Matthew 16:13-20 “You are Peter. And on this rock I will build my church.” And the debate goes on, doesn’t it. What or who was Jesus pointing to when he uttered these words? Was it, in fact, Peter himself as some of our friends from different traditions have long understood or was it the the …
Tag: Pentecost 11A
Holy Surprise: Great Faith and the Canaanite Woman
Matthew 15: (10-20) 21-28 I can’t help but wonder if there is a more challenging Gospel reading than the one before us now. Indeed, is there a more unpleasant picture of Jesus than this one where his words compare a Canaanite woman and her tormented daughter to ‘dogs?’ If there is, I certainly cannot think …
The Rock of Forgiveness: Binding and Loosing
Matthew 16:13-20 “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth, will be loosed in heaven.” I have always heard this piece of Matthew as being about forgiveness. Indeed, while a vast majority of those who follow …