"Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"
As we move into the desert with Jesus we are more and more able to understand who he truly is. The distractions of the world distract us less. Those who speak falsehood and partial truth about Jesus are harder to hear and hold less sway. We are more open to the voice of the Father speaking to us. Jesus is not asking what we learn about him from the world. He is asking us who is. He wants us to answer with revelation.
Jesus wants his Church to be built on this revelation of who he is.
Simon Peter said in reply,
"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
And so I say to you, you are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my Church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
Jesus builds his Church in a way that protects it from human deception and error. He establishes the Chair of Saint Peter so that the faithful always have a true north toward which they can orient themselves. We can test the truth or falsehood of our own revelations of who Jesus is against what we are told from the Chair. The Chair cannot replace the revelation to each one of us. But neither can we, without error, fully know who Christ is without the guidance of the Chair. It is not a substitute for revelation. It is a reliable guide to the truth of revelation.
I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
The revelation of who Jesus is prevents us from becoming people who preach but do not practice. It prevents us from tying up heavy burdens hard to bear but doing nothing ourselves to help. That was the indictment of those who sat on the Chair of Moses, the predecessor to the new and more perfect Chair of Peter. When we know who the chief Shepherd is, and what he suffered for us, we tend the flock for the sake of the flock. We use the truth for the sake of building up others and not tearing them down. We and they walk together toward the kingdom.
And when the chief Shepherd is revealed,
you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
The LORD is a shepherd who wants his sheep to know and believe in the love he has for them. He gives us shepherds after his own heart to watch over us and keep us safe. He spreads before us the table of his body and blood and anoints us with his Holy Spirit. Let us receive the revelation of who Jesus is so that we may follow him and his appointed shepherds into his house. There will shall rejoice forever.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
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