LET US PRAY:
Lord, breathe Your Spirit upon us at this time. Bless now the words of my lips and the meditations of our hearts – give us an understanding of Your Holy Word and lead us in the way You want us to go. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Jesus and His disciples ventured into the District of Caesarea Philippi, an area about 25 miles northeast of the Sea of Galilee and about 120 miles from Jerusalem. The region was strongly identified with various religions: It had been a center for Baal worship; the Greek god Pan had shrines there; and Herod the Great had built a temple there to honor Augustus Caesar. It was in the midst of this pagan superstition that Peter confessed Jesus as the Son of God. And it was probably within sight of Caesar’s temple that Jesus announced a surprise: He would not yet establish His kingdom, but He would build His church.
He looked at His disciples and in a moment of reflection said: "Who do men say that I am?" The disciples begin sharing with Jesus what they have heard from the people who have been following Jesus: Some say that You are Elijah; others say John the Baptist, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets. It’s always been this way, Jesus as seen by the masses is seen in so many different ways.
You can speak of Jesus as prophet, holy man, teacher, or spiritual leader, and few will object. But speak of Him as Son of God, divine, of the same nature as the Father, and people will line up to express their disapproval. A billion Muslims will say: "Prophet, yes. God, no!" Jews scattered around the world will say: "Teacher, yes. Messiah, no!" Liberal Protestants and religionists of various stripes will say: "Exemplary man, yes. Divine, no!" Who do you say Jesus is?
In our pluralistic society we have been watering down the gospels and the name of Jesus for quite some time. In an attempt to not offend other people or their religion we choose not to speak of Jesus. We accept the idea of God and we admit to trusting Him but then we go our separate way. We believe we can control our own destiny.
Jesus then asks the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” This is where the rubber meets the road folks! A right confession of who Jesus is is tantamount to our very salvation (Romans 10:9–10; 1 John 2:18–23; 4:1–3). Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus was delighted to hear Peters words and answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.”
Jesus knew that Peter didn’t come to this conclusion on his own; it took a supernatural revelation from God, Himself (I Corinthians 2:11-14). Just as men today cannot come to know Jesus on there own volition, it takes an act of the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth. Jesus must have swelled with joy to hear Peter utter these words; He knew it was time for deeper training of the disciples.
The Lord knew that Peter and the disciples could now be led into new steps of deeper truth and service. Our Lord’s entire ministry to His disciples had prepared the way for this experience. Jesus’ ministry was also turning in a new direction; for the next three years of His ministry He would be headed to the cross.
Will Campbell, the author, told this story about his conversations with Waylon Jennings, the country music singer. Campbell traveled with Waylon on tour, and served, unofficially, as Waylon’s pastor. He decided to talk to Waylon about his spiritual condition.
Will asked, "What do you believe about Jesus?’ Waylon said, "Uh-huh." A few weeks later, Will asked again, "What do you believe about Jesus?" Again Waylon said, "Uh-huh." A few weeks later he tried a third time, "What do you believe about Jesus?"
Waylon said, "Well, let me ask you – all of the books that have been written about Jesus – have they ever improved on Him?" Will said, "No." Jennings said, "Well, then that’s what I believe. I believe in Jesus."
Once the Holy Spirit reveals Christ in our lives and we make the confession of faith, it is not the end of our journey, but the beginning. We are then supposed to read and study scriptures, have a daily open line of communication with God; associate with other Christians, worshiping together and we are to spread the Good News to others. We are to be the instruments that the Holy Spirit uses to reach others for Christ.
More controversy has swirled around Jesus’ next statement than almost any other in the Gospel. The question is, “Who or what is the rock?” Part of the problem arises from the fact that the Greek words for Peter and for rock are similar, but the meanings are different. The first, petros, means a stone or loose rock; the second, petra, means rock, such as a rocky ledge. So what Jesus really said was “ ... you are Peter (stone), and on this rock I will build My church.” He did not say He would build His church on a stone but on a rock.
If Peter is not the rock, then what is? If we stick to the context, the obvious answer is that the rock is Peter’s confession that Christ is the Son of the living God, the truth on which the church is founded. Ephesians 2:20 teaches that the church is built on Jesus Christ, the chief cornerstone. Its statement that we are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets refers not to them, but to the foundation laid in their teachings concerning the Lord Jesus Christ.
Christ is spoken of as a Rock in 1 Corinthians 10:4. Remember, He was talking to Jews. If we trace the figurative use of the word rock through Hebrew Scriptures, we find that it is never used symbolically of man, but always of God. So here at Caesarea Philippi, it is not upon Peter that the Church is built. Jesus did not trifle with figures of speech. He took up their old Hebrew illustration—rock, always the symbol of Deity—and said, “Upon God Himself —Christ, the Son of the living God—I will build my church.
