Simon bar Jonah

Jesus affirms Peter for calling him the Son of God, calling him Simon bar Jona, which means 'son of a dove', for he is a child of the Holy Spirit, the God who gave him this faith, as Jesus also says here: Flesh and blood have not revealed this unto you. But further, he warns him, to whom he had given the keys to the kingdom of heaven, that there is another gate nearby, indeed many, the gates of hell. And surely enough, the next thing that happens that the influence of Satan leads him to reject Jesus' words about the necessity for the cross. And not long after this, he will deny his Lord three times. And yet Jesus had also promised him that the gates of hell would not prevail, and so he calls Peter back with a look, and Peter repents, and the angels of heaven rejoice. So also let us learn about the nearness of the devil who prowls around like a roaring lion, and from this warning take comfort only in Christ's word and not in our own reason or strength. For where his word is, there is safety, and that, eternally. Sermon for midweek of Trinity V. The video is here.