25th Week in Ord. Time, Friday – 25th September 2020 — Gospel: Lk 9,18-22
First Follower and First Human
Peter’s confession about Jesus as “The Messiah of God” functions as one of the important answers given to Herod’s question (9,9) in this chapter. The disciples’ varied responses to Jesus’ first question are not wrong – Jesus is indeed a great prophet of God – but they are incomplete. Therefore, Peter’s answer seems to represent all the disciples. What had been predicted about Jesus since the infancy narrative does match with Peter’s answer and becomes part of the disciple’s perception. The angels have heralded the birth of Jesus as “Messiah, the Lord” (2,11). The narrator has revealed that Simeon was promised to see the “Lord’s Messiah” (2,26) before he died, a promise fulfilled when he held the infant Jesus in the temple (2,16-35). The crowds who came to be baptized by John the Baptist have speculated that John is “the Messiah” (3,15). Jesus himself has proclaimed that he has been “anointed” by the Spirit of the Lord (4,18). Even the demons have recognized Jesus as “the Messiah” (4,41). But Peter is the first follower, indeed the first human, to identify Jesus as “The Messiah of God”. Peter, having witnessed Jesus’ words and deeds – proclaiming the kingdom of God and performing miracles – boldly comes forward to say that Jesus is God’s anointed one. Although Peter’s understanding of Jesus still needs to grow, right now he is able to recognize that Jesus is the Messiah, the promised deliverer sent from God. This profession of faith Peter will later repeat and expand when he proclaims the good news in Cornelius house (Acts 10,38). That tells how Peter has grasped the revelatory knowledge about Jesus and his identity and how faithful he has been to proclaim in his life.
