Matthew 16:13-20
13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi,
Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
Peter and Jesus, according to the bones and the Bible, were about the same birth year. When we see art of Peter, he is an old man. For most of his ministry - this is not quite Peter's lifetime look. Peter approaches his ministry as a rather youthful man.
John 20
20 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.
Peter - friend, Disciple and Servant of Jesus Christ - begins His Ministry...
Peter, is a smart man with good financial intelligence, a family man, good to his wife's mother. Andrew told Peter in John 1, the Messiah has been found. Peter observes Jesus to decide. Peter and Andrew ask Jesus to return to their original hometown and to heal those in need of God's Messiah. Peter is compassionate and caring. Evidently, Peter doesn't run very quickly.
Peter is going to Build God's Church. He starts when he is middle aged as the Roman Republic fell to becoming the Roman Empire. Rome is adjusting to cultural changes.
Peter arrives fairly soon in Rome with an enormous task. And finds he has willing souls to hear him. Questions surround Peter and his son in Jesus Christ, by ministry, begin.
Peter contemplates with Mark - where will they begin?
80 feet underneath the Vatican altar, is the Vatican necropolis - originally a burial ground built on the southern slope of the Vatican Hill, adjacent to the Circus of Caligula/Nero. This is where Caligula and Nero trained racing with four horse chariots. In 65 AD, the first fist public persecution of Christians happened in this circus. In accordance with the Roman law, it was forbidden to bury the dead within the city walls. For this reason, burial grounds sprang up along the roads outside of the city cemeteries. One of these streets, the Via Cornelia, ran north along the Vatican hill.
And as you look under the Vatican, you find a Roman street 1st and 2nd century Romans would recognize. Complete with door frames. This street not only held the cemetery, it is a slum, where foreigners would live freely. It's an area of Rome Peter would have known well.
Peter would begin, where he would begin to teach about Jesus. Mark's gospel is not very long, but these are the events Romans had heard of and wanted to learn and speak of. What would be Peter's starting point to tell about Jesus?
Mark 1
1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,
“Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way,
3 the voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,’”
4 John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
12 The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.
14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
16 Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” 18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19 And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.
21 And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. 22 And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.
The Starting Point is interesting...
Taming the Wilderness. Peter is starting where he sees others needing.
It would be fair to say Peter, as a Jew, would feel he was in the wilderness. And Peter, probably did not feel like wearing a toga or Roman attire with ready glee. Homespun Judea probably wasn't 'exactly the thing.' Romans ate a lot of pork, sausage, eels (fished them to extinction), molluscs and shrimp - a great after Kosher workout. The Roman gods and cultural upheaval - a spiritual trial.
Peter 'probably' spent time remembering why all this upheaval was necessary. And would remember exactly who Jesus is as the Son of God.
Would Peter be able to do what Jesus had given him to do? Baptized with the Holy Spirit, yes. But not without the clear delineation of vast changes. Why was Peter good at what God had appointed him to do? God gave Peter the gifts and abilities God knew he would need!
Maybe Peter was explaining how many others have faced challenges of a changing world, just at the Romans were facing so many changes as the Roman Republic ended and the Empire began - all of family life changed as divorce was easy and free. Women, children and men had to face their lives as inessential to the ones they had held dear. Just as John the Baptist faced his own God call in His Journey. And Peter could relate this well.
Peter was answering “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
And we are doing this daily as we move and live and have our being in His Journey.
Abba,
Give us this day, our Daily Living Jesus Bread. The aroma is pleasing to You!
Bless us and Keep us, make Your Face to Shine upon us and Thank You, You have been Gracious to me, to us. Bless this Season to be more gracious.
Lift up Your Face and Smile upon me. And those I love. Give us Peace, Your very own Peace.
Surround, uplift, know us before and after in the Name of Jesus and we will be Blessed.
Blessed to hope for more Heaven upon earth in Your Good Will. For me. For you. For our loved ones. For those facing supreme challenges. For those having Good News. For all of the people You have given us. For the Nation Trusting in You. For Peace and having You Sing Joyfully over us. We will trust in You as all of Your Good Creation does.
Amen in Jesus.
♔ Lord Jesus Saves! †
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