and suffering Messiah, especially since the image of the suffering Messiah was well known to every believing Jew from the book of Isaiah. But to accept His complete defeat was utterly unthinkable, and death on the cross was perceived by Peter and the other apostles only as defeat. The reality of resurrection in general, and of Christ's Resurrection in particular, was still only a distant prospect for them, so that even when He had risen, they still could not fully believe it for a long time.

It is no surprise that Peter cannot come to terms with the thought that the Teacher's death is inevitable (v. 22). But Jesus is uncompromising here as well: one cannot stop halfway; one cannot accept the Messiah and refuse His path. A person who acts this way turns from a disciple into an adversary (v. 23). There is only one road into the Kingdom (vv. 24-27), and one can arrive there only by walking it to the end.