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Turn with me, please, in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 16, and we will begin reading in verse 13. Now, when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he was asking his disciples, who do people say that the Son of Man is?
And they said, some say John the Baptist and others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets. He said to them, but who do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered, you are the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of the living God.
And Jesus said to him, blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.
I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven. Then he warned the disciples that they should tell no one that he was the Christ.
From that time, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. Now, this is a very, very familiar text.
We have heard it many, many times before, and again, the familiar texts are sometimes the dangerous texts, because we are so familiar with them that it's difficult for us to step back and to examine them again and to hear them in their original context.
What I would like to emphasize this evening is the fact that this entire section is about one thing, and that is the identity of Jesus. When we change that, as has happened in history, especially in the Roman Catholic system, to something that takes the focus off of Jesus, not only do we lose the context of what Matthew is saying, but we lose something I think very important to recognize, what unites us together.
It's interesting that what Rome tries to do is Rome tries to find unity in a system, in an absolutist system where you follow the power of an office that is the bishop of Rome. The reality is that the unity of Christians that is something the world cannot begin to understand is not found in following an office or a religious external system.
It is found in these words, it is found the fact that every Christian confesses the same thing, that is, that we know who Jesus is and we follow him. And the true miracle is not that there is an office in Rome, while it hasn't always been in Rome for quite some time, it's in Avignon, France, and so on and so forth.
But that's not a miracle, that's not a miracle by any stretch of the imagination. What is a miracle is that we are on the other side of the planet, speaking a language that did not even exist at the time that Jesus said these words.
We look differently, we live differently, technologically we have all sorts of things they didn't have back then, I'm not sure that intellectually and discipline wise we are in any better shape than they were, and in fact in many ways I think we are not.
But all those generations removed, all that distance removed, all that culture removed, all that language removed, yet we confess the same thing that Peter did in the exact same way that Peter did. And it wasn't because Peter was special, it was because he received something from the Father, and the only way that there can be unity in the Church is that the Father reveals Jesus to his people, that's what binds us all together.
So we look at the words, they've come into the district of Caesarea Philippi, and he asks the disciples, listen to these words, who do people say that the Son of Man is? I hope you will, I hope you'll think a little about what the Son of Man means.
We hear that so often, and I know that even growing up in church, I think well into my seminary education, I was never really challenged to think through what the Son of Man meant, and I knew there was some Old Testament stuff and things like that back there that had something to do with this, but the Son of Man, is that the human aspect of Jesus, the Son of God, the divine aspect of Jesus?
Because you've got Son of Man here, and then notice when Simon Peter makes his confession, he says you're the Son of the living God. So Son of God, Son of Man, are they synonymous? Well, they're certainly related to one another.
A new English translation came out, I forget what it's called, you lose track of them after a while, there's just so many, but in the United Kingdom. And it translates the phrase Son of Man as the human one.
I guess they needed some other way to market the Bible or something, I don't know, maybe having the left-handed baseball player's study edition wasn't enough to get this one really going, so they had to come up with something, I don't know, but the human one.
Well, yeah, Son of Man can mean just a human, there are some places in the Old Testament where the Son of Man would be that, but clearly that's not how Jesus is using it, and he uses it as a self-descriptive term, and of course in his trial, for example, in Mark chapter 14, in his trial, when he is asked who he is, he admits he is the Son of the Blessed One, and then he quotes from Daniel chapter 7 where the Son of Man is a divine being, and he has servants who worship him, and as a result, the high priests tear their robes and say what further need of testimony is there, he is blasphemed, and so on and so forth.
So we know that for Jesus, the Son of Man, this is an exalted title, and so Jesus is asking the disciples, and they've been sent out, they've done ministry, they've been out amongst the people, and they're out amongst people, you know, when people are on Jesus, they might say one thing, but he knows they've been out amongst people where they would hear what people are saying in a more non-pressured setting, and so he asks them, who do people say the Son of Man is?
And no one in particular, it's just the group as a whole, well, you know, some say John the Baptist, well John the Baptist, of course, was dead, so this would be sort of a rising from the dead or something, that doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but others, Elijah, some promises about the coming of the prophet, there was a lot of different streams of belief that existed amongst the Jews at this time concerning who the Messiah would be, and was there a prophet that was to come before him, and what would be the ministry, what would be the character of that ministry, a lot of different streams of thought.
But still others, Jeremiah, which is very, very interesting, or one of the prophets, and so there's different opinions, and so you can imagine Jesus walking along with the disciples and they, well, you know, Andrew, didn't that one guy at the well say, yeah, I think that's what, I heard him saying that too, and there's this discussion going along that well, we've heard this, and we've heard that, and probably everyone wants to pipe up and say, yeah, you know, I heard this, that, or the other thing, but then Jesus says to them, but who do you say that I am?
