31^st August 2014

Rev Dr Max Champion at St John's UCA Mt Waverley Sunday 24th August 2014

Lessons - Psalm 111; 2 Timothy 4:1-5; Matthew 16:13-23.

Matthew's account of the 'confession at Caesarea Philippi' contains material not found in Mark or Luke. This special material has played a significant part in our understanding of the authority of the Church, particularly since the C16th Reformation when it was first used in the Roman Catholic Church to justify papal authority. This interpretation was formalised in 1870 to strengthen the Church's teaching against the rising influence of nationalism and secularism.

Naturally, this approach led to fiery disputes between Catholic and both Protestants and secularists, that continue to this day. It is felt to be dangerous and unhealthy to invest so much authority in one person who could justify their use of the 'keys of the kingdom' solely on the grounds of being the successor to St Peter.

A careful reading of the text should dispel such an idea.

* There is no ground whatever for spiritual arrogance. Peter's confession - 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God' - is the result not of his superior faith but of God's gracious revelation (v17). The C15th painting by Perugino shows Peter (humbly) kneeling before Jesus to receive the keys.

* Peter is not a perfect disciple but a real disciple. Immediately after correctly saying who Jesus is, he is so ignorant about the cost of Christ's love that Jesus describes him as the 'personification of evil' - a 'stumbling block' (v23). Peter (the 'rock') - courageous and afraid, self-confident and ashamed, faithful and faithless - is very brittle material on which to build a strong Church!

* We must also read this 'text' in the 'context' of the whole New Testament witness to Christ. Elsewhere, Jesus is called the 'sure foundation' and the 'chief corner-stone' on which the Church is built.
Christ is the rock! So, this text is understood to mean that Peter derives his name (Petros) from 'the rock' (petra) who is Jesus Christ. Peter is the fallible servant of Christ, not the one with special qualities which guarantee that he is infallible. The authority of the Church does not depend on the faith and insight of her members but on the unmerited calling of God through Christ.

In 'Crossing the Threshold of Hope', the late pope, John Paul II, puts it splendidly. Commenting on this passage, he says: 'In the Church - built on the rock that is Christ - Peter, the apostles and their successors are witnesses of God crucified and risen in Christ. They are witnesses of God who gives life because He is love.' (p11)

Thus a careful reading of the text should dispel the idea that the Church should be 'authoritarian'.

At the same time, a careful reading should enable us to see that the 'whole Church' (represented by Peter) does have a definite responsibility to declare the (often unpalatable) truth about God's mercy and righteousness. The authority of popes and Church leaders to speak the truth in love is grounded in the service of 'Christ, the Son of the living God'.

While there is no basis in the text for claiming infallible hierarchical authority, real authority is given to fallible Church leaders (like Peter) to see that God's unique presence in Jesus is rightly believed and obeyed.
'I will give you the keys of the kingdom so that whatever you bind/forbid on earth shall be bound/forbidden in heaven and whatever you loose/permit on earth shall be loosed/permitted in heaven.' (v19 Revised Standard Version / JB Phillips)

This does not permit Church leaders or laypeople to claim divine approval for whatever they say or do! What they say in particular situations and how they treat their fellow sinners must square with whom they know God to be in Christ. Therefore:

* They must teach the law as it has been fulfilled in Christ so that, instead of being a burden, people shall experience it as a great freedom to praise God and love neighbours.

* As the practice of hearing confessions indicates, they have a responsibility to pardon or withhold pardon from fellow-sinners. The essential point is not that Church leaders should sniff out sinful behaviour and set themselves up as judges (who decide a person's fate on a whim), but that God's forgiveness and righteousness must be preached and
taught so that our lives mirror the new life that has come in Christ.

At all times, this authority is to be exercised with the aim of reconciling a wayward brother or sister to the fellowship of the Church (Matthew 18:15ff).

There will be times when this authority requires vigorous opposition to particular ideas and practices in the Church. Behind this special material in Matthew we can detect a tiny community whose faith is wavering and whose courage is lacking. They need strong leadership to sustain their faith in Jesus, the Son of the living God. They may have been tempted to adopt pagan practices or treat Jesus merely as a popular teacher. They may be suffering persecution. But, whatever their circumstances, like the congregation to whom the letter of Timothy is addressed, they are in need of 'sound preaching and instruction' suited not to their own whims but to the truth (2 Timothy 4:1ff).

This has a contemporary ring! We have become wary of all 'truth claims'
thinking that they are attempts to impose the values of another person or group on us. However, our fear of such 'authoritarianism' is matched by an unshakeable faith in 'our own authority'. 'Individual choice' is now thought to be the 'key to truth'. All that matters is what is true 'for me'. We must simply 'accept ourselves as we are' and be 'non-judgemental of anybody's life-style'.

The Church is not immune from the general distrust of truth-claims. Many Christians think that they are free to believe or not believe that God has reconciled the world to himself in the crucified and risen Christ. They insist on the right to be 'pro-choice' on matters of substance. However, they exclude the freedom to choose the gospel that 'Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God', who uniquely embodies the 'splendour of truth'
about God and humanity and in whom God's power over sin, evil and death has been supremely demonstrated and brought hope for humanity and the whole of creation.

This sad but serious situation shows why the splendour of truth must be proclaimed and defended! It is why, despite the dangers of authoritarianism, the Church must distinguish between truth and error in her preaching, teaching and pastoral care. Failure to do this with integrity and compassion is a sure sign that we are more concerned to protect the faiths of individuals and maintain uneasy peace in congregations, than to declare the unique 'faithfulness of God' to all.

May it not be said of us that we 'accumulate teachers to suit our own likings and turn away from listening to the truth' (2 Timothy 4:3,4). Let us fulfil our common ministry - as successors of the very fallible Peter - by rejoicing in the God of grace who has redeemed us through the resurrection of the crucified Jesus. Let us be wary of ideas and actions that are contemptuous of the Gospel and demean human dignity. Let us declare the splendour of truth in Christ with the purpose of glorifying God and seeking the reconciliation of our brothers and sisters to God.

Let us do so, confident in the promise given to Peter that the 'powers of hell / death' shall not ultimately prevail (v18). Persecuted Christians in many times and places have relied on this promise. It is also becoming a word for us in a society and Church that is increasingly hostile to the 'splendour of truth' embodied in 'Jesus, the Christ, the Son of the Living God'.

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Rev Dr Max Champion is the minister of St John's Uniting Church, Mt Waverley, Victoria, Australia. Dr Champion is a member of the Council of the Assembly of Confessing Congregations within the UCA.