The setting of this story, Caesarea Philippi, is significant.  From the earliest mists of human history, it was a considered to be a place of revelation and mystery.  It had originally been a worship center for the Canaanite “god” Baal.  In Hellenistic times, it was known as Paneas because the “god” Pan had been worshiped there.  Herod the Great had built a temple to the Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus there.  It was now time for a truer light to shine.

Jesus asked a question, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”  The question may already be loaded with the appropriate answer.  “Son of Man” was likely an ancient code name for God’s future end-time agent of judgment and salvation — part of what it meant to be the Messiah. 

Of course Jesus did not ask this initial question because he did not already know what people were saying about him.  He did.  Rather, it was a device to lead into the real question, “But who do you say that I am?”  We can almost hear the stress on the word “you” as the question is asked.

It was the core question then, and it is the core question now.  Everything rises and falls on the answer.  When it comes to his relationship with us, Jesus is still not really much interested in what others say and giving back an answer about what others say is really just an evasion.  For each of us individually, and for the collective body of Christian believers, it doesn’t really matter much who others say that Jesus is.  There will always be a wide variety of answers.  Some will still say that he was just another prophet, or a kind teacher, or an interesting historical figure, or a tragic and deluded man.

Simon Peter was not reluctant to make a bold claim:  “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”  Being able to give that answer from the depth of his heart ¾ not  because it was expected or because someone else said it ¾ was a sign of blessing.  The blessing was a deep and personal relationship with the living God.  It is the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives that makes that conviction, that depth of faith, possible.

The name “Peter” means “rock,” so Jesus’ next remark might be stated this way: “You are rock, and upon this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.” 

This remark speaks to the heart of real Christian life.  The Rock, Peter, became the foundation stone Jesus would use to begin building the church, the one who was to become the early church’s chief teacher after Jesus was gone,[1] because of his faith and personal relationship with God — a relationship so deep that he knew without any reservation who Jesus really is.  Even so, neither he nor the church would escape trouble.  “Hades” was the realm of the dead.  It was also symbolic of the place from which the powers of Satan would emerge to attack God’s people.  But the good news is that the church, God’s people who are Christ’s body on earth, will survive and ultimately win out.

It is now 2,000 years later, but everything is still the same.  The world is still full of attractive, sparkling impermanent sand upon which many call us to build, but there is only one solid foundation that will hold up when trouble comes.  We discover that foundation by opening ourselves to God.  The solid rock upon which to build is the conviction, that comes not out of rationalization but out of openness to the Holy Spirit, that Jesus is the Messiah, the Holy One, the Son of the Living God, the only One we can ultimately trust, the only One who is sure, the only One who will hold us up when trouble comes.  And come it will, make no mistake about it.  Planting ourselves firmly in God’s camp makes us enemies of those in other places.  But we are on the side of the One who is here with us now and will welcome us home in the future.  There is no other key to real life.

 

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