Greatness: Matthew 14-20ਨਮੂਨਾ

One of the beautiful aspects of Matthew’s writing is that we are taken on the journey with the disciples as they follow Jesus, and we get to watch them learn along the way. We meet the disciples as they are called out of their professions to follow Jesus, and we see them take many steps, and missteps, in their understanding of Jesus as the chapters unfold.

In today’s reading, we reach a pivotal moment in Peter’s journey—the realisation that Jesus is the Christ, the long-prophesied Messiah. Peter, or as he is sometimes called in the Gospels, Simon Peter or Simon Bar-Jonah, is given this divine revelation of Jesus’ identity. Jesus then speaks prophetically to him about the importance of this realisation.

As we read later in the book of Acts, Peter would become the leader of the church in Jerusalem, and he would be filled with the Holy Spirit to speak to a large crowd that would see over three thousand people commit to following Jesus. Pretty remarkable given that Jesus would shortly rebuke Peter for his lack of faith and misunderstanding of Jesus’ impending suffering.

Peter’s journey of faith can be instructive for us today. We may have come to the same realisation that Jesus is Lord at some point in our lives, and we have also lived through seasons of doubt, fear or disappointment. While these are common experiences in the journey of following Jesus, we can hold on to Jesus with confidence that He is good and able to save us, knowing that “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18, ESV). Keep trusting Jesus.

Today, ponder this: Think back to a moment of realisation you had of Jesus as Lord. How can you grow in gospel confidence of this realisation today?