Who Is Jesus For You?

(Homily 21^st Sunday in Ordinary Time Yr-A)

     The overriding theme that permeates the readings of this day is the unveiling of Jesus’ identity, as the Messiah, Son of God and the symbolism of authority exemplified in the keys  given to Eliakim and to Peter and the change of his name etc. Drawing the issue further, the call and election of Eliakim in the first reading, the Christological confession of Peter and the change of his name, portray in a fascinating manner the workings of God and throw more light on the symbolism of authority and the image of the Messiah. The question of the identity of Jesus is one of the enigma that the Gospel, especially that of Mathew, sets out to unravel to his Jewish readers. In some episodes, questions concerning his identity have been raised: who is this Man? But in the episode of today’s Gospel Jesus himself takes the initiative of asking: who do people say I am? And you, who do you say I am? Even though no human mental assent is able to grasp fully who Jesus is, just as St. Paul observed while talking about God’s wisdom and knowledge in the second reading, but Peter was enabled from above. Today therefore, we reckon with one of the most emblematic and at the same time interesting question in the Scriptures and in Christianity: Who is Jesus? Who do people say he is? Who do you say he is? This question, that is both christological and existential in nature, will serve as our leading star in today’s reflection. Thus, we are going to concentrate on the two questions of Jesus: Who do peopel say I am? And Who do you say I am? He is the Living One, so he is still capable and he continues to interrogate us till today: Who do you say I am?

     In the first reading (Isaiah 22:19-23) we can see the tension between power and authority as exemplified in the personalities of Shebna and Eliakim. From the previous verses we understand that Shebna was a master of the household of the king but he had no right (Is. 22:16). Hence he could have assumed power by force not by authority. On account of this, he became overbearing, arrogant and self-conceited. In fact, he became a disgrace to the master’s house (Is. 22:18). As a result of his style of leadership and arrogance, God designed his replacement with Eliakim. The name ‘Eliakim’ means “my God will raise up”. By implication God raised up His own servant for the house of the king, one on whom He invested authority to become not just a servant but a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. Furthermore, he is also given the keys (v.22) to the house of David and that means entrances and exits are under him. In ancient times, keys represent authority. So to be given the keys of a place means to be given authority over that place. The keys that Eliakim received symbolized authority, which entails that he was second to the king, he could act as the Prime minister. An active mind would really wonder why God had to concern himself with the administration of the household of the King. The answer to this can be seen written large in the event that took place at Caesarea Philippi shown in the Gospel. This passage is connected with the Gospel, especially with reference to Christ acclamation: concerning Peter: “Tu es Petrus”. So we can say that the event of Eliakim’s elevation prefigured that of Peter. St. Paul was very clear on the fact that all authority comes from God (cf. Rm. 13:1), those in authority should also be conscious and respectful of the fact that their positions are God-given and should thus carry out their activities with total fear of God and commitment to service.

     The Gospel of today (Mt.16:13-20) opens up around an unusual location: the district of Caesarea Philippi which then was a Roman city. One significant thing about the area is that the city is surrounded by rocks with Mount Hermon towering with a prominent peak. Our Lord chose this location to ask his disciples one of the most significant questions: “Who do men say that the Son of Man is?” The variety of answers showed the different ways people conceived our Lord Jesus Christ. For some said he was John the Baptist (the forerunner of the Messiah), some said Elijah, others said Jeremiah or one of the prophets. It is good to note that the people they likened our Lord Jesus Christ with were people of high reputation. The episode that Mathew narrated here is also seen in Mark and Luke, although with different specifications. Mathew situated the prediction of the passion, Peter’s protest and Jesus’ rebuke in a separate episode, that followed the confession. In our present passage, Jesus proclaims Peter blessed and gives him the name: Petrus, the Rock, followed by a series of promises (the building of the Church on the foundation of Peter, and the assurance that the powers of hell shall not prevail against the Church). It is only Mathew that is profound in his account: “You are the Christ”. In Mark we see only a recognition of Jesus as Messiah (Mk. 8:29) and not necessarily as the Son of God. And both Mark and Luke do not say anything about the promise to Peter (Lk. 9:20).

