Sundays 23rd and 30th August, 12th and 13th Sundays after Trinity

This week’s sheet is a double edition…

In today’s Gospel reading (Matthew 16:13-20) Jesus does something a bit odd. When Peter recognises him as Messiah, Jesus praises him and says that this confession of faith will be the foundation stone of the Church. And indeed it was: the basic proclamation of the early Christians, for which many were persecuted and put to death, was “Jesus is Lord”, and this declaration remains core to our mission and evangelism to this day.

But Jesus, having affirmed Peter’s understanding, then tells all the disciples not to tell anyone that he is the Messiah. Which seems a bit counterproductive – isn’t that the whole point?

A clue here is to be found at the start of the passage. People have many different ideas about who Jesus is, some more helpful than others. And Jesus is more interested in being the Messiah than in engaging in futile debate. By being the Messiah, Jesus reveals the truth of who he is and enables people to understand what that means through experience.

In our own time, there are many competing ideas about who Jesus is. There is an honoured tradition of apologetics – explaining or justifying Christian faith through debate and persuasion – but this is a demanding and particular calling. Not all of us are blessed with skills of rhetoric or persuasion, but all of us in our own way can live faithful lives that reveal the truth and values of the Kingdom of God – as our reading from Romans 12:1-8 reminds us. Sometimes actions speak louder than words. Let’s live loudly.

Every blessing,

Roger