Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ 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. 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. 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.’ Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. Matthew 16:16-20

Recently I read a Christian Classic by Hannah Whitall Smith called A Christian’s Secret to a Happy Life published in 1875. I have been reading this book whenever I got a moment; on the bus, on the subway train on the way to church. I have to say that I was a little self-conscious reading a book with such a title. I don’t want to be the person caught reading a self-help book. Despite its misleading title, Mrs Smith’s book is far from being a mere self-help book. It is actually quite relevant to the gospel story above.

Often times whenever I read this particular episode in the gospels, I tend to reduce the message to be the calling of St. Peter. It is the disputed tale about the biblical grounds for papacy. However, this story was never meant to be about this. The church has made it as such, at least, the modern church has. The problem is that doctrinal theories can overshadow deeper meanings in the text. Other times, they help us delve deeper into the gospel story. Therefore, it wouldn’t be wise to discard doctrines in general. Spiritual discernment is always necessary.

The evangelist mentions the place where this event happened. I had not paid much attention to this for many years until I heard a biblical scholar who brought it to my attention. The location was a place where an image of the emperor was erected. Even though the Jewish people were not fans of the Roman Empire, they couldn’t have avoided the political propaganda of the time. Many times, the slogan is more convincing than the Truth. The slogan, at that time, was that the Roman Empire was the important force which civilized the world. In other words, the Empire had the power to bring peace and order and enlightenment to the world. This argument was used to justify everything they did. Sometimes people who opposed the Roman Empire like the Jewish authorities of Jesus’ time were afraid to act or say anything against it because they feared that without the Empire things would disintegrate. The slogan was strong because the people saw its power, influence, and, not to forget, the lies being wielded constantly before them. They eventually succumbed to its ways and means.

Jesus waited for the precise moment to ask this question.

St Peter did not come to this conclusion during his time of meditation nor did he read this in a book. His conclusions were drawn what he saw and heard. He saw Jesus calm the tempestuous sea. He saw Jesus feed the multitudes. He saw Jesus heal the sick and cleanse the lepers. He saw Jesus walk on water and he also participated in this miracle. St Peter saw that Jesus was able to overcome the obstacles which the world presented. Jesus was presenting a reality previously unreachable to him.

In the time of Jesus, all the diverse mythologies of the world’s religions would have been accessible to the people. Interactions with different cultures were not uncommon. However, other mythologies dealt with deities in a reality far removed from our own. St. Peter witnessed divine participation in his own reality. Most fascinatingly, he walked on water, albeit for a few seconds. St. Peter did not allow these special moments to slip away into memory. He pondered upon them. His eyes and ears were attentive to the Holy Spirit. When the moment came, he knew the precise answer; “Jesus is the Messiah”. In other words, Jesus was the only One who could fulfill all the things that humanity had been yearning for in their souls. He was the True Answer to our most profound questions. He was the One who could bring our souls home to the Heavenly Father. All those who made these promises before and after Him were and are nothing but deceivers.

This might sound like a general condemnation of other religions. It should not be taken this manner. Most religions address the yearnings of the souls. They tend to directly or indirectly prepare the people for the Christ by addressing this God-shaped hole in us as St. Augustine aptly wrote. Jesus did not stand in front of a religious institution to ask this question. He stood before a political propaganda and confronted the disciples. This is very relevant to us today.

The greatest challenge we face today is believing the slogans which the world throws at us. We are told to believe that we cannot get anywhere in Life unless we subscribe to the things they promise. It is not just a question of political affiliations, which is part of it, but it is the lifestyle. Everything is about lifestyle. We shape our lives according to whatever we perceive to be the Truth. This is not a set of doctrines or theology. It is about receiving something as the foundation upon which we will base our lives.

St. Paul wrote,

The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the foremost. (1 Tim. 1:15)

Jesus came to save sinners. Sin is missing the mark, or rather, aiming at the wrong goal. He came to show us, not just, how we have strayed but how to walk in the right path. He did do this not through words but He lived among us and showed us the Way, the Truth and the Life. As humans, words don’t suffice for us. We need to see and hear the Truth being manifested in our lives. Sometimes, Christians are way behind the world in this respect. The world understands this. It spreads its lies effectively by imposing itself into our lives. It is present in an imposing manner.

