Ken Hensley on Peter as Presented by Jesus

"It's humbling for me to think about passages in the New Testament I simply didn't see when I was a Baptist pastor, passages that came alive and became bright with meaning only after I began to read them in the light of Catholic teaching.

"One of those passages is Matthew 16:13-18.

"You remember the story. Jesus leads His disciples into the region of Caesarea Philippi, where He asks them: 'Who do men say that the Son of Man is?' The disciples begin to repeat what they've heard on the street: 'Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.' Jesus then directs the question to them personally: 'But who do you say that I am?'

"It's not clear how the Eleven would have answered this question had they spoken up. We only know how one of the disciples answered it. Verse 16: 'Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."'

"At this point Jesus speaks directly to Simon in the presence of the other disciples and makes a series of truly remarkable statements about the role that Simon is to play in the Church He has come to found."

In a recent commentary, Ken Hensley, Online Resource and Pastoral Care Coordinator of The Coming Home Network International, reflected on some of the ways in which Jesus presents Simon Peter to the other disciples - and to us.

To access Ken's complete post, please visit:

The Coming Home Network: A Baptist Pastor Discovers Peter (26 MAR 20)