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Now, the Gospel reading for today is from Matthew 16:13-19. This is the famous passage about Peter as the rock. I have dealt with this passage in several other places, so I'm not going to spend a lot of time on it today, except to just highlight for you that the verse, Matthew 16:18:
you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it.
is the foundational text for the understanding of St. Peter as the rock, as the one upon whom the Church is built, and also is the foundational text for understanding Peter's role, not just with regard to the universal Church, but with regard to the Church at Rome in particular. Peter is the rock of the Church as a whole, but he's also the first bishop, so to speak, of the Church of Rome. And so, that episcopal foundation, as it were, is something that rests on Peter, the person of Peter who is the rock. Now, that's just a very brief point there. But today, I'd like to spend more time actually going back and looking at the first reading because this is one we don't hear frequently in the lectionary. And that's the description of Peter's imprisonment in Acts 12:1-11. So let's go back and look at that today because what the church is reflecting on today is not just Peter and Paul's role as these two pillar apostles for the church at Rome. In particular, it is reflecting on the mystery of their martyrdom. And so, although we don't have an account of the martyrdom of Peter in the Gospels or in the Book of Acts, for example, we do have an account of Peter's imprisonment in which he is configured to Christ and, in a sense, anticipates his martyrdom in Acts 12. So, look at those verses with me for just a minute. Acts 12:1-11 says this:
About that time Herod the king laid violent hands upon some who belonged to the church.
He killed James the brother of John with the sword;
and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread.
And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people.
So Peter was kept in prison; but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.
The very night when Herod was about to bring him out, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison; and behold, an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands. And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your mantle around you and follow me.” And he went out and followed him; he did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened to them of its own accord, and they went out and passed on through one street; and immediately the angel left him. And Peter came to himself, and said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”
Now, you might think, "Why is the Church reading the account of Peter escaping from prison on the day we're remembering his martyrdom?" The answer, I would suggest to you, is twofold. Firstly, although Peter does escape from prison in this particular instance, notice that the passage reveals that Peter is conforming his life to the sufferings of Jesus. How? Well, look at what happens. Peter's in Jerusalem during the days of unleavened bread at the time of Passover. Let's see, when was Jesus arrested, right? Brought before Herod and then thrown into prison to be executed. It was during the days of unleavened bread at the time of the Passover. So, in other words, just as Jesus was imprisoned at the time of Passover and then eventually put to death, so too Peter is being arrested at the very same season, during the very same festival, that his master was arrested at. And although we know that Peter gets out of prison at the end of it all, what do you think Peter would have thought as he's sitting there in prison during Passover, awaiting his fate, especially if it takes place right on the heels of James, the brother of John, having been executed as the first of the apostles to be put to death? On a human level, it seems abundantly clear to me, at least, that Peter would expect to be put to death just as Jesus was put to death and just as James was put to death. So, there's a kind of configuration of St.t Peter here to Christ himself. He's undergoing a kind of anticipation of the passion in the very place where Jesus himself had been imprisoned and then scourged and suffered and then put to death on the cross.
Now, of course, this isn't Peter's time. It's not his hour, so to speak. So, the angel comes to him in the middle of the night and says, “Get up, dress yourself, and come. I'm going to take you out.” He's going to be rescued, although Peter thinks it's a dream or a vision that he's seeing. Peter is actually delivered by the angel. Now, this other aspect of the text is fascinating to me because it makes me think of a passage from the Gospel of John. Although the martyrdom of Peter is not narrated anywhere in the New Testament, it is anticipated in John 21 in Jesus's famous but cryptic prophecy to Peter. And listen to what Jesus says (John 21:18):
Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you girded yourself and walked where you would; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish to go.” (This he said to show by what death he was to glorify God.)
So, pause there. Isn't it interesting that Jesus describes Peter's eventual martyrdom in terms of formally being able to get dressed and go where he wants to go, but in the future, having someone else dress him and being led where he doesn't want to go, right? It's a kind of twofold description. And apparently, John expects his readers to know by what death Peter is going to die, we’re going to see in a minute it's through crucifixion. But I can't help but notice that in Acts 12 today, the angel says, “Get up, dress yourself, and then leave.” So, Peter dresses himself and is able to escape in his youth, here in his prime. But then eventually, he'll be led to a place he doesn't want to go. He'll be dressed by another and brought out to an execution, which will end with his death. So, in summary, I think that this passage is actually a beautifully selected text to reflect how Peter is being gradually, more and more closely configured to Christ in his passion, in his imprisonment and his suffering, and then eventually in his death.
So that's the first reading for today.
The second reading for today...