Jesus, on the other hand, was present in the lives of the disciples by serving them. He exposed their sinful ways by lovingly serving them. He revealed the immensity of God’s love by healing the sick, cleansing the leper and comforting those who mourn ( raising the widow’s dead son). He revealed God’s power and authority through the feeding of the multitudes and calming the storm. Jesus was active and present in this world but never imposing. St. Peter confessed what he had seen and lived. He confessed that Jesus was sufficient. There was not need to yearn for anything else anymore. There was no need to blindly listen to the lies being hurled at them. Jesus is all and everything that our souls need to construct a happy life. St Peter struggled to free himself from all the lies that had been deeply rooted in his soul. Perhaps this is why Jesus appointed him as our leader. He led the way for us to learn how to overcome the lies of this world in order to truly enthrone Jesus as the Lord of our Life.

Getting back to Mrs. Smith’s simple book, it was very edifying for me to read something which reminded me that Jesus is indeed the Christ. It may be easy to forget this because of the lies constantly being imposed upon my life. However, Jesus finds a way to remind us that He is everything and all that we need. To confess Jesus as our Christ means trusting Him completely with our lives. It means abandoning the ways and lies of the world. It means not employing the tools of darkness to promote the gospel. It means acknowledging that Jesus doesn’t need any help from us. However, He calls us to participate together with Him and become His instruments of Love. We cannot become His instruments unless we complete entrust our lives to Him.

He is our Christ and there is none other to wait for. He is the key for our happy life. However, we won’t know this unless we are willing to lay our lives at His feet. We do this by following the example of St. Peter. He is the rock. He is our example. His life helps us to understand that trusting Jesus as our Messiah means overcoming one doubt at a time. Peter trusted Jesus to follow Him. He trusted Jesus to heal his mother-in-law. He trusted Jesus to walk on water, albeit just a few steps. He trusted Jesus to forgive him even after he denied him. He trusted Jesus even he was confronted by St. Paul for his hypocrisy. He knew the reprimand was for his spiritual good. St. Peter trusted in the Messiah and not in his own righteousness and means. He trusted that despite all his weakness, Jesus would manifest Himself as Christ in His life. In doing so, St. Peter found the meaning of a happy life which led him to the Cross. Perhaps, it was the happiest moment of his life. He was able to die like his savior.

As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.  “Bring them here to me,” he said. Matthew 14:15-18

This miracle story comes after a series of parables on the Kingdom of God. The emphasis is that the Kingdom of God always appears as something small and insignificant, many times, almost imperceptible unless one has eyes to see and ears to hear. Small not in the sense of quality but more that it is something unexpected. This is very consistent in the way God acts and we see evidence of this in the Old Testament. God chose Abraham, an immigrant who never held any important role in society besides being a simple shepherd. He was so insignificant that no historical books recorded his existence. These books were reserved for those who are considered great and mighty by the world’s standards. The memory of Abraham was preserved by those whose faith was inspired by him despite all his imperfections. He was small and insignificant but the impact of his faith changed the world.

The Kingdom of God, despite its unexpected nature and apparently insignificant manifestations, creates an impact in the world. However, not everyone perceives this. In the gospel of Matthew, before the evangelist tells that story of feeding of the five thousand, he narrates the tragic tale of John the Baptist. Here again the contrast between the Kingdom of this Era and the Kingdom of God is distinguished. John belonged the latter. His impact in the lives of the people was undeniable. He was a man who was a little peculiar to say the least. He did not hold an office nor any position of authority in the world. However, he was highly esteemed by those whose souls hungered for Truth and Healing. Herod thought he possessed power but he was helpless in deciding the fate of John. The scripture tells us,

The king was grieved, yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he commanded it to be given. Matthew 14:9

Yet, with all the power and authority given to Herod in this world, he was unable to do the good he wanted to do. He was powerless against his own sin. He could not overcome his own personal weakness.

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. Romans 7:15

Very often in our Christian community we forget that the power to do good does not come with the size of our congregation or the approval of the powers to be. In our present times, society has invented a class of people known as “influencers” although there is nothing to show that they have influenced anyone or anything for better or worse. Most of them just basically say what people want to hear. They are considered influencers just because the have a group of people following them blindly, albeit a large following. Many times the group or people the world thinks as powerful and influential end up doing the least for the Kingdom of God.

The Kingdom of God is a mystery, however, not the in the sense that it is inexplicable or unknowable. It is a mystery because we cannot understand nor grasp its presence until we allow ourselves to participate in it. In other words, there is no knowing the Kingdom of God from a so-called objective perspective. It beckons us to become part of its existence wherever it is found.

