Luke 9:20Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Thus, He addresses those chosen and called to be apostles, who have witnessed His miracles, and asks, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter steps forward to represent the group, expressing his love for God through a correct and unblemished confession of faith, declaring, "The Christ of God." The disciple speaks with clear insight; he does not merely say that He is one of many called "Christ" due to various anointings—some to be kings, some to be prophets, and others, through salvation granted by Christ, known as "Christ" for having been anointed by the Holy Spirit. The Psalmist had remarked, "Touch not my christs, neither do evil to my prophets," referring to those before the coming of our Savior. Yet, as Habakkuk proclaims, “Thou hast gone to save Thy people, that Thou mightest save Thy Christ-followers.” Thus, there are numerous individuals acknowledged as Christs through anointing, but He alone is the Christ of God the Father, not merely a christ of another man. It is because He alone has God as His Father who is in heaven. Therefore, Peter's correct and unerring profession of faith identifies Him as "The Christ of God," clearly differentiating Him from others who usually bear this title and attributing it to God as the singular Christ. Though He is inherently God and eternally shines forth from God the Father as His only begotten Word, He also became flesh, as Scripture affirms. Consequently, blessed Peter declared his faith, representing the entire assembly of holy Apostles with greater clarity than the others. Moreover, we observe in Matthew’s account that the illustrious disciple proclaims, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God,” while wise Luke, capturing the essence succinctly, conveys that he said, “The Christ of God.” Additionally, there is no mention here of what the Savior conveyed to him; however, in Matthew's account, He explicitly tells him, “Blessed art thou, Simon son of Jonah: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.” Thus, the disciple indeed received divine instruction; his profession of faith was not solely of his own understanding but resulted from illumination by the Divine light that led him to comprehend the mystery of Christ accurately. What will those misguided innovators say regarding this? They distort the magnificent mystery of the Incarnation of the Only Begotten and deviate from the truth by following a skewed path. For wise Peter recognized one Christ, whereas they fracture this unity, opposing fundamental truths. "But yes," they may claim, "the disciple recognized one Christ; thus, we affirm that there is one Christ, whom we understand to be the Son, even the Word who is from God the Father." How then do we respond? Is it not evident to all that Christ is asking the holy Apostles, not who, as men say, is the Word of God, but rather, "Who is the Son of Man?" And it was of this person that Peter affirmed he was "the Christ of God." Can they explain to us how Peter's confession is remarkable if it reveals nothing profound or concealed, easily understood by all? What has God the Father truly unveiled to him? That the Son of Man is merely a man? Is this what God intended to teach? Is it not this very truth which accounts for the high honor bestowed upon him? After all, he was addressed as, “Blessed art thou, Simon son of Jonah.” The rationale for this honor is just: he believed that the One who appeared in human form was indeed the Son of God the Father, the Word—all deriving from His essence, who took on flesh and became man. Here, we must recognize the depth of his insight, the significance of his confession, and the profound mystery it conveys. For He, who appeared as a man and was part of creation, is God who transcends all created entities. He, who dwells in the high and exalted place, humbled Himself to experience our suffering. The One who is God, Lord of all, and King of kings manifested Himself in the likeness of a servant. Such faith the Savior honors; He extends His gracious hand to those who believe. For having praised Peter and acknowledged that he was taught by God, having received revelation from above, the Father confirms him in the faith he professed, declaring, "But I tell you that you are a rock, and upon this rock I will build My Church, and I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatsoever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." Notice how He immediately positions Himself as Lord over both heaven and earth. He promises gifts that surpass human nature and even the ranks of angels, meant solely for that nature which holds supreme glory and might. First, He asserts ownership over the Church; yet the Scriptures declare it clearly belongs to God alone, calling it "the Church of God." For they affirm that "Christ presented her to Himself without spot or blemish, but holy and blameless." Therefore, while asserting His divinity, He states that she belongs to Him and promises to fortify her since He is the Lord of all authorities. He further confers upon Peter the keys of heaven. Who then speaks with words fit for God? Is it an angel, or another kind of powerful being—principality, throne, dominion, or the holy seraphim? Absolutely not; such language belongs solely to Almighty God, who possesses the sovereignty over both earth and heaven. Let these innovators not divide the one Christ, claiming that the single Son is the Word of God the Father, while asserting that He who descended from David is another Son. For Peter spoke of one Christ, the only begotten, who became man and took on flesh, and for this confession, he was worthy of extraordinary honors.

Paul perceived these inquiries as hurdles to our understanding rather than pathways to growth, which is why he concluded that he knew nothing except Christ. Peter recognized that everything is found in the Son of God, as the Father has entrusted all things to Him (Cf. Jn. 3:35). If the Father has entrusted everything to the Son, then He has entrusted Him with His eternity and grandeur. I will refrain from saying more about this; the boundaries of my faith are in Christ, and the fulfillment of my belief lies in the Son of God. While I may not delve into how He was born, I cannot remain oblivious to the undeniable truth of His birth. Peter did not wait for public opinion; instead, he boldly declared: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matt. 16:16). He who is, is eternally present; He does not come into existence nor does He cease to exist. The Lord, in His great mercy, shared nearly all His titles with the disciples. He proclaimed, I am the light of the world (Jn. 8:12), and then bestowed this commendable title upon His followers, saying, You are the light of the world (Matt. 5:14). He declared, I am the bread of life (Jn. 6:51), while simultaneously stating, We are all one bread (1 Cor. 10:17). He described Himself as the true vine (Jn. 15:1), and said to the disciples, I have planted you as a fruitful vine, the true vine (Jer. 2:21). Christ is the rock, as they drank from the spiritual rock, which was Christ (1 Cor. 10:4); yet He did not withhold this title from His disciple, who was called Peter, symbolizing his steadfastness and strength of faith.

