The Cost of Discipleship: Losing One's Life for Jesus' Sake

Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 2013

Jesus - Giver of Life. Composition and Interpretation of Mark 7:31-9:50 , 2005

It is a scholarly study on the passage of the confession of Peter following the new method of interpreting the Bible known as Rhetorical Analysis developed by Roland Meynet, SJ

In Matthew's version of Peter's confession, the disciple says to Jesus, "You are the Christ the Son of the living God," and Jesus responds, "Blessed are you Simon son of Jonah, for flesh and blood have not revealed this to you but my Father in . In the history of interpretation these two verses have been used in debates about the Trinity, Christology, revelation, and personal salvation. is intriguing history has not been properly documented by scholars, since reception histories have focused on the re-naming of Peter as "the rock" (vv. 18-19) and the feud between Protestants and Catholics over the papacy during the Reformation. is paper explores the forgotten exegesis of vv. 16-17 from the patristic to the modern period, organizing readers synchronically in terms of what they believe Peter meant by his confession (v. 16) as well as their explanation of why Jesus blessed Peter (v. 17). While primarily descriptive, the article shows how exegesis of Matt. 16:16-17 highlights theological debates unique to the time of each thinker, exposes the creativity of interpretive methods, and replicates the logic of larger theological systems in miniature.

Linked to the Matthean theme of true and “false discipleship” is the, at times, unfavourable redactional portrayal of Peter—to the insinuating extent that Matthew renders the character of Peter as a “false disciple”. The menace of “apostasy” is interwoven within Matthew’s premise of the on-going presence of “false disciples” in the ekklēsia, a present form of Christ’s kingdom, until “the end of the age” (28:20). Gundry applies the phrase “antinomianism” (against the law) to “false disciples,” the same word used by A.W. Tozer to describe Christianity’s “ancient enemy of righteousness”, in contrast to the law ofChrist. It is an empty form of discipleship without Christological relevance which betrays the requirement of true righteousness (5:19-20). Peter’s humanistic rebellion against divine will at Caesarea Philippi (16:20-23) is highlighted (as it is throughout Matthew’s Gospel) by extreme approval followed by extreme disapproval. Being called a “diabolical snare” by Jesus—used elsewhere in Matthew’s gospel to describe “false” or “non-disciples”—is incredibly disapproving: it is hard to imagine a worse name. Therefore, in this thesis, I will: test Gundry’s description of Matthew’s overall portrayal of Peter as “apostate” by using the focus of the Caesarea Philippi scene (16:13-23), by redaction-critical methodology, by exegetical methodology and by thematical methodology.