And he addresses the group. Now, Simon Peter is the first one to answer. Now, Simon Peter is frequently the first one to answer. You may recall the Mount of Transfiguration, when there are three disciples on the mount, and the father appears, you've got Elijah and Moses, and who just decided he had to talk?
It was Peter. And one of the gospel writers is very kind, if I recall off the top of my head, I believe it was Luke, who when Simon Peter said, let's build some booths for you all, and let's have a religious center up here on the mountain, and this is cool, and you can just hear, you know, it went over like a lead balloon type thing, and the gospel writer says, Peter didn't know what he was saying.
I mean, isn't that a nice way of saying that Peter tended to be the one that opened his mouth first? And I stopped reading before this, but in this very chapter, once Jesus starts telling him about his death, burial, and resurrection, what does Peter go, oh no, Lord, and what is Jesus' response?
Get behind me, Satan. So, Peter is the first one to speak up. People over the years have said, see, he's the leader. Well, the first one to speak up is the leader, then I guess Simon Peter is the leader, but often the first one to speak up isn't necessarily the leader at all, it's just the person who likes to talk.
And so Simon Peter answered, you are the Messiah. Now, obviously, the Greek term is Hakosos, the Anointed One, but we know that Mashiach, the Messiah, the Anointed One, is the term that carried so much explosive weight with it in that day.
There had been many who had come proclaiming themselves to be the Messiah, and the Romans especially, even though they wouldn't have known almost anything about what the Old Testament said about the Messiah, that was a word they knew, because they knew anybody who was claiming that is probably going to be trouble, because they're going to try to throw off Roman rule and they're going to make a mess of things.
And so Simon Peter's response is, you are the Messiah. But he didn't stop there, because he says, the Son of the Living God. Now, that tells you something more than just what Messiah might have meant at that particular time in history.
Because for most people, the Messiah was a political deliverer. For most people, the Messiah was a coming king in the line of David. The Son of the Living God, not just a son, as there would be some context in the Old Testament where all the people of Israel are the sons of God in the sense of that, or the angels are the sons of God, or types of uses like that.
No. You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. How does anyone come to truly believe that? How does anyone come to truly believe that? Well, Jesus gives the answer. Jesus said to him, blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you.
Flesh and blood did not reveal this to you. But instead, revelation came from my Father who is in the heavens. So to truly know who Jesus is, to truly not just have an intellectual recognition, but to have a recognition that goes beyond that, to see who the Messiah is, the Messiah is the Son of the Living God, requires divine revelation.
It's a spiritually appraised thing. I think that's why the Apostle Paul can say later on when he writes to the Corinthians, no one can say, Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit. Almost anybody has the physical capacity to mouth the words, Jesus is Lord.
But to say that with understanding of the world, to say that as a confession, to say that with faith and with a faith that endures, that requires the work of the Spirit of God and that comes from our Father who is in heaven.
And so Simon Bar-Jonah is not blessed because of who he is. He's not blessed because he rang in with the right answer first. This isn't celestial jeopardy that we've got going on here. He didn't get Messiah for 1 ,000 at this particular point.
He's blessed because he's the object of a gracious act from God. It's the same thing. Again, Rome has turned all of these things upside down. When Mary is greeted by the angel, he said, blessed art you amongst women.
Well, actually, in the angel greeting, it was the phrase, you know, kakar temeni, which again had to do with the blessing of God. But then later she described it as blessing among women, not above women.
A blessing comes from outside of you. It's something that you need. It's something that you receive. It's not because of something special that you are. And Simon's words here, it doesn't make him special.
He is the passive recipient of a gracious action of the Father. Now, just briefly, in verse 18, the focus does not change from what's being discussed here. Up to this point, if we didn't have verse 18, what's this all about?
It's who is Jesus? And if you take verse 18 out, and you continue with, take 18 and 19 out, the disputed passages, what does it continue on? He warned the disciples, they should tell no one that he was the Messiah.
And then it goes on from there, and Jesus begins to foretell what he's, what's it about? It's all about Jesus. It's about who Jesus is, what Jesus is doing. That's what it's all about. So are we really going to believe that in verses 18 and 19 there is this pause, now let's exalt Peter for a while.
I also say to you that you are Peter. And upon this rock, now we all know that the term that is used here is Petras. In the original language, Cephas, Kepha. And what obviously Rome tells us is that you are Peter, and upon you, Peter, I will build my church.
And you'll find scholars that will say, I've got a problem with that. First of all, when you just read it, if I say, are Peter, it's pretty easy for me to say, and upon you, I'm going to build my church.
But that's not what Jesus said. Why does he use this phrase, and upon this rock? This is pointing away from Peter, not to Peter. If I'm talking directly to you, and I say, you are brick, and upon this brick, I'm going to build my church, wouldn't you be looking for something other than brick?
Because I'm not going to use the word this. That doesn't make any sense. You see, very clearly, what is it that is going to be the foundation? What is it that brings unity to the church? What is it that every generation of Christian, that every true believer, down through the centuries, has shared in common?
