Resurrection Lutheran Church, St Catharines

The Confession of St. Peter fits well within the season of Epiphany. The Sunday Epiphany readings focus on the revelation that this Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, exactly as Peter stated Him to be.

 

On the day of Epiphany we hear of the magi from the East (Matthew 2:1-12) who by their gifts confessed the baby of Mary to be the Christ, the King of the Jews, and by their worship confessed Him to be their God. Next we have the Baptism of Our Lord (Matthew 3:13-17) in which God the Father spoke from heaven and gave His own confession of Jesus: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

 

Then we move on to the signs Jesus Himself gave through miracles and His teaching. He turned the created element of water into wine (John 2:1-11). He cast out demons and healed the sick. He calmed the storms and He was transfigured on the mountain and permitted some of His divine glory to show through (Matthew 17:1-9).

 

We have all these confessions that Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the long-awaited Messiah, the promised Saviour, the LORD God come to save His people. As one of the chosen twelve apostles, Peter heard and was an eye-witness to many of these proofs that Jesus provided, so that when Jesus asked asked, “Who do you say that I am?” (Mark 8:29), Peter could confidently answer, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). Okay, point one has been made clear. The key eye-witnesses and testifiers of Jesus had it down. He is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

 

But a fuller confession is necessary. So, let’s move on to point two, even as we do in the Church calendar when we move from the Season of Epiphany into the Season of Lent. Jesus began to teach His disciples that “the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again” (Mark 8:31).

 

Immediately Peter raised his objection. This is not what should happen to the Son of God. Surely, this is not how people will treat Him once they all know who He is. It does not make sense that one in whom such power and glory resides should be be rejected and killed. Surely this shall never happen. Peter could not yet make a full confession of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

 

But all of these things did happen and Peter was an eye-witness to them also. He was there to put up a fight when Jesus was arrested, and then laid down his sword when His Lord told him to do so (Mark 14:47). Peter was there when Jesus was on trial, insulted, mistreated and condemned. But he offered no confession at that time. He denied knowing who that Man was (14:68-72), even though he did know that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and Jesus had confessed that the Christ would suffer many things and be crucified.

 

You see, it is a big leap from point one to point two. As difficult as it is to grasp that the baby in Mary’s lap created the world, and as He nursed at her breast He commanded the earth and all the planets; yet even more difficult is it to believe that such a one who was worshiped by foreign magi would be rejected by His own people.

 

The One who could change water into wine would thirst from the cross. The One who exorcised demons would let them have their moment over Him. The One who walked on water would be hung upon a cross. The One who healed so many would die by crucifixion. The One who was transfigured to reveal His glory would become the picture of humiliation and scorn.

 

No wonder Peter protested when Jesus moved on from point one to point two. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, yet it is necessary that the Christ be crucified. I don’t know that Peter would have ever grasped point two, if he did not also witness point three: that after three days He would rise again.

 

And so Peter was the first one to dive into the tomb on that Sunday morning when the news came that the body of Jesus was missing and the angels had proclaimed that He was risen (John 20:6). Peter was there with the other apostles in the upper room when the risen Jesus came into their midst and showed them His nail pierced hands and feet (20:19-20). And Peter also saw multiple times this Jesus Christ of Nazareth who was crucified, raised and living again (1 Cor 15:5-6). And finally saw Him ascend bodily alive into heaven (Acts 1:9).

 

Once point three had been attested, then the difficulty that Peter had with point two was resolved. And yet it is still not yet a full confession. The Christ could suffer and be crucified, not just to be raised from the dead on the third day (which He most certainly was), but that it would all be done for the salvation of His people. That is the last point, and the one that is most crucial in the confession of who you say that Jesus Christ of Nazareth is. He is the Son of God who was promised to come into the world. He is the One who was crucified and raised from the dead.

 

The rest of the confession that you need to know and embrace is that this Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the Son of God, accomplished all of this in order to save His people, including you. You need to know that He did this in order to save you from your sins and all of the effects that sin has in your life in this world. That is the full confession that Peter could give after He had seen it all happen.

 

After Jesus had ascended into heaven, the apostles and the other Christians continued to gather together in Jerusalem, and they continued to go to the temple where Jesus had often taken them. One day as Peter and John were entering through the Beautiful Gate, a man lame from birth begged them for some money. But Peter and John did not have any money, so they gave the lame man what they had. They gave him their confession. They gave the lame man the name of Jesus.

 

“In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” (Acts 4:6). The man went with Peter and John leaping and praising God as they entered the temple court where Jesus used to teach them. And there before the gathering crowd Peter gave a full confession:

 

The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him. But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. And His name –by faith in His name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.

...Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets long ago (Acts 3:13-16, 19-21).

 

This full confession of Jesus Christ of Nazareth as the Son of God, crucified, and risen from the dead for you, was faithfully spoken so that thousands of people came to believe. But it was also this full confession that landed Peter and the others in jail. Like Jesus Himself, they were arrested and kept in custody until the morning.

 

And then the reading today from the Book of Acts (4:8-13) shows Peter giving this full confession, not in the comfort of his home surrounded by family, and not in a house church of a small number of gathered believers, not even out in the street with all of the public eye upon him, but in the very same location where he had denied even knowing Jesus. Before the same high priest and council that condemned Jesus to death, Peter no longer hid from the truth, but boldly gave a full confession.

 

“...let it be known to all of you and to the whole people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by Him this man is standing before you well.” Jesus Christ of Nazareth, crucified and raised, restored to this man all that sin had taken from him. “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” This Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the Son of God, crucified and risen from the dead, to give salvation and restoration to all by His name.

 

It is only this full confession of Peter and of the holy Christian Church that will allow you to make a full confession of all of your sins. Once you can fully confess Jesus Christ of Nazareth to be crucified and raised for your salvation, then you will be willing to lay bare all of the sins that you keep hidden away. They are hidden because you cannot believe some part of that full confession.

 

Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the Son of God, proven by the signs that accompanied His appearance on earth. Jesus Christ of Nazareth was crucified and raised from the dead, proven by Peter and the apostles and all others who saw it for themselves and gave a full confession of it, even to the point of persecution and death. Jesus Christ of Nazareth has provided salvation for you from all of your sins and all of the effects of sin that have fallen upon you. As He fully restored the man lame from birth, so He has full restoration for you, body and soul.

 

For salvation is in His name and no other name. And that is good because it is His name that has been given to you, as it was to the lame man. Lots of people come to the Christian Church asking for money or some other limited help, but the Christian Church has to offer is the full confession of the name of the Jesus. It is by that name that there is restoration from sin and death.

 

It is the name which was given to you at your Baptism. It is the name that is declared to you in holy absolution. It is the name in which we pray for God’s grace, blessing, forgiveness, healing, and restoration. It is the name by which we are given God’s peace. You can make a full confession of your sins because you have the full confession of the name of Jesus. This is Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the Son of God, crucified and raised from the dead to give life and salvation to you.