Matthew 16:13-20 (NRSV)
Read Matthew 16:13-20 on biblegateway.com
Verse 13Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" Verse 14And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." Verse 15He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Verse 16Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Verse 17And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. Verse 18And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. Verse 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Verse 20Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
Devotion
Peter, or "Rocky" as Jesus calls him, is the disciple least likely to succeed, you might say. Far from the sturdy brick we would expect the emerging church to be built upon, Peter is more often a stumbling block to Jesus' ministry than anything. Yet it is Peter who shouts "Eureka" first: "You are the Messiah, the son of the Living God," he declares with confidence. And on the strength of that testimony, Jesus gives Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven.
God has always used flawed people to carry out the divine vision for this world. God has to use what God's got...and we're it! God used Peter/Rocky, and God uses us who are ourselves wounded to heal the broken. God uses us who are still wondering if we are lovable to embody the love of Jesus. God uses us who are still jockeying for position in a dog-eat-dog world to deliver Christ's reconciliation.
Prayer
Jesus, you know my faults and failings, my bumbling and babbling. Sculpt me into a living stone that can be used to build your kingdom on earth. Amen.