Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ. (Matthew 16:16-20)
“Blessed are you Simon…” for the understanding of the true nature of Christ was revealed by the Father to Him. Unlike the world oriented guesses that ‘the people’ had proffered, Peter was given the spiritual knowledge necessary to understand Jesus as Savior. Peter, whether he knew it or not, was not just the impetuous, gruff fisherman who was following Jesus for all these years. He was a blessed vessel through which God was working by speaking to life a truth that all men would one day understand.
Reading this passage, you must interpret the truth of Jesus’ words about the ‘rock’ on which His Church would be built. Is it Peter as many believe or is it the Savior’s teaching, or the confession that Peter had just uttered? The answer is important theologically to the Universal Church but debating it detracts from a focus on the blessedness that comes from a union with the Father such that spiritual truth is revealed to us. Have you submitted to this relationship?
Would Jesus name you Blessed in your answer?
LOVE | ACCEPT | FORGIVE 