     The question of the divine identity latently and in a positive formulation started in the Old Testament when Moses and the Israelites sang the Song of victory: “Yahweh, who is like you, majestic in sanctity, who is like you among the holy ones, fearsome of deed, worker of wonders? (Ex. 15:11). And in the New Testament the question of Jesus’ identity arises in different contexts. In the Gospel of Mathew the disciples asked: What kind of man is this, that even the winds  and the sea obey him?” (Mt. 8:27). In a similar episode, the disciples asked: “who can this be? Even the wind and the sea obey him” (Mk. 4:41). In the Lukan narrative, they exclaimed: “Who can this be, that gives orders even to winds and waves and they obey him?” (Lk. 8:25). Furthermore, there are many affirmations about the identity of Jesus in the Bible. St. Paul identified him as “the image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:15). Mark captioned the beginning of his Gospel thus: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, Son of God” (Mk.1:1), he is the Son of God. And the centurion affirmed:  “Truly, this man is the Son of God” (Mk.15:39). On the other hand, who does Christ say He is? He says: “It is I, the first and the Last, I am the Living One. I was dead but look I am alive forever and ever” (Rev. 1:17-18). In the Gospel of John we see Jesus’ series of I am: “I am the bread of life” (6:51) “I am the Good Shepherd” (10:14) etc.

     In the first question: “who do people say I am?”, here ‘people’ refers to men and women outside, those who have heard about him or seen him, but did not adhere to Him. So, was Jesus worried about what people think or say of him? No! He wants to know what people think of him, and they think that he is a prophet, which is true, but he is more than a prophet. The question only helps us to find out what people say of him and then propels us to rediscover what we think and say of Him too. Little wonder, his second question. But situating the question into our own context: who do the people of our time say he is? The responses are many. Who do atheists say he is? Who do people of other religions say he is? And eventually who do you say he is? For some people in our day and age, Jesus is their protector so apart from protection Jesus does not exist. For others He is their provider so when there is no issue of provision Jesus ceases to exist. When God told Moses in Exodus that His name is I AM…. It was more or less an open check. So one can fill as many things as what one desires from God. It is not surprising that there are still those who respond like the people of that time, that he is a prophet, while some see him as a superman. But he is more than a prophet and a superman. At the second moment, Jesus turned to his disciples and said: “but you who do you say I am? He started with “but”, to indicate that their own answer has to be different. And “you” indicates his disciples and apostles, those who have followed and known him closely, those who have listened to his words and seen his prodigious works. It could be noted that in the first question they could answer in one accord, but in the second, it becomes personalized and Peter spoke up: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God”. The name Christ is from the Greek  word “Christos” meaning the Anointed one and it is equivalent to the Hebrew “Messiah” which means Saviour. Peter’s response unlike that of the people reveals the centrality of his person and mission. Today we still need to answer the question personally and individually. However, as we can see, between the two answers there exists a gap. If for the first to answer they had to look around, to what people say, the opinion of others. Now in the second they have to look deep within themselves, the answer comes from the inner recesses of man, as he listens to the voice of God that speaks, because “it is not flesh and blood that revealed it to you”. I will find the answer to this question within my heart, and not in some Theological treatise or any Christological verbalizing. Jesus does not require an exact answer or a perfect response; instead He wants a sincere response and our involvement.

