Take the Time to Know

A Reflection on the Gospel for August 23rd, 2020:
Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Matthew
16.13-20

When Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the Prophets.”

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. 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.”

Then Jesus sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.
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Pause. Pray.

And then read more...

​aphorism / ˈæfərɪzəm / n. 1. a pithy observation designed to convey life’s universal truths [E.g., To err is human, to forgive divine. Pride goes before a fall. If the shoe fits, wear it.]
 
If aphorisms are designed to convey truths, how is it that they sometimes contradict each other? For example, if ignorance is bliss, how can we say that knowledge is power (and, presumably, desirable)?
 
Well, it depends on context, doesn’t it? For a child who is afraid of dogs, ignorance of the fact that a dog is visiting next door is bliss; but for a woman who has a long drive ahead, knowledge that a storm is on the way is power. These aphorisms deliver contradictory messages—yet, in context, each is true.
 
There is another context in which knowledge is power, and that is faith. In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus is enquiring about knowledge. He asks his disciples what others think: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” and it’s clear from the variety and accuracy of the answers that the people do not know who Jesus is. They think He is a prophet, just as John the Baptist and Eli’jah were prophets. But when Jesus asks his friends, “Who do you say that I am?” they know. Peter declares with certainty: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
 
Jesus is overjoyed, it seems to me. He says: You are blessed to know this, Peter, for only God could have revealed it to you! Your faith is a rock, and on it I will build my Church, and even death will not defeat this Church.
 
God gives Peter this gift of knowledge, which demonstrates two things: that Peter has sought God and spent time getting to know Him (both as the Father and the Son); and that the better Peter knows God, the more able Peter will be to call on God’s strength and power and the more fit he is to lead the church.
 
All of this makes me wonder about the time I have spent getting to know the Lord. Have I been making this a priority and setting aside sufficient time for it? Do I take the time to obey when God prompts me to a Scripture passage or to listen when He shares a tender word? Do I believe He has given me the power to know His voice and follow His directions?
 
My strength does not lie in my “self.” Instead, as with Peter, my strength lies in God, whom I must take the time to know.
 
Ignorance might be bliss in some contexts, but knowledge of God is the most powerful knowledge there is. 




Donna Davis

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