“The Eternal Question”
(Matthew 16:13-20)
Series: God’s Fulfilled Promise [on screen]
Rev. Matthew C. McCraw, EdD
First Baptist Church, Bartow, Florida
January 5, 2020
The Passage
Matthew 16:13-20
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 “But you,” he asked them, “who do you say that I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus responded, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he gave the disciples orders to tell no one that he was the Messiah.
Introductory Comments:
Here we are, back in the book of Matthew, and I’m so glad to be back. I love preaching verse by verse through the Bible.
Today, we are covering my favorite passage in the book of Matthew, Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Christ.
As we prepare to study this beautiful passage, let’s go to the Lord in prayer and ask Him to speak to us through His Word.
(prayer)
Let’s remember the context of what’s going on in the book of Matthew. Jesus has been ministering and performing miracles all throughout the region. However, the Pharisees and the Sadducees don’t think very much of Jesus. They don’t like Him at all!
Jesus just told His followers to beware of the Sadducees and Pharisees and their teaching. He knows what they think of Him. In this passage, Jesus is going to ask what others think of Him.
He and His disciples are in the region of Caesarea Philippi. This region was north of Galilee and was full of worship of false gods including the Greek god Pan. In fact, there was a temple outside a cave devoted to this false god. I’ve been there and saw the spot.
It’s in the midst of the disdain of the Jewish religious leaders, in the midst of this pagan region that Jesus asks these crucial questions.
Let’s dive into this passage.
First, we will see . . .
I. The general question (13-14). [on screen]
Jesus is gathered with His disciples and He knows that people have said things about Him. He surely already knows what people have said about Him, but He purposely initiates this conversation with His disciples.
He asks them this general question concerning who others think He is.
Look at verses 13 and 14.
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
The disciples responded to Jesus’ question regarding who others thought that He was.
The people apparently thought that Jesus was one of the former Jewish prophets. They named three very famous prophets who may have come back from the dead: Elijah, Jeremiah, and John the Baptist. They even say others think He might be a different prophet.
One might wonder why people thought Jesus was one of these prophets. Well, these men were monumental figures in the history of Judaism who did special things during their time of ministry. Jesus was obviously doing some very special works, so the people thought maybe one of these guys had come back.
Remember, not everyone knew all the details about Jesus. Some were going off of what they heard from others, or perhaps one glimpse of Jesus that they had.
The people knew something was special about Jesus, but they did not know how special He was.
The disciples knew Jesus in a deeper way, which is why Jesus asked another question.
That’s our next point:
II. The pressing question (15). [on screen]
Jesus now asks the disciples a more pressing question. This is a more important question. This is a more specific question. This question matters more than the first.
Look at verse 15.
15 “But you,” he asked them, “who do you say that I am?”
This question gets to the heart of the disciples’ understanding of who Jesus is and why He came.
The first question was the set-up for the second question.
This is a pressing question for all of us, church? This is a question that is time-sensitive and future changing: who do you say Jesus is?
(pause)
This heart-penetrating question is followed with a heart-filled answer.
That’s our next point:
III. The blessed confession (16-17). [on screen]
Peter, on behalf of the other disciples, offers an answer to Jesus’ question.
Let’s see what He says. Look at verses 16 and 17.
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus responded, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven.
Simon Peter is sometimes referred to as Simon, sometimes Peter, and sometimes Simon Peter. If you know about him you know that he’s not afraid to speak up. In this case, he speaks up on behalf of the disciples and delivers a glorious answer to Jesus’ question.
In the middle of a town devoted to a pagan god, in the middle of the religious leaders rejecting Jesus, in the middle of the people having a substandard view of His true identity, Peter announces, “You are the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One! You are the Son of the living God!”
Peter didn’t always get it right, but he got it right this time!
Jesus is both the Messiah and He is the Son of God! He’s not just a good teacher, He’s not just a miracle worker, He’s not just another way to God. He is the Christ and the Son of God. Peter understood this and we must as well!
Jesus Himself acknowledged that Peter got it right. How do we know? Well, Jesus commended Peter. Jesus said, “Blessed are you.” Jesus says Peter is blessed because of what He said about Jesus.
Jesus didn’t correct Peter. He didn’t say, you got it close. He says that you are blessed, Peter!
Then, Jesus says, in essence, that this profession by Peter is so blessed that he couldn’t have even come up with it on his own, nor did he learn it by human wisdom.
Peter was only able to understand the role of Jesus and believe in Jesus because God revealed it to him.
Jesus says, “. . . flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven.”
Only God can reveal this kind of divine truth. Sometimes we wonder why people don’t believe despite all the evidence. It’s because God must open our eyes to His heavenly truth! We need God to help us receive God!
So, what say you? Who do you say Jesus is?
Jesus not only commended and affirmed Peter, but He also gave Him a glimpse into the future of the church.
That takes us to our last point:
IV. The future mission (18-20). [on screen]
These final few verses are some of the most debated verses in history. They divide Catholics and Protestants, the interpretations of these verses have created confusion among like-minded believers, and they have forced many into unnecessary theological boxes.
We’ll see that none of these issues are necessary. These verses, although a bit confusing, actually have a simple foundational meaning and application.
Let’s look at them together. Look at verses 18-20.
18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he gave the disciples orders to tell no one that he was the Messiah.
Now, there are a few questions that arise from this passage.
First of all, who is the rock?
The name Peter sounds similar to the word rock in Aramaic, the spoken language of the day. It also sounds similar to the word for rock in Greek, the written language of the day. So, is Jesus calling Peter the rock, or is He making a play on words to communicate something?
The short answer is that we cannot know for sure.
Perhaps Jesus is saying that Peter is indeed the rock on which He will build His church. This makes sense in one regard because Peter was one of the instrumental apostles in the early church and his name sounds like “rock.”
