What do people say? And what do you say?
Jesus uses questions to help his friends grow.
Jesus’ questions in the Gospel truly serve an important purpose; they are not catechism-style questions, but sparks that ignite something, setting in motion transformation and growth.
In life, questions are more important than answers. While answers may satisfy us and lead to complacency, questions inspire us to look forward. It’s as if the questions he asks are like those lovers pose: ‘Who am I to you’ to which the answer might be, ‘You are my love, my life.’
What Jesus wants to know from his disciples of all times is whether they are in love, whether they have opened their hearts to him. Christ is alive only if he is alive within us. Our heart can be God’s tomb, or his cradle to multiply life. Peter replies: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus grants him the power to forgive sins, which is not the legal power of absolution (it is not in Jesus’ style to replace old codes with new regulations).
It is the ability to transform even humanity’s darkest experiences. By moving from spiritual poverty to divine fulfillment, we aim to reflect the image of God as “children of God.” Integrating God within us and doing God’s work is the essence of salvation.
We can all be a rock that conveys strength, and let us all be a key that opens the beautiful doors of God.