In Matt 16:13-18, Jesus inquires of the disciples as to His identity saying, “Who do the people say the son of man is?” They respond by mentioning a number of different possibilities: John the Baptist, Elijah or Jeremiah. Jesus then inquires of them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon pipes up with confidence and says, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus responds by changing Simon’s name to Peter.
On the basis of understanding the nature of Christ, Simon also gained an understanding of who he was not. In Hebrew, Simon means “reed”- something swayed by the wind- and in Greek Peter means, “rock.” Simon was no longer to identify himself with the instability that had marked his life. He was to now define himself as “Peter”- a “rock” of stability.
The more we understand who God is, the more we understand who He has made us to be. Today, spend enough time getting to know God so that He can reveal the new you, to you. Live right, live well…
