“It’s the gospel truth!” is a pretty common phrase. But what is a gospel anyway? Within the context of the Bible the four gospels are a very specific kind of literature. While they are very historical, they are not written as histories. Rather, the gospels are four different authoritative narratives that were spoken, written, redacted and disseminated among the Christian people for the sole purpose of answering one single question: “Who is Jesus of Nazareth?” How one answers that question makes all the difference.
No surprise then, that Matthew’s gospel would make special mention of Jesus’s question to the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?”
The setting for the question is significant. Caesarea Philippi situated right at the bottom of a HUGE rock. In the rock is a cave. In the bottom of the cave is a spring which is the headwaters of the Jordan River. Our Lord deliberately chose this place to ask the question. The rock, the cave, and the spring all provide a dramatic backdrop and great visual aids for what is going on. Our Lord has a great sense of the dramatic.
The cave is a type of foreshadowing of the tomb, signifying Jesus passion, death, and resurrection by which he will redeem all creation to the Father.
The spring can be seen as a symbol of the waters of baptism by which we go into the tomb with Christ and rise with him; our faith becoming an overflowing wellspring for the world.
The rock, of course, reinforces Jesus’ declaration of Peter as the rock on which he will build his Church. This is no little bitty rock. This is huge edifice that defines the horizon. The Church built on the rock of Peter is the mystical body of Christ.
Who do people say that I am? The setting in which Jesus asked the question helped his disciples understand who he is. How we each answer it today will have eternal consequences.