Heart Of Faith - Feet Of Clay

"Today's Devotion" For April 20, 2005

Read: Matthew 16:13-23; Psalm 31

HEART OF FAITH - FEET OF CLAY

"He said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?' And Simon Peter answered and said, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.'" (Mt. 16:15, 16)

It has been a long held tradition, especially within the Roman Catholic Church, that the Apostle Peter was the first pope, the Vicar of Christ's Church on earth. Yesterday, very early in the papal conclave at the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican in Rome, 115 assembled cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church, all under the age of 80, elected a new pope, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany. He's considered Peter's 265th successor and has taken the papal name of Pope Benedict XVI. What's so very interesting about this man's selection is how people are responding to him. Some laud and praise the selection as one which will keep church traditions and doctrines strong. Some acknowledge him to be a friend of and supporter of bringing the world's religions together. At the same time he's being judged as too harsh, an enemy of the ordination of women, full of hatred for gay people, and a denigrator of other, non-Roman Catholic Christians whom he has claimed are deficient as Christians. Depending on one’s perspective, the new pope could be seen as a man with a “heart of faith, but feet of clay,” or just another powerful person.

Our attention is drawn by these events to the very text on which the whole idea of the Papacy rests. Matthew has been writing about what it means to know Jesus and faithfully live as a disciple in Him. Jesus' ministry has taken Him all over and people were responding in a variety of ways, from the hatred of the Pharisees and Sadducees and their teachings contrary to the Word of God, to those who had seen Jesus' miracles and were enthralled by Him. His question, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" draws our attention to the fact that people draw all kinds of conclusions about God and His salvation in Christ, but not from the source of all truth. His disciples had heard all kinds of answers as to whom people thought Jesus was, including John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. In our own day Jesus is seen as an itinerant rabbi, a good man, a prophet of sorts, and a myriad of other things (not all of them benign or kind). Just as in His day, the world still doesn't recognize Him as the Son of God and the Savior of the world.

Thus, Jesus' follow up question to the disciples, "But who do you say that I am?" is of just as great importance today as well. He gets His answer from Peter gushing forth his great confession, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." It's a powerful confession of faith. Jesus acknowledges Peter's confession and notes that such faith and knowledge of Him is the result of the Father's revelation to Peter and to all who believe. Focusing on that confession, and playing on Peter's name, which is "Petros" in the Greek ("Rock"), Jesus reminds us that it is only by faith that we know Him and His love for us, and that such faith is God's work in us. Peter stands as a reminder to us that we can only know God's love and forgiveness in Jesus' Christ through the power of His Word and Spirit.

Yet, the account doesn't stop here. While Peter's heart of faith is shared with us as encouragement for our own confession of faith in Christ as Savior and Lord, we are also introduced to his and our feet of clay. It's the realty of Sin in our lives. The same man who so boldly and confidently made such a powerful confession of faith, upon which an institution was founded and has remained in place over the lifetimes of 264 men, also wavered and became a hindrance to Jesus' purpose and mission of going to the Cross for the sins of the world. Peter's confession of faith and his subsequent attempt to hinder Jesus' mission remind us that, even though we are His redeemed people, we have hearts of faith and feet of clay. As with Peter, our Lord Jesus Christ firmly addresses our sins and our lack of faith, while at the same time uplifting us by the power of the Word and Spirit, so that we also know His love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness. Each day of our lives we live with hearts of faith carried along by feet of clay. And each day of our lives, our Father in heaven establishes us on the "rock" of faith so that we can overcome our feet of clay and share His love in Christ with others.

Prayer: Father, I'm reminded by the events of the day that Your hand is constantly at work in this world, and most especially in my life. In the midst of the pain and anguish of Sin in my life, You give me the firm and faithful assurance that in Christ Jesus my sins are forgiven and I have the hope and promise of eternal life. You continually strengthen my faith by Your Word and the Sacraments so that I might overcome my "feet of clay,'" living in Your forgiveness and sharing Christ's love with others. Let my life stand securely and firmly with Peter and all the saints on earth and in heaven on the "rock" of faith in Jesus as my Savior and Lord. Lead me to reach out to others with the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ so that, despite their "feet of clay," they might have hearts full of faith, hope, and love for all eternity. In the precious, most holy name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
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--Pastor Boeck

Copyright © 2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.