“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
The people were convinced that Jesus was a prophet like other prophets. They thought that he was perhaps a prophet of the restoration of all things expected in the last days. It was thought that Elijah would come again at that time, which was confirmed by Jesus himself when he explained that John the Baptist in some way fulfilled that expectation (see Matthew 17:11). The crowds who gave the answer of John or Elijah must have recognized that Jesus saw himself as in continuity with the message of John. But what they failed to realize is that although Elijah did in some sense come in the person of John the Baptist, he came as a messenger, as a voice crying out, as one who pointed to Jesus who, as John himself insisted, was greater than he. There was some continuity with John who was the greatest outside born of a women outside of the Kingdom of heaven, but there was a still greater and more substantial difference.
Those people who suggested Jeremiah also noticed something valid. There were many ways in which the life and suffering of Jeremiah had and would continue to parallel that of Jesus. Jeremiah had compared himself to a gentle lamb led to the slaughter by his enemies (see Jeremiah 11:19), but Jesus was himself the true sacrificial lamb offered for the sins of the world.
The opinion of the populace, then, captured some truths about the identity of Jesus. There was cleverness and indeed genuine wisdom in what they were able to reason about who he was. But everything they said was based on comparison with the past. Thus they could not ascertain that in Jesus which was entirely new. The truth of who Jesus was transcended human reason and was something that could only be learned by divine revelation.
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.
The Father did not force feed this revelation into the soul of Peter. Rather, Peter's time together with Jesus had opened his heart so that he could receive it. Jesus had revealed himself in various ways: the great catch of fish, walking on water, and by the various cures and exorcisms he performed, and by speaking with authority as no one had ever spoken before. These mysteries cried out for an explanation, one that could not be inferred from the bare facts themselves. But the Father himself provided the answer, and the Spirit provided the words that enabled Peter to confess the one who was himself the Word of the Father.
When we evangelize others, do we tend to rely more on flesh and blood, or more on God's desire to reveal himself? When we ourselves have doubts, do we mainly try to counter them with facts that we have learned, or do we turn to God to receive a deeper revelation from him? It isn't meant to be either/or. Flesh and blood, facts, apologetic wisdom, and philosophy, are all important foundations. But they leave the ultimate question still up in the air. They shape the question and bring us to the door where we may ask. But the answer can only come from heaven. Faith does not contradict reason, but it does transcend it. The answer to this ultimate question is never going to be a source of pride for us, for it always comes as a gift that no one, neither Peter, nor Paul, nor us, can ever earn.
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.
The founding of the Church on Peter and his confession of faith was the way Jesus ensured that the truth contained in that confession would never be lost and would be available to all subsequent generations even down to our own. He did not substitute the need for faith with a Church. Rather, he gave a Church where the continuation of the faith throughout time would be guaranteed. The netherworld would never be able to entirely prevent a remnant from confessing and holding fast to the truth first confessed by Peter. More to it, the netherworld would not be able to stop those believers from breaking down the gates of the netherworld with the good news of Jesus Christ, setting captives free, since Jesus himself had said, "you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (see John 8:32).
The way in which Jesus desired and did in fact use Peter in his plans for his Kingdom ought to give us all great confidence. For as great as were the triumphs of Peter his mistakes were also among the greatest recorded in the New Testament. Throughout his life it often seemed that Peter had finally arrived and would never fail again. But then he did fail again. But no matter how many times he fell, Jesus forgave him and raised him up again. When he did so, he did not demote him, but raised him to heights still greater than those from which he fell. Therefore our own imperfections are not dealbreakers. They don't mean that Jesus can't use us to build the Kingdom. They are among the "all things" that work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose (see Romans 8:28).
The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Taste and see how good the LORD is;
blessed the man who takes refuge in him.
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