Peter the Son of Jonah?
So if Peter is the biological son of John (John 1:42 Then he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John; you will be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).); then, what point is He making in Matthew 16:17 when He says “Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.”
What does Jesus mean by calling Peter the “son of Jonah” or “bar-Jonah”?
Jesus mentions also in Matthew 12:39-41 “He said to them in reply, “An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and there is something greater than Jonah here.” This exchange is also recorded in Luke 11.
Jesus is the “sign of Jonah.” He died and resurrected. And he calls Peter specifically, the “son of Jonah.” As the the spiritual son of Jesus, Peter is entitled to an inheritance from Him. Jesus goes on to spell out what that inheritance will be. ”…and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
Yes, we are all inheritors in the sense that we are all part of Jesus’ family, but Peter is singled out for a special inheritance and calling Peter the son of Jonah is just another reason why Catholics believe that the Chair of Peter is special.
Happy Feast Day!