There were thousands who ate the miraculous bread and fish that particular day. However, not all of them knew that a miracle had taken place. I am sure many might have rejoiced that their hunger was satiated. Others might have just taken things for granted and expected that the least Jesus could do was to feed them. Who knows? Maybe I am committing the sin of anachronism here and reading modern attitudes into the story. Whatever the case was, only a handful of people knew that a miracle had taken place. Only a handful participated in the actions of the Kingdom of God. These were the disciples who scurried around looking for food to feed these people. They were the ones who knew for a fact this amazing miracle. They participated it in a very small way. It was almost a mustard seed contribution on their part. However, it changed completely how they understood the person of Jesus. It wasn’t just the miracle of feeding a large multitude. This miracle as incredible as it was can perhaps one day be repeated through science. It is very possible that future scientists would find a way to create food for the masses out of small quantities of food. However, for these disciples, this miracle was not about the multiplication of food. It opened their eyes to recognize the presence of “Emanuel”, or rather,“God is with us”.

This miracle was the almost the same as the miracle that occurred in the desert where the Israelites began their pilgrimage towards the Promised Land. However, there is a big difference. In the miracle of the maná, God produced the grain from the soil. God was a distant presence and the miracle occurred without any human participation. The people just had to collect the grain which appeared on the ground. In the New Testament, God has started something new. He is “God with us”. He has taken our nature and wants to draw us into the work He is doing. He opens the door for our participation. He will take the little that we have to offer to Him and transform it into building bricks for the Kingdom of God. We are not able to create the Kingdom of God here. Only Jesus can. The disciples knew that it was impossible to feed the thousands with five loaves and two fish. However, it did not stop them from presenting them to Jesus.

Every day I carry a game of Uno to the streets. Every day we end our day with a game of Uno with a homeless person. Some time ago, a passerby, who had too much time on his hands, decided to pontificate to us about the futility of our work. His argument was that our homeless youth needed education and work programs and playing games was an absolute waste of time. I did not say much to him. I wasn’t interested in engagement with a complete stranger over what was the best way to work with homeless youth. In theory, he wasn’t wrong. I am sure many passing by would say the same. They might be think that what we do is a waste of time in the grand scheme of things. However, our ministry is not an attempt to impress these people. It is our simple offering to be part of God’s actions in the lives of these homeless young people. We know that we are not going to change society. We know that we are not going to create a great social impact. The problem before us is overwhelming. However, we know God is acting and doing something because the good news of the gospel is that “God is with us”. He is with us in a concrete and real manner. He beckons us to join Him. He invites us to “feed” the hungry souls who yearn for His unconditional Love. We offer what we can. We don’t have the resources to do all the things to solve problems. However, we have our “five loaves and two fish” and Jesus receives our offering. Consequently, we witness His miracles. Perhaps not everyone understands that miracles occur every time we are in the streets. They might just see a group of young people playing Uno and nothing more. However, only those who participate in what Emmanuel is doing will know that a miracle is happening. Each time, two or three gather in His Name a miracle happens. Christ is present. When Christ is present, His Love reigns supreme. Where His Love reigns, there is healing. We see healing every time we gather in the streets.

Recently, a mother and son who were just visiting the area, struck up a conversation with us. They are from what we call the upper middle class background. They were curious about our presence. They overheard us speaking English and wanted to know what we were doing in São Paulo. They are from another State in Brazil. The mother must be a Christian because she immediately used the word, “ministry” when I explained the nature of our work. Just then, a couple of our homeless young people walked by and they greeted us with a hug. Then they reached out their hands to shake the hands of the mother and son. They exchanged some words with her. She was very open and receptive too. A simple exchange, perhaps no one would have thought anything of it. However, for our young people who had spent their lives being rejected, it was a miracle. They had the courage to approach someone so distant from their reality and not feel estranged from her. She responded to them with openness and kindness. A few years ago, these same youth would have considered her a target to rob and she would have cowered away from them. However, things have changed in the lives of these young people. The hands that used to steal don’t steal anymore. These woman and her son who perhaps in another time would have looked at them with suspicious eyes now find no reason to allow fear to separate them. This is a simple miracle. Nothing the world would report about. Nothing people who walk past us would understand. However, nothing of these attitudes change the fact that a miracle has taken place. I am not sure if the game of Uno had anything to do with it. However, it gave us an opportunity to be part of a simple miracle.