Jesus often asked direct, upfront and personal questions. ‘Who do the people say I am?‘ was just such a question (v. 18). It invited the disciples to focus not on others but on themselves. Others had their views and opinions on who they thought Jesus was: John the Baptist, Elijah, one of the prophets. The grace that Peter received gave him the courage and conviction to proclaim what faith had taught him in his inner being, that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ. The truths of our faith, unless ignited by grace and light, can remain dry and lifeless in our hearts. This is because we have lost clarity regarding seeking the Lord’s face and wanting to receive more and more of the grace of revelation.
This condition can overwhelm our priests and deacons, who need to be constantly renewed and refreshed in order to feed us with God’s Word. However, lay people can also lose their enthusiasm for the things of the Spirit. How do we recover this? The key to recovery is repentance and acknowledging that our hearts have become hardened through our own fault, our own negligence and lack of focus. It happens to us all: we are all guilty as charged. God is rich in mercy and there is rejoicing in heaven when we repent. God pours out his grace and mercy so we can see the truths of our faith, the light of Scripture and be refreshed in our spirits.