Matthew 16:13-20 NIV
13 When Jesus came to the region of
Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son
of Man is?”
14 They replied, “Some say John the
Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the
prophets.”
15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the
Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son
of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my
Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are
Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of
Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the
kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and
whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then
he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
In The Presence of God!
Okay,
now Jesus has moved to north of the Sea of Galilee to the foot of Mount Hermon.
This was an area that was common for pagan worship. It’s interesting that in
this place Jesus will make it obvious, just who He is, to His disciples. What a
contrast!
Here
Jesus is about to draw out of His disciples a confession of faith. A confession
that declares belief in Him.
So,
Jesus poses the question… who do people say that I am? Here Jesus asks, “Who do the people say
the Son of Man is?”
I like the I AM
theme of this question. Next, Jesus will ask the disciples the I AM question.
Of course, the
people of the day were guessing just who Jesus was, or is. Many different
guesses were in order, John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or a prophet. People
were trying to discover just who this was, that God has sent into their lives, in
this time.
Makes me wonder, how
many of us today, wonder just who this “Jesus” is, and how it has come that we
even talk about Him. And guess what? We often question this same thing, in the
midst of our own idolatries, and in the midst of our sinful world. Who is this
Jesus guy? Why are we still speaking about Him, all over this world, even
today?
So, now
Jesus poses the question directly to His disciples then, and in some similar
way to Christians today. “Who do you say I am?”
It’s like “get off
the dime,” and make a choice, or at least make a confession, as to who Jesus
is, in your life, and mine. Do we today understand the significance of just who
Jesus really is? If so, declare it; even in the midst, or at the foot, of a
pagan worship place, or for today, in the midst of an idolatrous, sinful,
world.
Reveal yourself!
Reveal yourself, and what you believe in the presence of Jesus!
And does your
answer, reveal your actions in this world of sin?
And Peter opens his
mouth. He opens his mouth with a truth that I don’t think, even he, is fully
aware of what words are coming forth from his lips. Sometimes we say things
that we don’t fully understand. I, myself, do that all the time. Sometimes I
can say some really good stuff, and most of the time, I say some really
“stupid” stuff. But here, Peter hits the nail on the head, no pun intended. And
I think this statement from Peter is meant to reveal a confession of the Truth
that came from God. Peter’s words here, are a God gift to all of us throughout
the ages. Peter states Truth, even if he didn’t fully understand it. Yes, Peter
revealed his faith in God, and in Jesus. Peter has the courage we all need, for
the times we are called to stand up and to speak. My Mom would often tell me at
different intervals and situations in my life, “You’ve got a mouth. Use it!” That’s
a living faith that only God can instill in mankind.
Peter,
having recognized Jesus as the Messiah, is now addressed by Jesus with his
given family name. Peter is now of a different family, not only of flesh and
blood, but of the Spirit of God, as well. Peter has now revealed the Truth that
could only be granted to him by God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy
Spirit. Peter reveals the eternal Truth, in his recognition of Jesus as the
Messiah.
Such
heavenly revelation, as spoken by Peter, comes only in the humility of a simple
man, in the presence of God. Peter has not only confessed, he has spoken the
spiritual Truth that will lead him on into his very own ministry as Jesus,
suffers, dies, rises and ascends into heaven, but that’s all yet to come, for
Peter, in the time of this passage of Scripture.
Hear and
read for yourself this passage of Scripture from Matthew 11:25-27…
25 At
that time Jesus said, “I praise you,
Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things
from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. 26 Yes,
Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.
27 “All
things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son
except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom
the Son chooses to reveal him.
Yes, in this time and in this place,
Jesus reveals just who He is…. I AM… the Messiah…
Following Peter’s confession that Jesus
IS the I AM… the Messiah, Jesus sets Peter apart to play a major role in the
church that will shape, after Jesus’ ascension, and the sending of the Holy
Spirit, as seen in the book of The Acts of the Apostles.
Jesus speaks of Himself as the Rock on
which the church will form. Well guess what? The meaning of Peter’s name is
“Rock” in Greek. How cool is that?!
Peter will build the church, on the Rock
of Christ, as the Cornerstone throughout history. Jesus the Messiah! And death
and hell are victorious over, and above, this sinful world, and all the wiles
of the devil.
So, what about disciples today? Well,
with Jesus the Messiah, we can, together, live in hope, and all confidence,
supporting each other, and all those God gives to us, in unity, as we go forth
into this world of ours, to declare how Jesus, the Messiah, the I AM, has come
to save all people from sin, death, and the devil.
None of this means our ministry will be a
cake-walk. But the really tough stuff, that Jesus is soon to accomplish, going
forward in this Scripture, has already been accomplished. Not by or through our
own works, but by and through the work of Jesus.
Revelation
1:8 NIV
8 “I am the Alpha and the
Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to
come, the Almighty.”
Next Jesus grants an
awesome power, in the “keys of the kingdom of heaven.” So, just what are these
keys? Along with any keys, comes great responsibility. Keys permit entry into a
place that has been locked away. But just what is locked away? Usually
something locked away is of some great value, especially to the owner. So,
Jesus is granting, here Peter, and subsequently the church, to open the kingdom
of heaven to those who have been locked out. And who is locked out? Well, all
of us. None of mankind have done anything to deserve entry into this locked
place. None of us could ever do enough to achieve entry into the kingdom of
heaven. Nope! None of our actions will grant the opening of the kingdom doors.
