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When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.
- Matthew 16:13-20
Yesterday, we read that the Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah." And He left them and departed. Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees." And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread." But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread? Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up? Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up? How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? -- but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven." My study bible has several notes on today's verses. Of today's entire reading, we're told that the question Who do you say that I am? is the greatest question that anyone can ever face. This is because it is actually the question that, in fact, defines Christianity. It tells us that Peter's correct answer prevents the Christian faith from being interpreted as yet another philosophical system (particularly in the context of a time in which there were many philosophies that vied for disciples, but also, all times) or a "path" of spirituality, because it actually names Jesus as the one and only Son of the living God. Therefore other religious systems don't contain this essential element. It tells us that Peter's understanding can't be achieved through human reason alone, but can only be truly given by divine revelation through faith (1 Corinthians 12:3). Christ means "Anointed One," equivalent to "Messiah" in Hebrew. My study bible notes that Jesus first draws out the erroneous opinions that are expressed about Himself. It says, "He does this to identify these incorrect ideas, as a person is better prepared to avoid false teachings when they are clearly identified."
"And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. " My study bible says, "Peter/rock is a play on the word for 'rock' in both Aramaic and Greek (petros/petra). This rock refers not to Peter per se, but to the 'faith of his confession' (John Chrysostom). The true Rock is Christ Himself (1 Corinthians 10:4), and the Church is built on the faithful confession of Christ. Gates of Hades: powers of death. In the Old Testament, gates suggest a fortified city (Genesis 22:17, 24:60; Isaiah 14:31). By shattering its gates, Christ opens the stronghold of death to set free the souls of the righteous. So also, the Church shall not be stopped in her proclamation of salvation. The term church is mentioned only twice in all the gospels, here and in 18:17. This Church is the true Israel and the Body of Christ; her citizenship is heavenly."
"And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ. A note here says that the phrase keys of the kingdom refers to a special authority that will be given to both Peter and the other apostles after the Resurrection (see 18:18; John 20:23). It tells us that Peter wasn't a leader over the others but rather among them. The Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15) where apostles and presbyters met as equals, where Peter advised but James presided, confirms this concept. This role of Peter, we're advised, should neither be exaggerated nor diminished in opposition to these claims. Binding and loosing, it says, refer primarily to the authority to "absolve sins" (according to John Chrysostom; see also John 20:23), but also includes the teaching, sacramental, and administrative authority of the apostles. It is in the sense of this authority that from ancient times, the Church saw transmission to bishops which continues.
There is so much information in today's reading. If we were reading a novel, it would be the moment that a great secret, a grand mystery, was revealed (perhaps affirmed), tying threads together to make sense from a much greater point of view of all that has happened before. But in this case, since this is Christ about whom we're speaking, this new point of view is something that comes not from the "past" only, but a grand impact on the present and particularly on the future. The reality of Christ intersects time in every sense, and it changes the entire world, making sense not only of the prophesies of the Scripture from the past, but determining and influencing so much of the future in every place in the world - in more ways than we can count or possibly consider. In this sense, the reality of the Person of Christ is essential for us to understand not only to make sense of the past, but also the subsequent development of all kinds of things in the world, and even our own futures -- how we are to live our lives in ways that build something into the future, and in relation not to the world that we know alone, but to an entire cosmos. God is human, God will die a horrible death, suffering with us -- and this God, who lived His life as Jesus, the Son of Man, is the cosmic ruler of a universe, beyond the limitations of time and space, the one who will indeed trample death so that the Gates of Hades do not prevail against His Church. He invites us to this place with Him, in every sense of the ultimate and timeless reality we are invited to embrace and to enter into, as His child. Let us consider this complete intersection of the infinite with the finite, and consider what it means that His identity could only be understood as revealed to human beings by the Father. In Christ, human beings are graced with the "keys of the kingdom of heaven," and a great Rock is established. We remain in that place where the paradox of this reality keeps giving us more, beyond all we know.
