The Keys to the Kingdom

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.

The Region of Caesarea Philippi

Jesus takes his disciples again out to the edges of Jewish influence. In this area, Rome is more in fashion and the message of the Bible not automatically held in high esteem. Here, Jesus would probably not be famous or instantly recognizable. They could have a conversation about biblical matters without everyone around noticing that much.

A bit of a distance from their home base would probably mean more relaxed attitudes and openness. But it could also mean a sense of tension in the air. Realizing that as their mission with Jesus continued there were other foes besides local Pharisees and Temple Sadducees. There was a great big world out there with many gods and long history. What Jesus came to reveal was a challenge to every religion, every system and the people of every zip code. So this passage foreshadows the great commission to come.

Matthew for Everyone, Part 2: Chapters 16–28 Peter’s Declaration of Jesus’ Messiahship (Matthew 16:13–20)

Caesarea Philippi is in the far north of the land of Israel, well outside the territory of Herod Antipas, a good two days’ walk from the sea of Galilee. Even the form of his question, here in Matthew’s gospel at least, is oblique: ‘Who do people say the son of man is?’, that is, ‘Who do people say that this person here, in other words (but without saying it) I myself, am?’ Jesus must have known the answer he would get, but he wanted the disciples to say it out loud.

The disciples report the general reaction—which tells us a good deal about the way Jesus was perceived by the people at large. Not ‘gentle Jesus, meek and mild’; not the cosy, comforting friend of little children; rather, like one of the wild prophets of recent or of ancient times, who had stood up and spoken God’s word fearlessly against wicked and rebellious kings. Jesus was acting as a prophet: not simply ‘one who foretells the future’, but one who was God’s mouthpiece against injustice and wickedness in high places.

The people all saw that the message of Jesus did not prop up the status quo. It also didn’t empower the political opposition. The message of Jesus cut right through the right and the left. Jesus called for real life change for everyone: like John the Baptist even even thought Herod should do better and live better. But Jesus also called for restoring justice, treating everyone the same and caring for those who have less. So Jesus wasn’t even trying to win votes. He was willing to alienate both sides to speak the truth.

So people saw him as a prophet who was here to shake things up. Elijah, Jeremiah, Moses. But Jesus didn’t just want to know what some people thought about him. He wanted to know what these men thought about him.

The Region

We live in a region also. Some call it the Calumet Region. South Suburbs of Chicago and NW Indiana. Some just call it: The Region.

And here people from all different backgrounds are busy with many different priorities. We have some of the poorest of the poor and all the challenges and problems that come along with it. We have some of the richest of the rich and all the problems that come with it also.

Everyone has an opinion about God, government, the pandemic, the asteroid and the election. But Christians have never operated out of opinion. Christians operate from Scripture, tradition and the law of love that Jesus gave us. It’s important to not lose track of tradition. Whatever we learn in our generation we learn on the foundation of what has come before.

Peter made a declaration about Jesus. The response Jesus gave is an important clue for us today:

Matthew 16:17–18 NIV

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.

Jesus Built His Church on God-Given Revelation of Jesus

Jesus did not say: out of all the opinions shared, I like your opinion best. Jesus said: this was not revealed to you any old person, this was revealed by my Father in heaven. I’m going to call you Peter, because what you have declared is the foundation of everything that is to come from now on.

So we begin with God, who is revealed in Scripture: the early church studied the old testament and found all the answers about who Jesus was when they studied who the messiah would be.

Peter declared the truth: now we know that is truth for all time. And Jesus says we will start with this truth and build on it. Christians don’t make it up. Christians don’t buy into conspiracy theories.

This is why we say the Apostle’s Creed. This is why we pray the Lord’s Prayer. Let’s not forget what has been revealed to us and what has been handed down. On this foundation Christ is building his church.

Just like back then a lot of ideas are floating around. But Jesus has given us the standard of Scripture and Tradition that we build on today the best we can.

Matthew 16:16 NIV

16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

So Jesus is where we begin. He’s the Messiah. No political candidate can fill those shoes. There’s no president or senator who will save us. Only Jesus saves. He’s uniquely qualified and anything we believe must flow from that fountain.