     Indeed, Peter’s answer was correct: "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Come to think of it, it is interesting to note that Peter could give such a convincing answer, and later on, he would deny and desert the Christ. Of a truth, most of us can identify with Peter. He knew who Christ is up in his head, but then it has not yet arrived in his heart. As a matter of fact, knowing who Jesus is, is not faith, because even Satan does. It is only when our knowledge passes into action that it becomes faith. Notwithstanding, Jesus commends Peter, for his answer, and he affirms that it is the Father who has revealed the truth to him. He then confirmed Peter as the one on whom he would build his Church. Then, Jesus poured out trust and promises on Peter. Jesus changes the name of Simon, as in the bible when one receives a new name it is accompanied by a new mission: he called him Kefa. However, the true rock is Jesus himself, the ideal Rock is God Himself (cf. Ps. 18:2; Ps. 144:1), but Kefa stands for a building stone that forms part of the building. Not only that, there is also a need for a sign that renders the Corner stone visible and that will be Peter and his successors (Apostolic succession). In this passage Jesus installs the petrine ministry. Christ promised Peter: “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven”, as we earlier opined, keys represent authority. He told Peter two significant things: “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven”. As evident in this passage, when God calls a person He gives him or her a new name, which many a times is revelative of a new mission. Receiving a new name means a change of status, we remember when Jacob’s name was changed to Israel, Abram to Abraham and Simon to Peter (Kefa). Have you recognized the name God has given you, do you know who you are called to be (some are called to be like eagles while they remain fouls that cannot fly), may be not out of their own making. May your God given name and mission manifest in your life!

     Today what is important to Jesus is not what people say, but what we, you say, who is Christ for you? Who is he in your life? It is not enough to parade ourselves as Christians or to claim to believe in the divinity of Christ, we have to give testimony to it. I remember Paul Claudel in his book: “The Humble Father”, a Hebrew blind girl asked her Christian friend, “you that see, what do you see, what do you use the light for? This we have to ask ourselves equally today. You that believe in Christ, who is He for you? Jesus needs our response, we cannot invent answers or responses, rather we need to identify him through our personal encounter and experience with Him. In fact, till today, we continue to proclaim our faith in Him as the Christ and the Son of God, we profess it continually in the Creed of the Church. Through her teachings and prayers, the Church continues to respect this faith: Jesus is not only a man, or a prophet, He is more than a prophet, He is God-with-us. We need to internalize this Peter’s profession of faith and make it ours, else it becomes insignificant. Interestingly, at the end of the episode Mathew reported that: “He gave the disciples strict orders not to say to anyone that he was the Christ” (v.20). This of course, is no longer the case today. Then, it was necessary that the apostles maintain the “messianic secret”, because the people have not been prepared to receive the message. Contrarily, today Jesus orders us to tell all that He is the Christ, especially to the people who continue to ask: who is Jesus of Nazareth? We have a mandate of professing our faith in Him and making Him known.

     The second reading (Rm. 11:33-36) presents the mysterious ways God intervenes in the history of humanity, the way he leads us to discover the identity of Jesus. Upon seeing this Paul exclaimed “how rich are the depths of God, how deep his wisdom and knowledge”. In this passage, we see the wonderful doxology that succeeds Paul’s discussion of the place of Israel in the history of salvation. Beginning from the ninth chapter to the eleventh chapter of his letter to the Romans, St. Paul tried to reflect and theologize about the ways and workings of God in salvation history. However, he accepted his inadequacy before the profundity of God’s wisdom: “How rich are the depths of God-how deep his wisdom and knowledge and how impossible to penetrate his motives or understand his methods”. Indeed, the peak of his consideration is that no one can know the mind of God. No matter how hard we try, our knowledge of God remains inadequate, and any claim to know him in toto demeans His omnipotence. Today therefore, Paul not only presents to us the greatness of the wisdom of God, but also His sovereignty over all creation. It is in knowing him that we can appreciate his greatness.

     Extrapolating from the Gospel passage, we may well affirm that by his answer, Peter made a personal commitment to Christ. And Jesus said, “Blessed are you, Peter”. He called Peter the rock of faith and appointed him the cornerstone of the Church, and gave him the keys of the kingdom. But it might interest you to know that Peter did not always act as good as he talked and here lies the challenge of the Christian faith and its proclamation. Peter was human as we are, so he had his weaknesses and fragility as well. But no doubt, Peter loved Jesus. Irrespective of his frailties and doubts, each time Peter failed, he picked himself up. We are like Peter, although in different degrees, that is why we need the sacrament of reconciliation. Conscious of our own frail conditions, let us ask the Messiah, the Son of God in our midst to make of us small rocks for the edification of His Church and a new humanity. Amen!

(Fr. Vitus M.C. Unegbu, SC)