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 of 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.
Gospel Trivia:
This particular passage is considered as the "turning point" or "hinge" in Matthew's gospel. It contains a declaration by the disciples of who Jesus is and, in turn, the appointment of one of the disciples as their leader. Jesus is declared as the "Son of God". Yet, in the chapters that follow, Jesus will talk more and more about his suffering, humiliation, and death. Such a contrast: from being declared as the "Christ and Son of the God" to a Suffering Servant.
How do we interpret the significance of the various personalities and "titles" attributed to Jesus?
- "Christ" - it is not Jesus' last name. The "christ" is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word "messiah". The messiah is the savior or liberator of the people, and is the person chosen or anointed by God to do this task. The messiah is expected to be likely a "king" because he is the leader of the people, and kings are anointed with holy oil. This king or messiah will rule the united tribes of Israel after liberating them from the rule of foreign oppressors which, during the time of Jesus, were the Romans.
- "Son of God" - can refer to the divinity of Jesus, but is also another term used by Hebrews to refer to a "messiah." Biblical scholars believe that when used by Matthew, this title refers to either or both meanings.
- "John the Baptist," "Elijah," "Jeremiah" - some believed that Jesus is the reincarnation of these powerful personalities in Jewish history. These references indicate that Jesus was at least regarded as a prophet -- one who speaks in behalf of God and communicates his message (and not necessarily one who foretells the future).
- "Son of Man" - Jesus used the title in a general sense, to refer to himself as a member of humankind. Thus, the verse above would read, "Who do people say this 'member of the human race' is?" (There are, however, varying views about this title and I discuss these in the section below.)
Based on this authority, Jesus appoints Peter as the head of the church by giving him the "keys", which is a symbol of authority. The word "church" refers to an assembly or local group of believers which, at that time, refers to the band of disciples following Jesus. This movement would grow rapidly from initially a Jewish community to what we now acknowledge as the Catholic Church.
Reflecting on this gospel, it is humbling to note that building God's Kingdom depended not on authority and power but on humility and service.
Other Trivia:
In this gospel, the title "Son of Man" is used by Jesus to refer to himself. Among biblical scholars, it is one of the most widely debated and confusing title applied to Jesus. This debate includes whether Jesus used the title himself, or is it a title that the evangelists applied to Jesus afterwards when they wrote the gospels. Here are some their views:
a. Jesus used the title in a general sense, to refer to himself as a member of humankind. Thus, the verse above would read, "Who do people say this 'member of the human race' is?"
b. The gospel writers used it to refer to Jesus' role at the "end times" similar to the vision of Daniel in Daniel 7:13, "As the visions during the night continued, I saw one like a son of man coming, on the clouds of heaven."
c. Jesus used the title himself in a "paradoxical way as the lowly and disreputable messenger of the powerful Kingdom of God." If I were to paraphrase this, it is as if Jesus said, "You expect the Kingdom of God to come through the power and authority of a militant king; but here I am, a person who eat with the poor and lowly, who will teach you the real meaning of God's Kingdom."
References:
- Nil Guillemette, SJ, A Kingdom for All (Makati: St. Paul's Publications), pp. 213-216.
- Raymond E. Brown et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, pp. 1324-1325.
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