August 07, 2025

PRI Reflections on Scripture | Thursday of the 18th Week in Ordinary Time

7 minutes

Gospel

Matthew 16:13-23

Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi

and he asked his disciples,

“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,

still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

Simon Peter said in reply,

“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.

For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.

And so I say to you, you are Peter,

and upon this rock I will build my Church,

and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.

I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.

Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;

and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Then he strictly ordered his disciples

to tell no one that he was the Christ.

From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples

that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly

from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,

and be killed and on the third day be raised.

Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him,

“God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.”

He turned and said to Peter,

“Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me.

You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

Reflection

We see Peter again speaking before he fully, fully understands what he's talking about. But he is the one who makes the first major proclamation among the disciples that Jesus truly is the Messiah. He is the Christ, the Anointed One. And as Jesus goes on to describe what he is going to go through, Peter rebukes him. Peter tells him, that would be a terrible thing for you to go to Jerusalem, to die and to rise.

And what I think is fascinating about this is Jesus response to him is.

You're Satan. You sound just like Satan. Which underscores for me that Jesus was constantly tempted by the evil one to turn away from his fate in Jerusalem. We know he resisted in the Garden of Gethsemane. So here we see a revelation of the humanity of Jesus asking for support from his disciples.

Closing Prayer

Father, it is so easy for us to be excited about all the things that you promise you can do through us. To help those that we love. But there's also this mysterious death that we have to go through. A transformation, a letting go of something that we've clung to. And that is where we need your help and your grace. Help us not to be tempted to avoid the pain and expect yet all the benefits of our faith in you. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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