- Matthew 16:13-19
It's important to understand Peter's new role. He wasn't to be the executive director of a world-wide Church. He was to be a source of unity among the Churches. That was Peter's role - unifier of apostles.
Why would God invest so much in a human being?
Well, that's the way God has always acted. Moses, Solomon, and David were weak and imperfect and had so many failures. Think about it. The Gospels spend more time talking about the sins of the first pope than of Peter's virtues. Jesus even called Peter "Satan" at one point and told him that he stood in the way of God's plan. Then there's Peter's denial of Christ, plus his impetuous actions and mistakes.
Even the whole idea of God becoming man may cause a problem for us. Why would God become an imperfect, limited human being?
For whatever reason, God has chosen to act through weak human beings. We should be grateful for that.
- Little Black Book, Diocese of Saginaw