Proper 16 (21) – Year A
Thirteenth Sunday after pentecost: August 23, 2026
Gospel Lectionary Text
Matthew 16:13-20
16:13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"
16:14 And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
16:15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
16:16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."
16:17 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.
16:18 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.
16:19 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."
16:20 Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
Context
Welcome to the thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost. In this week’s Gospel, Jesus takes the disciples as far north of Jerusalem as they ever travel and asks them a question far from the sacred center of their religious tradition. It’s a question that still throws the world off balance: “Who do you say that I am?”
Like all great questions, it refuses to be reduced to an easy answer.
And yet, Peter tries, blurting out, “You are the Messiah.” Technically, he’s right, but in exactly the wrong way. Jesus immediately warns the disciples not to tell anyone. Why? Because, while Peter got the correct title, he has no idea what kind of Messiah Jesus actually is. None of them do. Best to keep quiet.
The disciples are still imagining power, victory, and religious certainty. They cannot yet imagine a Messiah who refuses violence, forgives enemies, and reveals the glory of God while hanging on a cross saying, “Father, forgive them.”
This means the whole crew still has to live the question, which is what discipleship is all about.
Filled with confidence that Peter and the disciples will do exactly that, Jesus gives them the “keys” to participate in the ongoing work of loosening what has been bound by fear, shame, and violence. This isn’t a reward for getting the right answer. It’s an invitation to keep living the question until it does its liberating work.
Question
This week, Jesus asks, "Who do you say that I am?" How would you answer that question? How is the answer good news for the most vulnerable among us?
Reflections
Shhhhh
By Scott Dewey |
I’m not sure why Jesus said, “Don’t tell.” All I know is, Love seems not in a rush. She takes her revealings slow. I’m learning, very slowly over a lifetime, not to be in a rush either. Present to the absence; present to the presence.
The Human Catechism
By Kris Rocke |
In this week’s Gospel, Jesus travels as far north from Jerusalem as he and his disciples ever travelled (Some questions can’t be asked too close to home or at the center of our religious imagination). In that distant place he asks the young and aspiring disciples a beautiful question, whose answer turns out to be...
Harry
By Kris Rocke |
The camp speaker joined us in our cabin and Harry was on the edge, struggling with Jesus again. Harry had been to camp many times and each time he’d said “yes” to Jesus. Each time he meant it. And each time he returned to his neighborhood where the peaceful clarity of summer camp gave way...
Praying Eucharistically - Weekly Homily by James Alison:
Understanding the Bible anew through the Mimetic Theory of René Girard.
Poetry
The Beautiful Question
by e.e. cummings
The beautiful answer is always preceded by the more beautiful question.
Prayer
This week, the call to prayer comes from the Street Psalms Prayer of Discernment:
Let us pray.
The spirit of the Lord is upon us because She has anointed us to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. We pray this in the name of the Father who is for us, the Son who is with us, and the Spirit who unites us all in the never-ending dance of love.
Amen.
