What a surprising Savior we follow.

            He breaks rules even as he says he’s come not to break the rules but to fulfill them.

            He tries to make clear to his disciples again and again that he’s the Messiah, but when they finally get it and call him that, he tells them to tell no one else.

            The people expected the Messiah to act in power and with military might, if necessary, to rid the land of the Romans and restore Israel, but Jesus says no. He says his kingdom isn’t like that. To draw the world to himself, he says, he won’t be conquering anyone with anyone’s army. Rather, he will — and must — die.

            In the passage we read from the gospel of Matthew today, we see the surprising nature of this savior highlighted. This passage includes the famous statement from Jesus that his disciple Simon, son of Jonah, now will be known as Peter (Petros, in Greek, which means rock) “and on this rock I will build my church,” Jesus says. This passage helps us look at what this surprising Savior is calling us to do if we claim to be his disciple.

The setting

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