Thus, says the LORD to Shebna, master of the palace: "I will thrust you from your office and pull you down from your station. On that day, I will summon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah; I will clothe him with your robe, and gird him with your sash, and give over to him your authority. He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. Isaiah 22:19-21
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable his ways! Romans 11:33
He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter said in reply, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so, I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:15-18
Piety
Oh, we have such a rocky faith.
Father, give us the rock to overcome the Goliath of sin that leads us to deny you and retreat back into our comfort zone.
Jesus, take away the rocks on our path so that the seeds of our faith can grow.
Holy Spirit, give us the gift of strength to roll away the stone that blocks us from our journey with you.
The key to unlocking our journey is a firm foundation built upon the rock of faith. May we always have that key in our pocket to start us on the rocky road to a Fourth Day filled with piety, study, and action. Amen.
Study
Leadership means that someone has to be in charge. Jesus knows that he will not be with us in human form forever so he has to appoint a leader.
The theme of servant-leadership is set up in the first reading from
the Book of the Prophet Isaiah. The Church is Jerusalem. Many thought that the safety of the city was dependent upon military or political power plays. Rather, they would come to find out that its fate was in the hands of the Lord regardless of who was the master of the palace servants. Yet someone was always entrusted with the future of the city.
In the Hebrew Bible, the master of the palace was like being the treasurer or governor of the king’s palace. It was a position of honor and trust. First, we learn that this was a role for Shebna. However, due to his excessive pride, the role of finance minister was shifted over to Eliakim. For either one of them to succeed, they had to stay connected to the Lord.
As we move to the New Testament, the Church is no longer equated with just one city or one place. Instead, the image of the Church that Jesus builds up is a seed that starts to grow within the heart, mind, and soul of his followers. That seed has to be planted someplace first. Today, we see Jesus plant it in Peter. He has to cultivate it in all people -- whether they are Jewish or not, whether a friend of Jerusalem or an enemy. Everyone now has the gift of a path to faith. Peter is called to build the Church in everyone’s heart, not just in one chosen race or nationality.
The infinite love and mercy of that gift are impossible for the people to comprehend because they were still tied to the idea of Jerusalem as a protected place and that the Jews were the chosen people. They could not grasp the fact that God was there for others – Samaritans, Syrians, Egyptians, and others. They could not grasp the fact that the savior was not a glorious conquering King but rather a suffering servant-leader.
No one can figure out the wisdom of God in treating all people equally. “Who has directed the spirit of the LORD, or instructed him as his counselor?” Isaiah 40:13
Why Peter? We see him waiver when walking on the stormy seas toward Jesus. We see him deny Jesus three times. We see him retreat into his Comfort Zone in the confines of a fishing boat. Yet, in the end, Peter gets up and gets out of his boat. Despite Peter’s doubts, Jesus saves Peter repeatedly and repeatedly entrusts in him the authority as the “master of the palace” complete with the symbolic keys.
Action
Who is fit to hold the keys to the Church?
Peter is such a perfect human example with all his foibles. In his imperfection, he shows us the way. Peter accepted the faith bestowed upon him by the Father. Peter dared to venture out of the boat and walk across the stormy seas to Jesus. Peter worried about his safety and sadly denied knowing Jesus in order to save himself for a future that ironically still turned his life upside-down on the way to his cross.
The key depicts the power to open and close the doors of faith. The leaders help show us opportunities for sharing and proclaiming the faith. It is our job to go through those doors. And when we come to doors that seem locked, we must look around for the open window.
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