Many will come in Jesus’ name but we must be careful not to fall for it. If they ignore the tradition like the full message of the Bible and the Apostle’s Creed, the core doctrines of the church, we must ignore these false teachers. There is a false doctrine called Q-Anon that is gaining popularity. It is based on conspiracy theories and a false understanding of Jesus. It doesn’t meet this standard. It must be rejected. I agree with the Vice President that it should be thoroughly repudiated.

Instead let us give ourselves whole-heartedly to being the disciples of Jesus. Confessing and Repenting of our sins, putting our faith and trust in Jesus and following his example in daily life with our church family.

This is the standard for all ideas: do they take us closer to Scripture and to Jesus? Do they help us follow him better? Do they make us love the church more? Do they make us love our neighbor more? These are the core ideas of Jesus. Not us vs them.

Jesus gives us the keys to the kingdom

Here’s why it’s super important. We are the church. What we give ourselves to leaves an echo on eternity. He gives us the keys to the kingdom. Whatever we bind on earth is bound in heaven. Whatever we loose on earth is loosed in heaven. That’s a big opportunity and a huge responsibility.

A lady from a Nazarene church on our district had a wild experience recently. She was with her young granddaughter going to the gas station. All of a sudden the daughter pointed and said: That’s wrong! They shouldn’t do that!

The woman looked a man driving a pickup had a black baby doll hanging by a noose and dragging the doll behind the car. The woman was shocked. The man went in to the gas station. What would you do?

She walked over and picked up the doll and took it off the noose. At that moment the man came walking out with a strange look on his face. Paying attention now? He said what is this? She said you’ve been dragging it behind your car attached to this noose. He said what? I just came from work, someone must have attached it there. Then he put his face in his hands and started crying. She noticed a black man nearby who seemed distressed. She started crying herself and explained to her granddaughter that this was a horrible symbol that could bring fear and harm to others.

The granddaughter took the doll home and cleaned it up. It’s living it’s best life now on her bed. Just a regular Nazarene lady out on her regular errands. But she knew the power of her actions as a believer. She knew that whatever she looses on earth, affects heaven. Whatever she binds on earth has an affect as well. She couldn’t just let it go. Now we can all imagine many different outcomes here. But she was obedient and she stopped something evil. Whoever intended it for harm was cut short. The young man, the granddaughter and the black man nearby were changed forever.

When we have been building our lives on the foundation of Jesus then we will often be in situations where we can make a kingdom difference. And we will move beyond the priorities of comfort to serving. From judging to loving. From selfishness to sacrifice. From giving the minimum to living generously.

When we pray with someone who is sick or has a spiritual need—maybe even on the phone or online we use the keys to the kingdom. Building our lives on the foundation of who Jesus is. When we share the good news of Jesus with someone who is searching we offer them life.

The Keys are rattling...

In all of these situations the keys are rattling. The keys to the kingdom. Take responsibility for the doors you can open for others. Take responsibility for the ideas you cling to, not just convenient political ideas that protect you. Cling to the truth we have in Jesus.

Jesus said upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell will not advance against it. This morning the devil can’t stop what Jesus has started. So stop worrying about what might happen and start living the true revelation of Jesus Christ. Stop using Jesus as an excuse to express your political views. Start letting Jesus use you to change your world by filling it with faith, hope and love. You can’t fight hate with more hate. You can’t stop violence with worse violence. That’s a cycle that will never end.

Jesus showed us: you stop violence with love. Martin Luther King tried to show us also. The world martyred them both because we would rather have violence? God forbid! Let us be people of peace who build our lives on the revelation of who Jesus is. People who live his lifestyle of holy love.

So let’s develop that awareness to realize when the keys are rattling. Be able to recognize at God’s prompting when you can bind and loose in the ways God would want you to...

The dark side of this is clear: if we choose to ignore the needs, if we don’t pray and our love grows cold and we stop meeting needs we might actually grieve the holy spirit. Don’t hinder God’s work by sitting on your hands and holding back from serving.

God has big plans to restore this world; to make lives truly new. Can he count on you? Will you let him build your life on his love and build his kingdom through your words, your feet, your hands?