Well, you might say, well, they've all been indwelled by the Holy Spirit. Yeah, but that's not what this is talking about. It's true, but that's not what this is talking about. What does every single believer in Jesus say about Jesus?
That he is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. And what unifies all the believers together is that that is the gracious revelation that God makes by his Spirit to every single one of his elect people.
That's what binds us all together. Wherever you want to go, whatever the language you want to speak, that's what binds you all together. Now, I haven't gone to the four corners of the world. I've gone to places where I was definitely in the minority in speaking English, but I've done a lot of traveling over the past number of years, and wherever I go, we always have this supernatural bond with people.
And why is it? Because it is the work of the Father, by his Spirit, to reveal to his people who Jesus is. And isn't it interesting then, in the Gospel of John, Jesus then reveals to us through the Father as he becomes the means for us to grow in our knowledge of God.
God revealed to Simon Bar-Jonah who Jesus really is. And Jesus does not change the focus off of himself. Instead, you know why the very gates of Hades will not prevail against my church? Because my church is going to be supernatural in its origin and in its unity.
And that's because that church is going to be filled with people where the Father has revealed who I am. And once you know who Jesus truly is, then you're not going to be satisfied with anyone or anything else.
And so this rock, upon this rock I will build my church. Christ builds his church upon the foundation of that revelation of who he is. It has nothing to do with Simon Peter. Simon is just the representative of all of us who likewise was a passive recipient of the gracious act of God's revealing who Jesus is.
The gates of Hades will not overpower it. The gates of death itself cannot withstand the proclamation of the Gospel. Even those who are under the power of death can be freed by the proclamation of the Gospel.
Then it's interesting. It does say, I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. People say, ah, that's singular. That's only Peter. Well, it is a singular. It is a singular in the original language.
No question about it. But the verb is future. The verb is future. It's not, I am giving. I will give. And when did Peter receive these keys? He received them, well, one of two answers. In the Gospel of Matthew, in chapter 18, along with all the other disciples, they're given the authority to bind and loose.
Now, if you want to bind and loose, open and close, what do you need? Keys. Okay. So you either have to say, well, Matthew doesn't tell us where Peter got these keys, where or when. Or you have to recognize he got them along with all the disciples.
And what is that power? It's the proclamation of the Gospel. It's the proclamation of the Gospel that is for all people, Jew and Gentile. And that when you proclaim the forgiveness of sins, your proclamation matches what is in heaven.
It's not your proclamation that creates the heavenly reality. It matches the heavenly reality. So once he's said all of this, then he warns the disciples they should tell no one that he is the Messiah.
Because, think about it, has received a divine revelation as to the nature of who the Messiah is. The Messiah is the Son of the Living God. The Messiah is not merely a kingly deliverer or a military leader.
But that's not the majority opinion out there. At this point, before the coming of the Spirit, and what's the Spirit going to do? The Spirit's going to reveal who Jesus is. The Spirit hasn't come yet.
It's not time for this message to be brought out. Because right now, this message would be merely a political message. Once the Spirit comes at the day of Pentecost to reveal who Jesus is, now it's time to proclaim the true nature of the Messiah.
But not till then. But not till then. And that's why then, from that time, Jesus began to show his disciples they must go to Jerusalem, etc., etc. And even though Peter had received a divine revelation from God, it does not mean that he has infallible knowledge.
Because he's the first one to oppose Jesus' teaching that he must suffer and die. Because he has traditions, his Jewish traditions, about the nature of the Messiah, far be it from you, Lord, get behind me, Satan, is Jesus' response to Peter.
So just because you receive a gracious revelation from God, that doesn't make you an infallible pope. For them or for us. So there can be people, Peter, representing us, receives this gracious revelation from God as to who Jesus is, and then right afterwards, face plants, theologically speaking, and gets rebuked.
Because I may know who Jesus is, that doesn't mean I have a perfect knowledge of everything he's doing. So keep that in mind, because sometimes people will say, well, that guy says he's a Christian, he certainly seems to be one, but why?
I can't believe that he could believe something like that. And it might be some side issue. Sometimes we Christians are very quick to shoot our own wounded, but it might be some side issue or something like that.
Remember, just because you've received a true work of the Spirit of God doesn't make any one of us infallible in our understanding of all things. So what is the focus to take out of all of this? Two things.
This text is about who Jesus is. Period. End of discussion. It never loses its focus. But secondly, the unity of the church to this day is found in the recognition that it's Christ who builds his church, and it's the Father who, by the work of the Spirit, reveals the identity of Jesus to his people.
And that is the supernatural unity that is ours. It transcends all of our differences. It transcends all the culture, the language, time, everything. The true church is made up of those who recognize who Jesus really is.
And since he will build his church, even though the future may look dark to us, he will continue. The Father will continue to reveal. The Son will continue to build. We can certainly trust him in that and thank him for it.