Today, the Feast of St. Peter, is celebrated with Peter's inspired acknowledgement of Jesus as the Messiah. This profession of faith is significant because it had been popularly believed that Jesus was "only a prophet", a precursor to the Messiah who was commonly expected to bring about political liberation. Jesus' activities had not shown any such political leanings, so people assumed that he could not be the Messiah, but was only a precursor.

Even His followers could only list a string of prophets' names in trying to identify Jesus. It is only when Jesus asks the telling question, "But you, who do you say I am?" (Matt: 16:15) that Peter is able, through a flash of revelation, to go beyond the political expectations and to say, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (v.16), i.e. the God who has both life in Himself and who creates life in others. The Son of Man, by His very death, will create life for others and is thus the Son of the living God.

Peter is rewarded with a blessing from Jesus and a promise which lies in a new name. In Old Testament history, when God gave someone a mission, He also gave that person a new name to indicate his mission. Here Jesus calls Peter the "Rock", implying firmness and a solid foundation for building upon. Just as Abraham had been the rock on which God had built His Church in the past, now Peter was to be the foundation stone of the new people of God , the messianic community.