Yet, it was vital for Him to receive the highest affirmation from His chosen apostles, the closest observers of His life and miracles, for which they only needed a question from Him: "And who do you say I am?" In response, Simon Peter, that responsive and steadfast apostle, voiced the profound acknowledgement that the heart of his divine Master longed to hear: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Thus, amidst a pagan city dedicated to the deified Augustus, Christ was declared as King of all Israel, without any prior preparation, within a circle of Galilean fishermen. In that moment, He stood as a fugitive with only the crown of thorns as His earthly adornment, yet He openly claimed authority over the world as the Messiah-King sent by God. It is challenging to grasp the magnitude and significance of Peter's declaration on behalf of the apostles, representing a remarkable advancement in the understanding of the incarnation's truth. Until this point, Christ had mainly revealed Himself as both the Son of Man and the Son of God. Now, from those who closely accompanied Him and witnessed His teachings and miracles, He received a formal recognition as the Messiah, the ruler of His spiritual and eternal kingdom. True, Nathanael had anticipated this great acknowledgment at the onset of His ministry (John 1:49), and the disciples recognized Him as the Son of God during the stormy night when they realized that the figure walking on the tempestuous waves was their beloved Master, to whom even the winds and waves submitted (Matthew 14:33). However, at that time, it was not yet appropriate for His formal recognition as Messiah, and those early confessions were made without sufficient impact. Even Simon Peter, while still in Capernaum, had emboldened his troubled spirit with an acknowledgment that could be seen as a precursor to his confirmation in Caesarea Philippi; yet then Christ deemed it premature. Now, He openly accepted what He had previously acknowledged only in silence, for His time had arrived. "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah," Christ responded to his profound declaration, "for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven." Indeed, it was a remarkable confession. The apostles daily witnessed His ordinary human simplicity and the poverty of His life, observing how He often found no place to rest from His ceaseless travels and labors and existing in a state of constant humiliation that was contrary to the common perceptions of the Messiah. In these last months, He had been in a precarious state, needing to evade His adversaries. Nevertheless, the apostles managed to overcome the ingrained national biases that valued the traditions of their homeland and the unwavering uniformity of religious practices. They dismissed the judgments of their spiritual leaders, transcended the usual understandings of their community, and identified their humiliated and rejected Master as the true Lord of God's new kingdom. It is equally astonishing that the life and teachings of Christ, perceived in such intimate proximity, cultivated within them such an elevated and sacred understanding of His spiritual greatness, despite the simplicity of their interactions. For those who knew Him best, He was indeed the true 'Malka Meshicha' - the King Messiah. The fervent and unwavering devotion of Peter, who was the first to recognize his teacher as the Messiah, as he was also the first in all other expressions of faith and respect, earned him a glorious reward from Christ (Matt. 16:13-20, Mk. 8:27-30, Lk. 9:18-21). The weary and grief-laden heart of Christ, having endured so much, was now filled with profound and royal joy as He saw that He had finally laid a solid and enduring foundation for a new kingdom. He had long anticipated the moment when His apostles would reach such a level of spiritual maturity that He could entrust them with His most profound revelations, and that moment had now arrived. He had not previously outlined the future governance or structure of this new kingdom as a visible community, nor did He intend to detail its laws at that moment. Still, He did inform Peter that this community, His Church, selected from the world, would be entrusted to the apostles' leadership after His departure. Just as buildings are established on solid rock, impervious to floods and storms, so too would this new community be founded on the unwavering confession made through Peter on behalf of the apostles. Continuing to address him, Christ declared, "And I say to you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." The concepts of "binding" and "loosing," as cited in many examples throughout Jewish texts, were common expressions denoting prohibition and permission, often reflecting the decisions made by rabbis on numerous matters. They would "bind" to forbid and "loose" to permit. In ancient times, doors were secured with ropes, and keys were used for tying and untying. Thus, when we say that a door must be unlocked or locked, Jews would use terms indicating it must be tied or untied. The historical actions of Peter illustrate how he utilized this honored privilege, as seen when he acted on behalf of the eleven disciples in the selection of the twelfth apostle, speaking for them on the day of Pentecost before the people. He is consistently named before the other apostles, affirming his prominence. This distinction does not, however, provide a basis for the interpretation on which the Roman Church founded its unjust and anti-evangelical papal system. Christ subsequently conferred similar authority and dignity upon all the apostles (Matt. 18:18), yet Peter was granted the privilege of being the first to receive this honor.