Matthew 16:13-19 (NRSV)
Read Matthew 16:13-19 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."
Devotion
“Son of man” is how Jesus describes himself. Peter calls him “son of the living God.” Does “son of man” mean member of the human family? Does one mean “servant,” serving the least of these: the forgotten, the marginalized, the homeless?
I write these words while sitting in the office of Third Way Network (TWN), an affordable housing program in North Minneapolis, in a troubled area with boarded up houses and street shootings. Is Jesus the son of the people here?
The organization where I am currently doing volunteer work is housed in a Lutheran church that, along with its neighborhood, struggles to survive. In this setting I cannot help but ask some questions: Is housing marginalized people housing Jesus? Does doing daily devotions involve doing something concretely? A click on your computer can offer you a possibility: www.thirdwaynetwork.org. As we struggle with the question, “Who do you say that the son of man is?” perhaps we will be prompted to act.
Prayer
Dear God, I want to be your child, your son, your daughter. Help me to embrace all those you call your children and be a son, a servant, to them too. Amen.