Matthew 16:13-23

Numbers 20:1-13

Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9

Matthew 16:13-23

Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi

and he asked his disciples,

“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,

still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

Simon Peter said in reply,

“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.

For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.

And so I say to you, you are Peter,

and upon this rock I will build my Church,

and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.

I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.

Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;

and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Then he strictly ordered his disciples

to tell no one that he was the Christ.

From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples

that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly

from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,

and be killed and on the third day be raised.

Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him,

“God forbid, Lord!  No such thing shall ever happen to you.”

He turned and said to Peter,

“Get behind me, Satan!  You are an obstacle to me.

You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I contemplate today the wondrous confession of Simon Peter. I too unite my prayer to his confession: Jesus is the Messiah and your Son! I fully accept the path of redemptive suffering and dying to self. I will follow your Son wherever he leads me.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Three Blessings upon Peter: When Simon Peter confesses that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of the living God, Jesus pronounces a threefold blessing upon Peter. Simon, the son of Jonah, is first blessed because he has received a revelation from the heavenly Father. Simon didn’t come to the conclusion that Jesus was the promised Messiah by another human being convincing him of it or telling him. It was a grace and revelation that Simon welcomed and did not hesitate to profess. The second blessing is that Simon will be the rock upon which Jesus will build his Church, and, what is more, the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. Sometimes we hear this line and think that the powers of hell are bashing against the Church and will not prevail, but it is better to read the line as the gates of hell not being able to prevail against and withstand the Church, the mystical Body of Christ. The Rock will be strong to the degree he welcomes and collaborates with the grace of Christ. The third blessing given to Peter is that of the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. This is a reference to the role of the prime minister in the Kingdom of David. The prime minister had the keys to the palace and could choose to let someone in or keep someone out. In like manner, Simon Peter and his successors have been granted a binding and loosing authority. They are commissioned and given authority to teach the people of God, to forgive the sins of the members of Christ’s body (to sanctify), and to govern the Church.

2. Moses’ Infidelity: In the First Reading, we hear the people of Israel complaining and grumbling in the wilderness. They held a council against Moses and Aaron and complained about the lack of grain, figs, vines, pomegranates, and water in the desert. As before, Moses brought the complaint of the people to the Lord, and the Lord responded. It was a subtle command, but the Lord said to Moses, “Take your staff and … order the rock to yield its waters.” Moses wasn’t supposed to strike the rock with his staff. But that is what happened. Instead of ordering the rock to yield its water, Moses struck the rock twice. Water did gush forth, but the Lord said to Moses and his brother, Aaron, “Because you were not faithful to me in showing forth my sanctity before the children of Israel, you shall not lead this community into the land I will give them.” And this came to pass. Moses didn’t lead the people across the Jordan River and into the Promised Land; Joshua, Moses’ successor, did. The place where this rebellion of the people and the infidelity of Moses took place was Meribah. And so, the Psalmist sings: “Oh, that today you would hear his voice: Harden not your hearts as at Meribah, as in the day of Massah in the desert, Where your fathers tested me; they tested me though they had seen my works.”

3. Warnings in Psalm 95: Psalm 95 is a psalm of praise. It issues a summons to worship and a warning against unfaithfulness. “This implies that liturgy and life form a unity, so that serving God in the Temple must be joined with a commitment to obeying God when he speaks. Otherwise, hearers risk offending him and forfeiting the blessing of his ‘rest’ (95:11)” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 913). In verses 8-9, the psalm draws lessons from Exodus 17:1-7 and Numbers 20, when the pilgrims of Israel complained about the lack of water and rebelled against Moses. Psalm 95 invites us to “harden not” our hearts and be on guard against stubborn disobedience when God speaks his word. Verse 11 recalls God’s oath of disinheritance in Numbers 14:21-23, when Israel refused to enter into the Promised Land of rest. The Letter to the Hebrews recalls this passage and warns Christians against unbelief (Hebrews 3:8-19). Read in this light, we see how Peter is tempted to harden his heart against Jesus’ words about his upcoming suffering and death in Jerusalem as the Messiah. Peter has to learn that it is through suffering that Jesus will open the gates to heavenly glory.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I am humbled as I contemplate how you established the New Covenant through the shedding of your blood and your death on the Cross. You are the eternal high priest, ever faithful and ever merciful! Teach me to live as you did and be a faithful and merciful servant of the Kingdom.

Living the Word of God: How am I exercising authority in my family, in my community, in my workplace? Do I truly see myself as a servant leader like Christ, or have I fallen into the false temptations of pride and power?