Reflection following the Readings posted by Br. Hector Kay earlier: You are the Christ - Son of the living God Today in many churches of the East and West the Apostles Peter and Paul are commemorated. Both were martyred in Rome in the first century. They tirelessly worked for the spread of the gospel, not only to the people of Israel, but to all the nations as well. They risked their lives in the process and gladly poured out their blood in loyalty to their Master, the Lord Jesus Christ. As Paul so eloquently stated in his second epistle to Timothy, they courageously fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7). Who do you say I am? How firm is your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? At an opportune time Jesus tested his disciples with a crucial question: Who do men say that I am and who do you say that I am? (Matthew 16:13). Jesus was widely recognized in Israel as a mighty man of God, even being compared with the greatest of the prophets, John the Baptist, Elijah, and Jeremiah. Peter, always quick to respond, exclaimed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God. Through the gift of faith Peter recognized that Jesus was the annointed one (in Hebrew and Greek the word is translated as Messiah and Christ), and the only begotten Son of God sent by the Father in heaven to redeem a fallen human race. No mortal being could have revealed this to Peter; but only God. Jesus then confered on Peter authority to govern the church that Jesus would build, a church that no powers could overcome. Jesus played on Peters name which is the same word for rock in both Aramaic and Greek. Spiritual rock ad living stones To call someone a rock is one of the greatest of compliments. The ancient rabbis had a saying that when God saw Abraham, he exclaimed: I have discovered a rock to found the world upon. Abraham put his trust in God and made Gods word the foundation of his life and the bedrock of his faith. Through Abraham God established a nation for himself. Through faith Peter grasped who Jesus truly was. He was the first apostle to proclaim that Jesus was truly the Anointed One (Messiah and Christ) and the only begotten Son of God. The New Testament describes the church, the people of God, as a spiritual house and temple of the Holy Spirit with each member joined together as living stones (see 1 Peter 2:5). Faith in Jesus Christ makes us into rocks - spiritual stones. The Lord Jesus tests each of us personally with the same question: Who do you say that I am? LET US PRAY Lord Jesus, we profess and believe that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God. You are our Lord and Savior who has set us free from sin and deception. Make our faith strong like the Apostles Peter and Paul and give us boldness to speak of you to others that they may come to know you as Lord and Savior.
Posted on: Sun, 29 Jun 2014 06:20:41 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015