Sunday Gospel Comment
Alberic Jacovone OSB
YEAR A TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY OF THE YEAR - 25.8.022 Is 22,19-23; Rom 11,33-36; Mt 16,13-20 For you, what difference does Jesus make? You are ‘Rock’ (Peter - Petra - Kefa): on this rock I will build my Church. Historically, today’s text has been used as a battle horse: in hundreds of books, people have taken sides in the controversy between Catholics and Protestants: we have tried to show that the Pope is successor of St. Peter and that Jesus from the beginning planned his Church to be a society which is hierarchically and monarchically organized. St Peter’s Basilica in Rome (Vatican), display these very words, written in huge capital letters, 8 metres high, all along the inside of the Basilica, just above the huge columns which supports the ceiling and the cupola: they express our Catholic position against Luther and the Protestant Reformation (1525). For 500 years, we have fired this text, to stress our Catholic teaching, without giving due credit to the historical understanding at Jesus’ time & when the Gospel was written. However, if we carefully compare today’s story in Mark and in Matthew, we sense that in the early Church, there were two groups of people who differed in understanding the role of Peter in the Church. In Mark, the role of Peter is undermined & in Matthew it is considered of the utmost importance. Matthew places today’s story at the very centre of ‘Book four’, the great book about the Church. While most of this material is taken from Mark’s Gospel, 3 elements are on purpose given prominence: Peter walks on water, Peter and the keys of the kingdom, Peter and the Temple-tax. Let’s compare the two understandings: In Mark, Peter appears as one who is at the same time enthusiastic and naive. Even his proclamation about who Jesus is, is vague and contradictory. In the end, when all the disciples abandon Jesus, Peter ends up even worse: he denies Jesus. And here, when Jesus puts the question: who do you say that I am? Peter’s reply is simple and in line with the expectations of all Jews at his time: You are the anointed King who is to come from the House of David and he will deliver Israel from its enemies and will establish a world-wide empire of peace and justice. In this description, the role of Peter has no special prominence and leadership, given by God. But, when we compare this with what’s in Matthew’s Gospel, the role of Peter stands out: It is not flesh & blood to reveal to him the identity of Jesus. Here Peter is full of initiative, his confession is sure & solemn: ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God’. Solemn is also the reply from Jesus: ‘You are ‘Kefa’ a word which means rock, ( Petrus = rock-solid) and on this ‘kefa’-rock I will build my Church - I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven...’. Peter’s confession & Jesus’ blessing / promise are Matthew’s way to tell us -readers of all time- that that Peter is not a shallow, conflictual personality. on the contrary, his role as foundation-rock of the Church comes from Jesus himself. And Jesus’ promise about the future of the Church will require forever the leadership of Peter. Matthew reinforces this position even more, by adding the two stories of Peter who walks on water, and Peter who pays the temple-tax for Jesus and for himself. ______________________________________ |