Notice who gives these
keys to Peter, and the church here on earth. It’s Jesus! He is the One with the
keys. Jesus is the One, and only One, who can, and does, grant entry into the
Kingdom of Heaven. How?
Well, now, like Peter and
the disciples, we stand in the presence of God Almighty. This is a place in
which we fear God. We are not worthy of standing in the presence of God. But
here, as Jesus is proclaimed as the Messiah, the Son of the living God, we
stand. Fall down and worship!
Yes, it’s the Messiah that
brings forgiveness to our sinful beings and life, to give us the responsibility,
to grant that same forgiveness to those God gives to us, to be with us each and
every day. Through this forgiveness, we too, can use the keys of the kingdom,
that Jesus has given to us, to open the door of the Kingdom of Heaven, and let
the forgiven sinners in.
But don’t take this
lightly. There is responsibility. What responsibility you say? We are
responsible to forgive others. We are responsible to forgive our neighbors, and
show them what God has in store for them, through the telling of the Gospel of
God. That God comes to us, and has already come to us, through the Son of the
Living God, that’s Jesus, to save us from sin, and death, SO THAT, as we have
been forgiven, WE TOO, will forgive one another, and open the door with the
keys that God gives for ALL people. Open the door, not just for those with like
thinking, open the door of forgiveness even to your enemies.
That’s what Jesus did on
that cross! He opened the door and gave away the keys. Will you enter? Or will
you run? That’s up to you, but the door is open, and the keys are in hand.
Now, next, in this passage
of Scripture, Jesus asks His disciples to keep this thing secret. Why? There
was more for Him to do. Jesus was facing the tough stuff ahead in His
suffering, death, resurrection and ascension. The time was not “at hand” as of
yet.
People thought the Messiah
was someone who would rescue the world from politics, and overpower the evil
rulers. Well, it went way beyond that. And that wasn’t even part of God’s
mission anyway. That was peanuts to God. The keys to the Kingdom of Heaven,
went way beyond anything of this world. The keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, were
even beyond this world. That’s something then, and something now, that people have
issues understanding. And if we’re honest, do we ever fully understand God’s
love?
Lord
Jesus, I look up to You and see Your Light. For You alone are my help and my
salvation, throughout my life, and throughout all time, into eternity.
Jesus my
Messiah, my I AM, I sing praise to You, for in You I am bold to declare to all
the world what You have done. Alleluia!
Lord,
renew my mind and transform me into what You would have me be, and do what You
would have me do. Use the fruit that You have me bear to bring glory and honor
to You.
So, in
my studies this week of this passage of Scripture, I fall at the feet of Jesus.
When I declare, myself, that I believe Jesus is the Messiah, the I AM, the
Savior of the world, I fall silent in awe and thanksgiving. Knowing what Jesus
has done for me and all creation, humbles me to the core. I mean, this IS God
here. Who am I to even be here?
I begin
to realize that in this space, and in this time, I’m missing something. I’m
missing an entire realm of existence. I am aware of what God has been up to
since before the creation of this world, yet, I don’t, and can’t begin to
fathom the depths of it all. I can’t fathom the depths of what God has done.
And I’m
challenged. Look at what Jesus was about to experience. The Messiah, would give
His life away. So, will I really be willing to give my life away, in the trust
and hope of what God has in store with the Kingdom of Heaven, when I encounter
a life and death decision, in the face of the evils of this world, to declare
boldly that Jesus IS my Messiah, and the I AM for all the world?
I have
it very easy in this country in which I live. I can worship and praise God in
the comfort of an air-conditioned church. It’s easy for me to sing hymns and
sing praise songs, to recite prayers and have God come to me each Sunday in
Word and Sacrament. Does my atmosphere really endanger me in my proclamation of
Jesus the Messiah? Well, not really.
There
are Christians in parts of this world where that proclamation of Jesus as
Messiah have cost them their very lives. I am humbled in this alone. Yet, I
must be bold, if I encounter such a situation to do the same. And, I know, that
I could only do this with the help of God? Why? As Satan comes to me to convict
me of my sin, I know I am guilty of the charges. But I also know someone of
whom I can boldly state, will rebuke Satan in my stead. And this One, this
Messiah, already HAS rebuked Satan, and all the evil plots and plans of this
world, at a cross, right in the face of evil.
In my
own power I will be defeated by Satan. However, God calls me to wear the armor
He gives me to stand and fight. Stand and fight, not that I will be the victor,
but to stand and fight, because I know the One, the Messiah, who CAN and
already HAS done all the work for me. So, I put on the armor of God and place
all my hope in what God has done through the Messiah.
Yet, as
Jesus gives the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, what will I do with them. Well,
as I hear the words spoken by my Pastor each and every Sunday, after I have
seen and confessed my sin in the presence of God and those all around me… My
Pastor, declares that by the power granted to him, by Jesus Himself, ALL my
sins are forgiven.
And with
my neighbor, my brother, my sister, my enemy, I too, can use these keys of
forgiveness to open the door to ALL those God gives to me, TO the Kingdom of
Heaven. Will they walk through that open door? Some will… some won’t.
The door
is opened, not by me, but by what God HAS already done, through the love of
Jesus’ sacrifice. I’m humbled in the presence of the Messiah!
When
Jesus looks into your eyes and asks, “Who do YOU think I AM?”
Fall to
your knees in the presence of God, and declare boldly that YOU ARE the Messiah!
I need you Jesus, I need you Father, with the grand plan, and I need you Holy
Spirit to lead and guide me… today… tomorrow… and forever.
I leave
you to enjoy the song, “Jesus Messiah”
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