Perhaps Jesus was speaking of Himself. He was saying, as your name means “rock,” Peter, I will build the church on myself, the better rock. That could make sense as well.
Some say that the rock is the confession that Peter made that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. This confession will be the rock upon which the church is built. Well, that makes sense also.
Again, we don’t know for sure exactly what Jesus meant, but we will see that they all point to the same foundation. Let’s wait before we discover that in totality.
The second major question is, what does it mean that the gates of Hades will not overpower the church?
Well, the gates of Hades can also be interpreted as the gates of Hell, the gates of Sheol, or the gates of death.
In the days that this was spoken by Jesus, this could mean something like, “the power of death” or “the power of the grave.”
So, in any translation of this phrase, we can discern that the meaning is that neither spiritual darkness nor the power of death will be able to stop the work of Jesus through His Church.
Listen, church: nothing can stop the power of Jesus! Nothing! That’s the point. If we want to see First Baptist Church Bartow exercise power over sin and death let us submit totally to Jesus and be led by Him and the power of His Holy Spirit.
The third question is, what’s the deal with the keys? What about the keys to the kingdom of heaven and binding things?
Very simply, I believe that this pertains to the exclusive saving power of the Gospel of Jesus.
As the apostles, and later the Church, proclaim the message of Jesus, those who accept the message of Jesus will be saved from their sin, and those who do not will not be saved from their sins. The keys to heaven are held in the message and power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The teachings of Jesus, passed down through the apostles, and later to the Church are the Word of God. The Word of God is binding on earth and in heaven.
One important note here is to point out the fact that a major doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church is built on this passage. They take this passage to say that Peter was the first pope and that the authority of Jesus was given to Peter in a special and exclusive way and then to every pope after that.
I disagree with that interpretation wholeheartedly and I will explain why very quickly, yet sufficiently.
First, although Peter was an important apostle in the early church, so were the other apostles.
We see Peter present at the Jerusalem Council regarding the entrance of Gentiles into Christianity. Yet, it was not Peter who made the final decision; it was actually James.
Further, we see Paul, a later apostle, actually rebuke Peter publicly. If Peter held all authority, this would have been unacceptable for Paul to do. Yet, Peter received the rebuke and even repented.
So, if Peter was the top authority of the early church, he certainly didn’t seem to understand that he was.
Second, and most importantly, the foundation of the church is not Peter, or any pope, it is Jesus Christ!
Peter himself said this in 1 Peter 2:6. He says, “For it stands in Scripture: See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and honored cornerstone, and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame.” [on screen]
Peter is speaking of Jesus here and he refers to Jesus as the chosen and honored cornerstone.
Further, Paul also speaks of Jesus as the ultimate rock of the church in 1 Corinthians 3:11. He says, “For no one can lay any other foundation than what has been laid down. That foundation is Jesus Christ.” [on screen]
No other foundation, Peter, the apostles, all the popes through history, the church, nothing can replace the foundation of Jesus Christ!
So, all of this boils down to this: the truth that Jesus is the Messiah the Son of the living God is the foundational truth that changes the world.
Whether Peter is the rock of the early church because of His confession of Christ as Messiah, or the confession itself is the rock, it doesn’t matter. The real rock is Jesus!
The confession that He is Messiah and the Son of the living God is the key to heaven. It binds hearts to eternity and it saves hearts from the gates of Hades.
All that matters is that Jesus is Messiah.
This is the message of Peter, all the other apostles, the early church, and the church today. This is also the mission of the Church.
Jesus is revealing to Peter the future of what is to come in this confession that He is Messiah and Son of the living God. Jesus is giving Peter and the other apostles a glimpse into the future mission of the church.
He concludes this passage by telling them in verse 20 to keep this confession and mission secret for now. The people were not yet ready for it.
However, one day that confession and that mission would be the only hope for the whole world.
That takes us to our bottom line:
Bottom Line: Who we believe Jesus is determines who we will be. [on screen]
(repeat)
Jesus said, “I will build my church!” Jesus is the key ingredient here.
What we believe about Jesus can rescue us from the gates of Hades. What we believe about Jesus can unlock the kingdom of heaven. What we believe about Jesus determines who we will be and what our future will be.
Jesus asked the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Jesus is asking you now, through His Word, “Who do you say that I am?”
That takes us to our weekly challenge:
Weekly Challenge: [on screen]
- Answer this question, “Who do you say Jesus is?” [on screen]
This is the most important question of your life. It changes everything.
Is He Messiah? Is He the Son of the living God?
- Answer this question, “What foundation is your life built upon?” [on screen]
Is your life built on your legacy? Your family? Your hard work? Your money? Your job? Your reputation? Your intelligence? Your church?
Or, is your life built on the solid rock: Jesus the Messiah!
- Answer this question, “Will you invite someone into the kingdom?” [on screen]
The message we have in the Gospel is the confession that Jesus is Messiah and Son of the living God, it is the foundation of the church, it is the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and it is the escape from the power of hell. We must share it! We must invite people into the kingdom!
Answer that question this week. “Will I invite someone into the kingdom?”
Closing:
As we conclude, some of you feel the Holy Spirit of God moving your heart and mind to confess that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of the living God. You know that you need to be changed by Jesus. Come to Him today! Be set free from the power of death and hell. The keys to heaven are yours for the taking. Come to Jesus!
Let all of us be moved by this confession and this mission revealed to us in Matthew 16:13-20. Let us be changed. Let us be more faithful!
(Gospel presentation)
(closing prayer)
COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: The text contained in this sermon is solely owned by its author. The reproduction, or distribution of this message, or any portion of it, should include the author’s name. The author intends to provide free resources in order to inspire believers and to assist preachers and teachers in Kingdom work.
