The Confession of St. Peter
“Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah - the Son of the living God.’”
Matthew 16:13-16
Jan. 18 marks the feast day of the Confession of St. Peter the Apostle. Peter, the fisherman, was called by Jesus to follow Him, one of the 12 apostles, who was in Jesus’ inner circle of followers who worked and traveled throughout His public ministry.
Immediately after Peter responded to Jesus’ query with “You are the Messiah — the Son of the living God,” Christ told him that he would be the rock upon which the church is built, and that Jesus would give Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven.
What I love most about that scene is that Peter was a hero at that moment; he had the right answer and Jesus praised him for his strength and leadership. However, it wasn’t always like that. There are many places in the Gospels where we hear stories of Peter missing the mark and not getting things right. Peter always seemed to be exuberant in his love of Jesus, but was far from perfect and even denied that he knew Christ three times before His crucifixion.
None of us are perfect in our faith and our lives. The good news is that we do not have to be perfect to love Jesus and do His work in the world.
We are reminded by Peter and his life “that our Lord did not come to save the godly and strong, but to save the weak and the sinful. Simon, an ordinary human being, was transformed by the Holy Spirit into the ‘Rock’ and became the leader of the Church.”
Collect for the Feast Day of the Confession of Saint Peter
Almighty Father, who inspired Saint Peter, first among the apostles, to confess Jesus as Messiah and Son of the living God: Keep your Church steadfast upon the rock of this faith, so that in unity and peace we may proclaim the one truth and follow the one Lord, our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (BCP, page 238)
