The early Christian community had been facing some fierce persecution, even losing their leader James, who was executed by order of King Herod. If the community had been at the mercy of these persecutions with only human resources to support them it probably would have soon disappeared. We often say that God will come to our aid and deliver us but perhaps without the firm conviction that it will happen. Not so with Peter and the other apostles — after the descent of the Spirit at Pentecost they had seen too many miracles and divine interventions to let doubt enter their hearts. Even so, Peter could scarcely believe what was happening — only when he was safe beyond the prison walls was he absolutely sure.
Peter’s divine deliverance was nothing new. The Old Testament is filled from start to finish with examples of divine deliverance. We can call to mind the rescue from prison and execution of Daniel and his companions. The only thing that is surprising about these God-sent rescues is that we are still surprised by them. Opposition and resistance to evil is always much more than the sum total of human efforts. This must always be called to mind to strengthen our own faith in our struggle for peace, justice and the extension of God’s reign.
Paul (or one of his disciples writing in his name) used many metaphors to describe his life and ministry. He even used sports metaphors — something we still do. He was nearing the end of his intense and driven life and was taking stock. Paul felt that he had been faithful and given his utmost in his ministry of proclaiming Christ. The main point of his life account, however, was that God had always been there for him and had never let him down. He was convinced that God’s fidelity would never waver and that he would receive the crown of righteousness at the end of his life. Perhaps if we review our own lives carefully we will see that in one way or another God has always been there for us. We can join Paul’s response — gratitude and praise.
Who was Jesus? There have been many biographies and historical reconstructions of Jesus in recent years. Some have been helpful, some extreme and critical of faith, while others can be consigned to the nonsense category. But the question is certainly legitimate and it is one that Jesus Himself asked of His disciples. How do people understand me? What labels do they put on me? When He put the question to the disciples they repeated all of the identifications that were making the rounds: John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the prophets. None of these answers was outrageous — there were good reasons for seeing Jesus in those terms.
Jesus didn’t let them off the hook — He wanted them to speak for themselves. It was left to Peter to blurt out the winning words that won approval from Jesus. The rich praise that Jesus heaped on Peter and the keys to the kingdom of heaven that were bestowed on him were followed minutes later by a stern rebuke. Jesus recognized that Peter did not figure this out on his own — it was clearly the fruit of an inner revelation from God. It was Jesus’ turn to label — Simon would now be called Peter, which means “rock.” The rock-like faith and steadfastness of Peter would be the foundation of the Christian community.
Sometimes those qualities in Peter would be tested and even found wanting, but he always got to his feet and continued to move forward. Peter was an ordinary man with all of the accompanying human weaknesses. He made mistakes in word and deed, sometimes in spectacular ways. At the same time, he was humble enough to learn from his mistakes and accept forgiveness. His heart was open to the will of God. In other words, Peter provides a model for the Christian believer.
The keys to the kingdom belong to all those who walk in faith and listen to the Word of God.