"Indi Tawo Ang Nagsugid Sa Imo Sini Nga Butang, Kundi Ang AKon Amay Sa Langit.

Ebanghelyo subong nga Adlaw (Mateo 16:13-19)

Karon, sang didto na sila ni Jesus sa lugar sang Cesarea Filipos nagpamangkot siya sa iya mga sumulunod, "Sin-o bala ang pagkilala sang mga tawo sa akon nga Anak sang Tawo?"

Nagsabat sila, "May nagasiling nga ikaw si Juan nga manugbautiso. Ang iban nagasiling nga ikaw si Elias. May iban pa gid nga nagasiling nga ikaw si Jeremias, kag kon indi, basta isa sa mga propeta."

Nagsiling si Jesus sa ila, "Pero sa inyo, sin-o bala ako?"

Nagsabat si Pedro, "Ikaw ang Cristo,ang Anak sang Dios nga buhi!"

Nagsiling si Jesus sa iya, "Simon nga anak ni Jonas, bulahan ka, tungod kay ang nagsugid sa imo sini nga butang indi tawo kundi ang akon Amay sa langit.

Kag sa sini ginatawag ko ikaw nga Pedro nga kon sayuron 'bato'. Kag sa sini nga bato pagatukuron ko ang akon iglesya kag bisan ang gahom sang kamatayon indi makadaog sa iya.

Sa imo ko ihatag ang awtoridad sa ginharian sang Dios. Ang bisan ano nga indi mo pagtugutan diri sa kalibutan amo man ang indi pagtugutan sang Dios, kag ang bisan ano nga tugutan mo amo man ang tugutan sang Dios." 

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Meditation:

Today in many churches of the East and West the Apostles Peter and Paul are commemorated. Both were martyred in Rome in the first century. They tirelessly worked for the spread of the gospel, not only to the people of Israel, but to all the nations as well. They risked their lives in the process and gladly poured out their blood in loyalty to their Master, the Lord Jesus Christ. As Paul so eloquently stated in his second epistle to Timothy, they courageously fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7).

How firm is your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? At an opportune time Jesus tested his disciples with a crucial question: Who do men say that I am and who do you say that I am? (Matthew 16:13). Jesus was widely recognized in Israel as a mighty man of God, even being compared with the greatest of the prophets, John the Baptist, Elijah, and Jeremiah. Peter, always quick to respond, exclaimed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God. No mortal being could have revealed this to Peter; but only God. Jesus then confered on Peter authority to govern the church that Jesus would build, a church that no powers could overcome. Jesus played on Peter's name which is the same word for "rock" in both Aramaic and Greek. To call someone a "rock" is one of the greatest of compliments. The ancient rabbis had a saying that when God saw Abraham, he exclaimed: "I have discovered a rock to found the world upon." Through Abraham God established a nation for himself. Through faith Peter grasped who Jesus truly was. He was the first apostle to recognize Jesus as the Anointed One (Messiah and Christ) and the only begotten Son of God.

The New Testament describes the church, the people of God, as a spiritual house or temple with each member joined together as living stones (see 1 Peter 2:5). Faith in Jesus Christ makes us into rocks or spiritual stones. The Lord Jesus tests each of us personally with the same question: Who do you say that I am?

"Lord Jesus, I profess and believe that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God. You are my Lord and my Savior who has set me free from sin and deception. Make my faith strong like the Apostles Peter and Paul and give me boldness to speak of you to others that they may come to know you as Lord and Savior."