The Home Depot Apron
Today marks the 12th anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood. On Saturday, January 18th, 2014, I was ordained by Bishop Morales into the sacred order of priests, which happened to be the feast day of the Confession of St. Peter. I say “happened to be” because I know the date wasn’t chosen specifically for the feast day but because it was practical for everyone involved. Some of you have heard the story about setting my ordination date, but not all of you, so I’ll tell it again here.
A few months before my ordination, I spoke with Bishop Morales, who asked me to talk with my rector and coordinate with him to suggest some possible dates for my ordination. As you might expect, I was both excited and nervous to see my rector the following Sunday morning. I planned to discuss it with him after the service.
The service ends, and when I find my rector, he’s talking with an elderly woman, but I can’t tell what they’re discussing. Come to find out, she was giving him a public tongue-lashing because he was taking too long praying for children during communion. I guess it was messing up her lunch schedule or something, but she was very upset about it. For my part, I didn’t notice how agitated he was after this conversation, and (stupid me) I approached him immediately afterward and said, “Father, the Bishop asked me to talk to you about some potential ordination dates.” I will never forget the affirmational response I received that day.
He said, “Anyone who wants this job is a fool. I would gladly trade in my collar for the orange apron of Home Depot any day.” And then he stormed off.
As you can imagine, I had never felt more affirmed in my vocation than I did at that moment. My fumbling response as I followed him went something like this: “Okay, but we still need to suggest some dates to the Bishop.”
Eventually, we proposed some dates, and, of course, the ordination took place, for which I am very grateful.
The Joy In Between
In the twelve years since, there have definitely been days, as I suspect any priest would tell you, when I have echoed my former rector’s sentiment—although perhaps not quite as explicitly as he did. There are days when you wonder, “What am I doing here?” But those days are few and far between, at least for me, and in between are many days marked most notably by the joy that comes from sharing Jesus with others, feeding them with his body and blood, and bringing Christ to people, even in my limited and imperfect ways.
I have always seen preaching God’s Word and teaching people about Jesus as my main way of fulfilling my priestly calling. It has felt truly providential to me that I was ordained on the Feast of the Confession of St. Peter, a day when the church remembers and celebrates Peter’s great confession of who Jesus really is. It’s not an exaggeration to say, as you will see, that I have devoted my life to the themes of this confession.
In the Shadow of Caesar
Matthew sets the stage for Peter’s confession in Caesarea Philippi, a historically significant place. In 20 BC, Emperor Caesar Augustus granted this area to Herod the Great, who built a large marble temple there to honor the emperor. After Herod died, the land was given to his son Philip, the tetrarch of Trachonitis, who renamed the city Caesarea in honor of the empire. The name Caesarea Philippi was used to tell this city apart from other Caesareas in the Roman Empire.
This place was, in name and function, entirely dedicated to the emperor and the empire. Jesus is metaphorically standing in the shadow of the cult of Caesar when he asks his disciples,
“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” (Matt 16:13).
Jesus clearly refers to himself when he asks this question, but he does so using his preferred self-designation, the Son of Man. When Jesus calls himself “Son of Man,” he isn’t being modest or cryptic—he’s referencing Daniel’s vision and pointing his disciples to the one who will approach the Ancient of Days and receive an everlasting kingdom. He’s giving them the first clue to his identity.
Who Others Say He Is
The disciples respond:
“Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets” (Matt 16:14).
All of these answers are interesting in their own right and point toward the truth. People think he might be Elijah because Elijah was supposed to precede the Lord’s return to Zion, but in fact, that responsibility fell to John the Baptist. The people suspect that Jesus might be Elijah redivivus—come back to life—because they are aware of the eschatological timetable laid out in Daniel, as well as the prophecy in Malachi (Mal 4:5). The time is now. If the Lord is returning, Elijah must come first.
