Trinity 12_2026

Readings:

• Romans 12.1-8
• Matthew 16.13-20

Sermon:

Have you ever been asked a question that changed everything?

Not a question with a right or wrong answer. A question that revealed something about who you really are.

Jesus asks one of those questions in Matthew chapter 16.

“Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

The disciples offer the opinions they’ve heard. Some say John the Baptist. Others Elijah. Others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.

And then Jesus makes it personal.

“But what about you? Who do you say I am?”

I’ve always loved Peter.

Perhaps because he’s wonderfully human. He’s the disciple who jumps out of the boat before thinking. He speaks first and reflects later. One moment he’s walking on water; the next he’s sinking. One moment he’s declaring his undying loyalty; the next he’s denying he even knows Jesus. Peter reminds me that following Jesus isn’t about getting everything right—it’s about continuing to follow him, even when you don’t.

And yet here, Peter has one of the most extraordinary moments in all of the Gospels.

“You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

It’s easy for us to miss just how astonishing those words are.

Peter isn’t simply saying that Jesus is a wise teacher, a miracle worker, or even a prophet. Plenty of people believed that.

Peter is recognising that everything Israel has been waiting for has arrived in the person standing in front of him. The promised King. God’s chosen one. The Son of the living God.

And Jesus tells him something remarkable:

“This was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.”

Faith, it turns out, is more than human deduction. It’s revelation. God opening our eyes to see who Jesus truly is.

Then something beautiful happens.

As soon as Peter rightly identifies Jesus, Jesus tells Peter who he is.

“You are Peter…”

Isn’t that often God’s way?

When we discover who Jesus is, we begin to discover who we are.

Our identity doesn’t start with our achievements or failures. It doesn’t begin with what others say about us. It begins with Jesus.

Peter’s life would still include mistakes. In fact, only a few verses later Jesus has to rebuke him. Peter isn’t suddenly perfect.

But his future is no longer defined by his weakness. It’s defined by the One he has confessed.

I wonder if that’s something some of us need to hear today.

Perhaps we’ve become experts at answering every question except the one Jesus asks.

Not, “Who does your church say I am?”

Not, “Who does your family say I am?”

Not even, “Who does your vicar say I am?”

But simply:

“Who do you say I am?”

Because Christianity has never been built on second-hand opinions. It has always begun with a personal encounter with Jesus Christ.

And the wonderful news is this: when we answer that question, Jesus answers one in return.

As we confess him as Lord, he reminds us who we are—beloved, called, forgiven and sent.

So today, hear Jesus asking that question again.

“Who do you say I am?”

May we have the courage to answer with Peter:

“You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

And may that confession continue to shape every part of who we are