As a little girl, I loved cows. I was enchanted by their adorable black and white coloring and by the fact that they were the creatures responsible for the cheese and ice cream that I loved. 

I was so smitten with these lovable animals that my family gave me a nickname based on this part of my identity: “Missy Moo.” 

Even though my love for cows diminished as I got older, the nickname was such a part of me that even into my late 20s my car’s license plate proudly read MISSMOO. 

My family had identified something true about who I was, and I was happy to embrace that part of my identity.

In Matthew 16:13-20, Jesus and Simon Peter share a moment in which both are identified and known. The encounter begins with Jesus approaching his disciples with a question: What is the word on the street about who Jesus is? The disciples share the rumors they’ve been hearing. 

Then Jesus presses deeper: What do they think? 

The exchange that follows is touching. Simon Peter boldly proclaims that Jesus is the “Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). After journeying with Jesus for so long, it is finally in this climactic moment that Simon Peter is able to identify the fullness of Jesus’ identity.

The revelation that occurs in this moment is not merely a fascinating aha moment for Simon Peter. Rather, this revelation has divine and supernatural importance. As Jesus tells Simon Peter, “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven” (Matthew 16:17).

The verb that Jesus uses here, the Greek apokaluptō, is the basis of the English word “apocalypse.” That is, the sense of revelation that this verb suggests is so powerful that what is revealed can alter the way one understands reality itself.

The divine revelation about Jesus’ identity that Simon Peter has received has the power to alter not only how he understands Jesus but also himself, his vocation and his identity. 

The reality-altering power becomes apparent in Jesus’ response to Simon Peter’s proclamation. Jesus responds not by talking more about himself but about Simon Peter.

Jesus starts by giving Simon Peter a new nickname, Peter, and a new role: “On this rock I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18). 

At first glance, it might appear that Jesus is doing two entirely different things: giving Peter a name and giving him a role to play. However, ideas that might appear unrelated in English are deeply intertwined in the Greek text. 

The Greek name Jesus gives Peter is Petros. “Rock” in Greek is petra. The words are so similar that the idea of Peter as the foundational rock of Jesus’ church becomes inseparable from who Peter is. 

This exchange, then, is about both Peter’s recognition of Jesus and Jesus’ recognition of Peter. In my book, Twelve Biblical Characters: Trials and Triumphs (Paulist Press, 2025), I explore this episode between Jesus and Peter as an example of reciprocal intimacy. As I wrote there: “Peter has shared something powerful and true about what he recognizes in Jesus. Jesus, in turn, recognizes Peter’s identity by naming him and designating him as a leader.”

In other words, Peter only learns more about himself after first recognizing what he knows to be true about who Jesus is. The moment is reciprocally revelatory and reality-altering.

Since my childhood days of being “Missy Moo,” I have tried to follow the example of Jesus and Peter by recognizing the special identities of those with whom I am close. While I may not have nicknames for all of my loved ones, I try to follow the example of Jesus and Peter of trying to name something true about my friends that they might not immediately see: “Laura, you are so good at asking the right questions to help solve problems.” “Shondra, I love how you help us to think about those who don’t have a voice in this conversation.” “Jeremiah, you are so patient with difficult people.”

Rather than empty compliments or vain praise, I hope these comments reveal to my loved ones something true about who they are and what they are called to do. While I might not be able to reveal the sort of reality-altering perspective Jesus offers Peter, I hope I might contribute to making others feel known.