Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is? They said, “For some of them you are John the Baptist, for others Elijah or Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” Jesus asked them, “But you, who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God,” Jesus replied, “It is well for you,Simon Barjona, for it is not flesh or blood that has revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. “And now I say to you; You are Peter (or Rock) and on this rock I will build my Church; and never will the powers of death overcome it.
The faith affirmation of Peter is both a confession of a need for salvation and an acceptance of a solid center. The exchange that happened between him and Jesus is actually an exchange that is for all of us too. When you say to Jesus as Henri Nouwen wrote, “you are the Messiah the Son of the living God, Jesus can say you are the rock on whom I will build my church.” There is a mutuality of recognition and a mutuality of truth here. When we acknowledge that God has come among us through the Messiah–his anointed one–it free us from captivity, God can point to our solid core and make us the foundation for a community of faith.
–Bible Diary, Claretian Publications.
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