Reflection by The Rev'd Deborah Broome

Peter – flawed and faithful

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.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”                              

Matthew 16:13-19

This Sunday many churches will be celebrating St Peter’s Day. Peter has the position of primacy amongst the apostles: his name’s always given first whenever they’re listed. And this isn’t because he was the first to be called, or because he was the most impressive, but because he was the first to identify Jesus as the Messiah, the anointed one of God, the one for whom God’s people had been waiting for many years. And the way Matthew presents it here, this revelation came out of nowhere – I imagine Peter was just as surprised as the others to hear what he found himself saying. All of a sudden here was a bigger picture of Jesus!  This is less about identification (as if Jesus has suddenly got a new name tag) and more about allegiance.  Less about people saying who Jesus is, and more about the difference their answer makes for how they live.  

Peter holds an important place in the church, but in many ways he’s also very typical – a follower who strives, stumbles, and still carries on. He’s the one who always seems to open his mouth and put his foot in it. He’s the one who had to recover from his own all-too-public denial of Jesus (it’s in all the Gospels!). I find it oddly comforting that the Church has always been open about how flawed many of its leaders are.  They’re not expected to be super-human, or to get things right all the time. Peter speaks to church leaders and to ordinary Christians. He’s always calling us onwards, encouraging us to get over our mistakes and our failures – as he himself had to do – and to move on into the future, knowing that we are forgiven and loved.  Peter invites us to live a life that puts Jesus at the centre and takes him as an example for how to live.        

How do we answer Jesus’ question, “who do you say that I am?” And what does that mean for our lives?