DAILY DEVOTIONAL REFLECTION (PASTORAL FEEDING) BY: PASTOR ROMEO ARANEZ # DEAR POPE JESUS: NOW AND FOREVER, NO REPRESENTATIVE EXCEPT HIS SPIRITUAL BODY, THE GROUP OF BELIEVERS IN CHRIST. DATA: Matt 16:13-20 13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, Who do people say the Son of Man is? 14 They replied, Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets. 15 But what about you? he asked. Who do you say I am? 16 Simon Peter answered, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17 Jesus replied, Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. THEOLOGICAL AFFIRMATION: Former Mayor of Talisay, Mayor Soc Fernandes also a catholic faith defender used to be in cebu plaza independencia for public theological debate. I love him as a fellow student of the bible and not consider him as enemy because were in disagreement in some issues. We can all live in love in the banner of Christ’s love in spite of theological differences. I once debated him about Mathew 16:17, if it was really Peter the “ROCK” as the foundation on which the church being built. He really affirmed that it was Peter who received the key authority as the first pope of the church, after Jesus left the earth. Peter was the replacement of Christ and legal representative here on earth. He further claimed that Mathew 16:17 is the mission order of peter as the first pope and the foundation of the entire catholic church. I asked him if the phrase “on this rock” was peter. He said, “this” demonstrative pronoun refers to anything near and beside. Thus, Bro Soc Fernandez boldly claimed that it was peter, because only Peter was near and beside Jesus in conversation. I objected him that it was not Peter, because in Greek is: “TAUTES EPE PETRA” (on this rock), would not fit to peter because “this” in original Greek language is feminine in gender. If it was Peter, the role of adjective agreement, supposed to be “TAUTOS EPE PETROS”. Here is the Greek role: MASCULINE FORM OF “THIS”: “TAUTOS” and the plural masculine form of “THESE” is TAUTOI”. FEMININE OF “THIS”: “TAOTES” and plural of “these in feminine form” TAUTAI”. NEUTER OF “THIS”: “TAUTO” and neuter plural form of these is “TAOTON”. On that frame work, the original Greek is: “TAUTES EPE PETRA”, not TAUTOS EPE PETROS. Therefore, sytantactical or grammatical interpretation forces us to look for someone else as the foundation, because it was not peter. The question now: who is this demonstrative pronoun as feminine in gender? There is only feminine in gender in the text which is PETRA, known as the mother of all rock. PETRA is rock and peter as in Greek is petros means small stone. The Petra here is the rock of revelation uttered by Peter:” You are the son of the living God” in Matthew 16:16, it was not from man but a revelation from the father in heaven, verse 17. So the “TAUTES EPE PETRA” not referred to Peter, but on the mother of all rock, which is the rock of revelation as “JESUS THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD”, in which the church was built and not on Peter. Beside, some other scriptural evidence pointed to JESUS as the rock and not to PETER: 1 Cor 10:1-5 10:1 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert. 1 Cor 3:10-11 10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. Eph 2:19-21 19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with Gods people and members of Gods household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. God is so smart not to build his church on human foundation like Peter, but on the PETRA as the mother of all rock, the rock of revelation: “JESUS THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD.” Some scholarly argument, that PETROS AND PETRA were used interchangeably as stated in extra canonical writings. Nevertheless, in the bible not used interchangeably. Thus, extracanonical argument is an argument of silence and argument from silence is silence. CONTEXTUALIZATION: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, the POPE is known as: Vicar of Christ (from Latin Vicarius Christi) is a term used in different ways, with different theological connotations throughout history. As the original notion a vicar is of earthly representative of God or Christ but also used in sense of person acting as parish priest in place of a real person. From the time of SAINT PETER down to the present twenty first century, POPE FRANCIS is the 226 pope as successor of the Papacy or the vicar of Christ. The belief that Jesus left his authority and given to a pope as representative here on earth as vicar of Christ, really biblical? Did Jesus left his authority as high priest, or he brought with him in heaven, forever? Who is really the replacement of Christ or his vicar here on earth? The book of Hebrew, stated that Jesus our high priest is forever and never left to anyone nor shared to any mortal human. The role of a high priest is important to bring us closer to God, but the problem in the old testament, human priest was inferior: selected by people, could commit sin, die and the selection is never ending search. Thus, Jesus took better and superior role of the priesthood: not selected by people, but by God, cannot sin, immortal and forever priest from earth to eternity. Look Heb 5:1-7, Every high priest is selected from among men and is appointed to represent them in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. 3 This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. 4 No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was. 5 So Christ also did not take upon himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, You are my Son; today I have become your Father. 6 And he says in another place, You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek. 7 During the days of Jesus life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Consider Jesus as our eternal high priest and POPE: Heb 4:14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet was without sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Another question, is the POPE biblically could be the representative of Christ as the VICAR OF CHRIST? The best person to answer this question is JESUS himself. Consider what Jesus said, about his vicar or representative: John 16:5-11 5 Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, `Where are you going? 6 Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. 7 But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; 10 in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemn. The vicar of Christ is the Holy Spirit, the third person of the trinity. Then, this Holy Spirit never dwelt on one person or church leader, but to all believers. According to Paul, 1 Cor 12:12-13, “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body-whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free-and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.” Also in Eph 2:18, “For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. According to Saint Peter himself in 1 Peter 2:9-10, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” See Peter pointed out the priesthood of every believer. APPLICATION: We have superior eternal POPE who could sympathize our weakness, he never visits Philippines one in a blue moon, but stays in us and live in us as believers. Jesus our POPE hears us and assure us because he is there in heaven, thus he answer whatever we ask in his name. So we can pray, DEAR JESUS and not using any other name: Heb 4:14-14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet was without sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Jesus made a promise a day that we can ask him using his name and we will receive, when that day he would be back in the presence of the father and could freely carry his priestly duty as our eternal POPE: John 16: 23” In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. “ Jesus said, whatever you ask in my name and his name is not POPE FRANCIS, but POPE JESUS. Do not get me wrong, I love POPE FRANCIS as advocator for spiritual renewal to mercy and compassion. He said when he was in TACLOBAN, it is not about me, and it’s all about JESUS. Saint, Peter when he was given spotlight of attention and extreme devotion and respect that only be rendered to God, He said, stand up and stop kneeling down, I am just a fellow servant like all of you. POPE Francis like SAINT PETER, they are fellow laborers of the vineyard of the Lord.
Posted on: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 07:08:07 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015