A Few Good Words

Matthew 16:13-20

God of revelation, mere flesh and blood cannot reveal divine truth; only your Spirit can give that gift. Be in my breath and voice; be in our ears and understanding, that through these words your Word may be known. In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

A few good words can inspire us to achieve our wildest dreams.

One example is from Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1963, saying, "I have a dream." This was the right vision for a nation in which children would someday be judged not by the "color of their skin but by the content of their character."

Another example is Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. He offers the right understanding of America as a nation "dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."

Same for Mel Gibson in the movie Braveheart: "They may take our lives, but they'll never take our freedom!" These words are spoken at the right moment, when the Scottish army is losing heart in the face of the English forces.

One of my favorites is from Kurt Russell as Coach Herb Brooks in the movie Miracle, "Great moments are born from great opportunity." It tells the story of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team's victory over the seemingly invincible Soviet Union. "And that's what you have here, tonight, boys," he tells his team. Great opportunity. "That's what you've earned here tonight. One game. If we played 'em 10 times, they might win nine. But not this game. Not tonight. Tonight, we skate with them. Tonight, we stay with them. And we shut them down because we can! Tonight, we are the greatest hockey team in the world." They go on to win.

A few good words can inspire us to achieve our wildest dreams.

Jesus creates an opportunity for his disciples in the district of Caesarea Philippi, where King Herod had built a temple to Caesar Augustus. As they travel, Jesus asks them, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" The disciples say, "Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets" (vv. 13-14). That's the word on the street. Jesus -- the Son of Man -- is believed to be John, Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.

"But who do you say that I am?" says Jesus, making the question personal (v. 15). Simon Peter answers, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God" (v. 16). A great moment; born from a great opportunity. Peter makes a declaration about Jesus that changes the course of his life and the history of the entire Christian community. It begins with a few good words, spoken at precisely the right moment.

So what makes Peter's statement so great? The greatest of speeches are given by the right person, at the right moment, with the right vision and the right understanding. All of this is true for Peter when he makes his declaration about Jesus. And it can be true for us as well.

For starters, Peter is the right person. He's not an extraordinary person -- he has the same strengths and weaknesses as the other disciples. He will protest forcefully when Jesus speaks of his suffering and death (v. 22), and will stumble badly when he denies Jesus on the night before the crucifixion (26:69-75). But because Peter is so very human, so much like any one of us, he's the right person to make a declaration about Jesus.

Peter also speaks at the right moment. At this point in the gospel of Matthew, Jesus is nearing the completion of his ministry in Galilee. Soon, he will head toward Jerusalem and face the suffering and death that awaits him there. But first, he needs to make sure that his disciples are clear about who he is, and what the community of his followers will look like. This time on the road to Caesarea Philippi is the right moment for Peter to speak.

When he makes his statement, Peter also has the right vision. He senses Jesus is no mere prophet, a man like John, Elijah, Jeremiah and others before him. No, Peter sees that Jesus is the Messiah, the one who has been anointed by God to rule (v. 16). Literally, that's what Messiah means in Hebrew, "anointed," a title usually attached to a king. Peter considers Jesus to be his king, the one who brings the kingdom of God into the middle of human life.

On top of this, Peter has the right understanding. He grasps that Jesus is "the Son of the living God" (v. 16), the one who shows God's divine power and love more clearly than anyone else. In the very next chapter, Peter will hear God's voice boom out of a cloud, confirming the accuracy of this understanding, "This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!" (17:5).

Jesus is impressed. So impressed, in fact that he says to Peter "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven" (v. 17). Jesus sees that Peter's declaration is a pure gift of God, and he's thankful for it.

"You are Peter," he says, "and on this rock I will build my church" (v. 18). Jesus gives him a name which means "rock," saying that Peter will be the rock on which the Christian church will be built. "The gates of Hades will not prevail against it," predicts Jesus (v. 18). The church will be so strong that death itself will not be able to overcome it. Jesus concludes by giving Peter the "keys of the kingdom of heaven," with authority to bind and to loose, which means that Peter now has authority to be the chief teacher in the church (v. 19). He has the weapons of war in the struggle with the forces of death. Whatever the church binds, death cannot loosen. And whatever the church loosens, death cannot bind. The keys come to symbolize God’s ultimate victory over death.

The keys of the kingdom are about teaching, not about who gets in the Pearly Gates. Peter's given authority is to teach in the name of Jesus and to share his grace and truth with the world, just as the church continues to do today.

So what can we do to follow the example of Peter in being the right people in the right moments, sharing the right vision and the right understandings?

"Great moments are born from great opportunity." Each of us has a great opportunity to play the role of Peter in the world today, since we share his strengths and weaknesses and face similar opportunities to declare in a few good words that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God.

We are the right people to say that Jesus is our Messiah. We are the health care providers who know that Jesus is the Great Physician. We are the soldiers and sailors who honor Jesus as Prince of Peace. We are the students and teachers who grasp that Jesus is the Truth. We are the politicians who see him as King of Kings and we are the astrophysicists who look up to him as the Bright Morning Star.

We speak at the right moments, when a child is struggling and needs a word of encouragement, when a conflict erupts and can be defused by a message of reconciliation, when a colleague is wandering and needs a word of guidance, and when a friend is dying and needs to hear that Jesus has conquered death.

The right vision focuses on Jesus as our sovereign -- the one who rules our faith and life. We look up to Jesus as the one who rules over us with perfect guidance, grace and love. He is the Master we serve with our time, abilities and money; he is the Lord who gives us direction as we make decisions about relationships, careers and family life. To say that Jesus is Messiah is to say that he is "King of the Hill, A number 1, the Big Kahuna."

Finally, a right understanding grasps that Jesus is the Son of the Living God. We understand him when we "stand under" him, seeing that he's in a close and intimate relationship with a God who is alive and well and active in human life. Because Jesus is God's Son, he puts a human face on the grace and truth of our Creator. When we understand Jesus, we understand God.

Peter was given an opportunity to give a speech about Jesus, and it turned into the greatest ever. He didn't miss his moment. Neither should we.

*Inspiration for this sermon came from Bob Kaylor, our Senior Writer, and Senior Minister of the Park City United Methodist Church in Park City, Utah.