13th Sunday after Pentecost
Isaiah 51:1-6; Psalm 138; Romans 12:1-8; Matthew 16:13-20
The location from where Peter receives the inspiration to confess who Jesus is matters this Sunday. Jesus brought his disciples to the town of Caesarea Phillipi, an area north of Galilee where Greco-Roman customs blended with those of the Israelites. The town itself had been a place where both Greeks and Romans worship the gods of this world. Most notable among them is Pam, the Greek god of earth. It is in this place where the pressure to belong could cause one to turn away from the God who made them that Peter speaks the truth about the Christ. This is transforming.
Jesus becomes the quarry from where we were dug up when he agrees with Peter’s statement. Jesus becomes righteousness for us, and we can be delivered only by faith in him. Consequently, the words of Isaiah 51 transform Jesus into our sole source of comfort, joy, justice, light, and hope (3-5).
To the early church in Rome, Paul teaches that the mind that is transformed and renewed by faith that conforms with the gods of this world risks losing sight of the divine purpose for us. They are myriad but have one function: to bear the witness of Christ to the world.
The psalmist praised God,
“I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with my whole heart;
before the gods I will sing your praise.
You will make good your purpose for me;
O Lord, your steadfast love endures forever; do not abandon the works of your hands (Psalm 138:1, 8).”
Bridging Faith 