Some say Jesus is Jeremiah, but why would they think that? Jeremiah was the prophet who denounced Jerusalem for its sin and predicted the destruction of its temple. When Jesus cleanses the temple later in Matthew’s Gospel, he quotes Jeremiah because he is a Jeremiadic prophet who also forecasts the city’s and temple’s destruction. Even in this initial answer from the disciples, we are already hearing hints of who Jesus truly is.
Peter’s Confession
So far, the disciples have shared what others say about Jesus. Now he asks the all-important question:
“But who do you say that I am?” (Matt 16:15).
We’ll return to this question later, but for now, let’s examine Peter’s response.
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt 16:16).
Christ, of course, is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word meaning Messiah or Anointed One. Peter answers, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” That Peter understands full Trinitarian theology at this point is probably unlikely. Still, I do not doubt that these words mean more, especially in Matthew’s Gospel, than Peter could ever have understood at the moment. After all, Jesus says:
“Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven” (Matt 16:17).
These are not Peter’s words, even though they come from his lips. It will take the church a long time to fully understand what it means that Jesus is the Son of the Living God and to find precise words to express this theologically, but the idea is already present on Peter’s lips in nascent form.
Who Jesus Is
So, when we combine all of this—Jesus’s self-reference as the Son of Man, the disciples’ initial answers about John the Baptist, Elijah, and Jeremiah, and Peter’s confession—what do we end up with?
Son of Man
First, Jesus is the Son of Man, the one who will be defeated and then vindicated as he rides on the clouds to heaven.
“And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed” (Dan 7:14).
That is who Jesus is.
The Lord Returning to His People
Second, he is also the Lord returning at last to his people. In Malachi, the people asked, “Where is the God of justice?” The Lord responded, “I am coming, but before I do, I will send you Elijah the prophet.” Elijah has come in the person of John the Baptist, and the Lord has returned to his people. Not as a pillar of cloud or fire, and not as the shekinah glory once again filling the temple, but much more miraculously, he has returned in the person of Jesus Christ.
That too is who Jesus is.
A Prophet
Third, he is also a prophet, calling his people to repentance, just as Jeremiah did before him, and warning of impending destruction if they do not listen. Jeremiah gave this remarkable speech:
“Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. Do not trust in these deceptive words: ‘This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.’ Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’—only to go on doing all these abominations? Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it, declares the LORD” (Jer 7:3–4, 8–11).
Jesus will quote this speech as he enters the city, goes to the temple, and drives out all who are buying and selling there. In doing so, he follows the tradition of Jeremiah and the other prophets, calling the people to repentance and warning of destruction if they do not listen.
That too is who Jesus is.
The Son of the Living God
Lastly, and most gloriously, he is also the Son of the Living God, which certainly has kingly overtones as we saw at Jesus’s baptism, but now means so much more. Jesus, the fully human being standing before Peter and the rest of his disciples, is the Son of the Living God. We are children of God through adoption. He is eternally begotten of the Father. And yet:
“though he was in the form of God, [he] did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil 2:6–8).
Jesus is the Son, the second person of the Trinity, who has emptied himself for the good of humanity. In Matthew’s Gospel, immediately after this confession, Jesus begins to predict his death and resurrection in Jerusalem. This moment is when everything shifts for Jesus because he understands what it means to be the Son of the living God.
That too is who Jesus is.
Christ
Today, we sum this all up with one word: Christ.
That is our confession, the same as Peter: Jesus is the Christ. And we make this confession while standing in the shadow of the empire and its cult, just as Peter did. It is not to Caesar that worship and glory belong. It is not to the empire that we are to swear allegiance whenever it demands. Right now, the empire is demanding allegiance, and the church is complying in full to its shame. Glory, worship, and allegiance belong only to Jesus Christ because He is Lord, and everyone else and everything else is not. So Paul continues:
“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:9–11).
