5. Bass Aria: You are the Christ

Based on Matthew’s Peter

NARRATOR: Now Simon places Jesus on Christ’s throne, and Jesus calls Simon solid as stone. Simon Peter, the Rock.

We worked from our boat, my brother and me, and as we cast our net in Galilee
Jesus walked by and said to us then, ‘Follow me, I’ll make you fishers of men!’
Who are you, Jesus? Are you Christ, son of God?
One day while walking Jesus pops a quiz: ‘Who do men say the Son of Man is?’
‘Elijah, Jeremiah, Some holy man.’ He says ‘But who do you say that I am?’
‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’
He said, ‘Blessed are you Simon, my friend. Most people won’t know that until the end.
No man could know that I am God’s son. This is revealed to you by God in Heaven.’
‘Blessed are you, earthly wisdom failed in this search.
I’ll call you Rocky: On this rock I shall build my church.’
Then Jesus told us he must go to suffer and die.
I did not want to lose him so I pulled him aside,
‘Be merciful to us, O Lord! Don’t do it, don’t go, turn back!’ I implored.
But Jesus drew back and scowled, ‘Get behind me, Satan Peter!’ he growled.
‘You stumble blind, thinking like men, not God. No!
Come with me, forget yourself, take up your cross, and follow.’
You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.