"location, Location, Location"

“Location, Location, Location”

Matthew 16:13-20

This passage can be broken down into two main sections, verses 13-20 which we are looking at this morning, and verses 21-28 which we will tackle next Sunday.

So, today we are beginning a mini two-part sermon series on Who Jesus is, what that means, and what being a Jesus follower entails.

(pause)

Jesus brought His disciples to the region of Caesarea Philippi before His final journey to Jerusalem.

They had been together for almost three years and were followed by large crowds wherever they went, except for where they went in our lesson for this morning.

The reason is that this Northeastern area of Israel that was located at the intersection of economic trade was a pagan place, not a place for Jews.

And because of this, Jesus had some private time with His disciples to discuss some very important issues and prepare them for what was to come.

If we were to just gloss over exactly where Jesus has taken His disciples I think we would miss some interesting and important facts about this story.

In real estate and business in general, people often say “location is everything.”

“Location, location, location!”

And Jesus, being a masterful, intentional teacher and storyteller seems to have believed that location was important as well.

I think He wants this to be a teaching moment that His disciples will never forget.

They have traveled twenty-five miles from Galilee to the base of Mount Hermon for this lesson.

At the time, this place would have been considered the “red light district” of the world--a place of terrible moral decay, debauchery, and darkness.

As Jesus and His disciples spoke they would have been looking out at the largest rock formation in Israel and it was filled with pagan statues and at least fourteen pagan temples sat in the background.

In Old Testament times, this area was the center of Baal worship.

Eventually, the worship of Baal was replaced by the worship of Greek fertility gods.

When the Romans conquered this territory, Herod the Great built yet another temple, this one in honor of Caesar Augustus, but the people also continued to worship the Greek gods.

One of the most interesting things is that Caesarea Philippi was also home to a cave known to the locals as the gate to the underworld.

These pagan worshipers believed that their city was literally at the “Gates of Hades.”

Hades is the name for the home of the dead.

It’s the Greek equivalent of the Jewish word used in the Old Testament—Sheol which refers to the shadowy place where the dead reside.

Now, imagine Jesus standing, looking at this cliff with the pagan statues, at this place of pagan temples and shrines and economic trade with a temple praising the power of the Roman Empire and asking His disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” and then asking them, “But what about you? Who do you say that I am?”

What a dramatic moment.

This question Jesus asks is not simply about His identity, like getting an “A” on a messianic quiz.

It’s also a question about allegiance.

In what or in whom will the followers of Jesus place their trust?

Will it be in the privileges coming from access to opportunity and wealth?

Will it be in the worship of the prevailing culture’s latest idols?

Will it be in allegiance to the dominant power of earthly rulers?

Or will they trust, instead, in the One Whose life, death, and Resurrection will reveal the mercy, justice, love, and salvation found in the living God?

What would your answer be?

Or better yet, in whom or what do you place your trust?

It’s the question of the ages.

It transcends time and circumstance.

It’s Simon Peter who answered Jesus’ question, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Now Peter has no idea what that entails, but who can blame him?

It won’t be until Jesus’ death and Resurrection and then the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost that the Truth comes to him.

And even then, it takes a lifetime of trial and error, of learning and following Christ to get a better and clearer idea of it all.

And it’s the same for you and me.

Think about it, did you know what would lay ahead for you the moment you decided that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior and You decided to give your life over to Him?

Did you suddenly understand it all when you experienced the New Birth?

I thought I knew it all, for a little while, that is.

I think we can get a little cocky at first.

And we will see next week that this was what happened in Peter’s case.