This whole picture of who Jesus is is great and glorious, but here’s the challenge. I can explain this all exegetically, biblically, and theologically. I can point you to the Old Testament passages alluded to here and help you understand how they work together in the New Testament. Indeed, as I said in the beginning, that is what I consider to be my primary vocation as a priest. I can teach you, but I cannot make you believe. I can point, hopefully in the right direction, but I cannot make you follow. Jesus is saying to all of you, “Yes, I know who Matthew and Peter say that I am. I know who the Creeds say that I am. I know who Fr. Michael says that I am. But who do you say that I am?”
That question is all-important, and only you can answer it.
Amen.
Life Group Guide
Opening Prayer
Heavenly Father, as we gather together today, we ask that you would open our hearts and minds to receive what you want to teach us through your Word. Just as you revealed to Peter the true identity of your Son, Jesus Christ, we pray that you would reveal yourself to us in new and deeper ways. Help us to be honest in our discussions, vulnerable in our sharing, and receptive to the work of your Holy Spirit among us. May this time together draw us closer to you and to one another. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Ice Breaker
What is one job or career that you think would be particularly challenging or stressful, and why?
Key Verses
Matthew 16:13–19
Daniel 7:14
Malachi 4:5
Jeremiah 7:3–4, 8–11
Philippians 2:6–11
Questions
Why do you think Jesus chose to ask about his identity in Caesarea Philippi, a place dedicated to Caesar and the Roman Empire? How does confessing Jesus in “the shadow of Caesar” relate to our own context today?
The disciples gave various answers about who people thought Jesus was (John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah). What do these answers reveal about people’s expectations and understanding of Jesus?
Peter confessed Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” What do you think Peter understood about Jesus in that moment, and what might he not have fully grasped yet?
Fr. Michael describes Jesus as fulfilling multiple roles: Son of Man, returning Lord, prophet like Jeremiah, and Son of God. Which of these aspects of Jesus’ identity resonates most with you and why?
Jesus said that Peter’s confession was revealed by the Father, not by “flesh and blood.” What role does divine revelation play in our understanding of who Jesus is?
Fr. Michael mentions that the church today is “complying in full” with the empire’s demands for allegiance. What does this mean? What are some ways modern “empires” or systems compete for our allegiance instead of Christ?
Fr. Michael emphasizes that while pastors can teach about Jesus, they cannot make people believe. What is the difference between intellectual knowledge about Jesus and personal faith in him?
Jesus asks each of us personally: “Who do you say that I am?” How would you answer this question, and how has your answer changed over time?
Life Application
This week, spend time in prayer and reflection, honestly answering Jesus’ question: “Who do you say that I am?” Write down your response and consider how your understanding of Jesus’ identity should impact your daily decisions, priorities, and allegiances. Look for one specific area where you can choose loyalty to Christ over competing demands from culture, work, or other “empires” in your life.
Key Takeaways
Peter’s confession of Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the living God” was a divinely revealed truth that encompasses multiple aspects of Jesus’ identity.
Jesus fulfills Old Testament prophecies as the Son of Man, the returning Lord, a prophet like Jeremiah, and ultimately as the Son of God.
The confession took place in Caesarea Philippi, symbolically challenging the authority of Caesar and earthly empires in favor of the supremacy of Christ.
While teachers can explain who Jesus is biblically and theologically, each person must personally answer Jesus’ question about his identity.
True allegiance belongs to Jesus Christ alone, not to earthly powers or systems that demand our worship and loyalty.
Concluding Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, we thank you for revealing yourself to us as the Christ. Like Peter, may our confession of who you are be not just words we speak, but a truth that transforms our lives. Forgive us for the times we have given our allegiance to empires, ideologies, and powers that are not you. Help us to live with undivided loyalty to you, recognizing that you alone are worthy of our worship and allegiance. As we go from this place, may our lives be a testimony to your lordship over every area of our existence. Give us courage to stand firm in our confession of faith, even when the world—and even the church—demands otherwise. We pray this in your holy name, Amen.