We don’t know why Jesus had His disciples go to Caesarea Philippi; we don’t know what took place there. We only know of the profound exchange that took place on their return between Jesus and Peter, which we hear about in this week’s Gospel reading [cf. Matthew 16:13-20].

Caesarea Philippi was a mountain resort town at the foot of Mount Hermon, about fifteen miles north of the Sea of Galilee. It was a popular destination for the Roman elite.

The great Via Maris trade route passed near Caesarea Philippi bringing many wealthy vacationers to the natural springs that emerges from a large cave in the side of the mountain. This is the headwaters of the Banias River which gives rise to the Jordan River. A place of retreat; perhaps just the right place for Jesus to pose the question.

Jesus began by asking them: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” [Mt 16:13b] - a very typical Middle Eastern question. In their culture, you are who others say you are. But then He made the question very personal: “But who do you say that I am?” [Mt 16:15]. Peter immediately replied: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” [Mt 16:16]. At that point, Jesus praised Peter for his insight. And we might think: “Wow, Peter really knew Jesus well.”

Jesus then shared with them, for the very first time, what had been weighing on Him for some time: “the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised” [Mt 16:21]. This was an astounding statement; their long-awaited Messiah would not be the conquering one who would drive the Roman oppressors out; rather he would go the way of the Son of Man, the one who would sacrifice himself for his people.

Matthew tells us that Peter immediately took Jesus aside to rebuke him for making such a frightening statement. We heard the response he got from Jesus: “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do” [Mt 16:23]. Clearly, at that point, Peter did not know Jesus well at all. And there would be other exchanges between them that make this same point.

What we hear in this Gospel passage is just one episode in the faith journey of Peter. Peter’s journey to really know Jesus well is an excellent example that coming to know Jesus is a learning process that is unique to each one of us. At first, Peter just responded to an invitation; he then had a mountaintop experience at the transfiguration; and he also felt the sting of correction in failing to grasp the necessity of Jesus’ crucifixion and the need for his restoration after his denial of Jesus. It was a journey of learning, reflecting, changing, moving forward. Some faith journeys are more difficult than others, but what is common for all of us is that the more opportunities we have to understand Jesus, the better we will come to know Him.

Well, Blessed Sacrament parish offers a whole range of opportunities for such understanding. To name just a few: there’s That Man is You on Saturday mornings, U of Faith on Monday evenings, Men’s Bible Studies on Tuesday evenings, Christ in your Neighborhood groups meeting throughout the week. There’s also Cursillo coming up in the fall. These are just a few ways that can draw you back into your journey to know Jesus better.

As I said, the Gospel stories about Peter’s journey of faith show us that coming to know Jesus well doesn’t happen easily; it takes openness, willingness, and effort if we are to know Jesus in a way that will really matter in our lives.

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