Here we have the first mention of the church in the Bible. It did not exist in the Old Testament. The church, still future when Jesus spoke these words, was formed on the Day of Pentecost and is composed of all true believers in Christ, both Jew and Gentile. A distinct society known as the body and bride of Christ, it has a unique heavenly calling and destiny.
Did you get that? The church is not just Methodists, Baptists, Lutherans, Protestants, Catholics, or Jews. It is not just the folks that we like or get along with; it is composed of all true believers in Christ!
“Gates” represent, in the Bible, authority and power. “The gates of hades” then would symbolize the organized power of death and Satan. By His death and resurrection, Jesus Christ would conquer death, so that death would not be able to hold any of His people. Christ would “storm the gates” and deliver the captives! This declaration certainly is verified by 1 Corinthians 15:50ff; Hebrews 2:14–15; and other Scriptures. We are certain that believers today, when they die, go immediately into the presence of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:6–8; Philippians 1:23).
Dr. W. A Criswell, Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas Texas, said on one occasion on an airplane flight he found himself seated beside a well-known theologian. He desperately wanted to start a conversation and they did get to talk. The man told Dr. Criswell about how he had recently lost his little boy through death. Dr. Criswell listened as he told his story: He said he had come home from school with a fever and we thought it was just one of those childhood things, but it was a very virulent form of meningitis. The doctor said we cannot save your little boy. He’ll die.
And so this seminary professor, loving his son as he did, sat by the bedside to watch this death vigil. It was the middle of the day and the little boy whose strength was going from him and whose vision and brain was getting clouded said, "Daddy, it’s getting dark isn’t it?" The professor said to his son, "Yes son it is getting dark, very dark." Of course it was very dark for him. He said, "Daddy, I guess it’s time for me to go to sleep isn’t it?"
He said, "Yes, son, it’s time for you to go to sleep."
The professor said the little fellow had a way of fixing his pillow just so, and putting his head on his hands when he slept and he fixed his pillow like that and laid his head on his hands and said, "Good night Daddy. I will see you in the morning." He then closed his eyes in death and stepped over into heaven.
Dr. Criswell said the professor didn’t say anymore after that. He just looked out the window of that airplane for a long time. Then he turned back and he looked at Dr Criswell with the scalding tears coming down his cheeks and he said, "Dr. Criswell, I can hardly wait till the morning."
You see the morning is coming. And we will see our loved ones. That’s what Jesus is saying, "The gates of hell, the gates of DEATH, shall not prevail against the church!"
“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven” did not mean that Jesus was giving Peter authority to admit men to heaven. This has to do with the kingdom of heaven on earth—the sphere containing all who profess allegiance to the Christ, all who claim to be Christians. Keys speak of access or entrance.
The keys, which open the door to the sphere of profession, are suggested in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19)—discipling, baptizing, and teaching. (Baptism is not necessary for salvation but is the initiatory rite by which men publicly profess allegiance to the Christ.) Peter first used the keys on the Day of Pentecost. They were not given to him exclusively, but as a representative of all the disciples. (See Matthew 18:18 where the same promise is given to them all.)
Binding and loosing was a very familiar phrase to the Jews, for their rabbis often spoke of “binding and loosing,” that is, forbidding or permitting. Our Lord’s statement in Matthew 16:19 referred to Peter. But His statement later in Matthew 18:18 included all of the disciples. As the representatives of the Lord, they would exercise authority according to His Word.
The Greek verbs in Matthew 16:19 are most important. The Expanded Translation by Dr. Kenneth S. Wuest reads: “And whatever you bind on earth [forbid to be done], shall have been already bound... in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth [permit to be done], shall have already been loosed in heaven.” Jesus did not say that God would obey what they did on earth, but that they should do on earth whatever God had already willed.
The church does not get man’s will done in heaven; it obeys God’s will on earth.
The disciples were not to share this truth about Jesus being the Son of God with other people until after His resurrection and ascension. Then the “sign of Jonah” would be completed, the Spirit would be given, and the message could be proclaimed. The nation in general, and certainly the religious leaders in particular, were not yet ready for this message.
How about you? Are you ready for this message? Who do you say Jesus is? If you died today would you be absent from the body and in the presence of the Lord? If not, I invite you to come to the alter and open your heart and receive Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life. If you know Jesus but have drifted away, I also invite you to come and recommit your life to Christ. Or if you just want to pray or have someone pray with you or for you, come. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
