When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”. They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”. “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”. Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”. Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
There is such power in these words, such clear presenting of joy for Peter's knowing of Jesus entirely. And I am reminded of Peter's later denial of Jesus. He had been the most faithful, the clearest believer, yet he denied when in fear.
It is such reassurance to be reminded how real the disciples were and how often they made mistakes or turned away. Even Peter. It helps me come to terms with my own mistakes.
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