The Great Confession

It is hard to pinpoint a pinnacle moment in the Gospel of Matthew. Of course, the first and greatest one our mind would go to would be the events surrounding the Crucifixion and Resurrection. After all, that is where the story is pointing, at least in terms of the Earthly work of Jesus and the significance of it.

There are pinnacles in miracles as well, like the feedings of the 5000 and 4000 - miracles that irrefutably show the greatness and power of Jesus Christ.

There is the walking on water - an event that first left the disciples gasping for breath, fearful that they were seeing a ghost with their own eyes, but then left them worshiping and confessing that Jesus was the very Son of God.

No, I don’t think that we can choose just one pinnacle point in Matthew to highlight. But when it comes to the experience of the disciples, their learning, their understanding, their walk from being humble young men called to follow a Rabbi to where Jesus will leave them, as the Apostles of the Church and ministers of the New Covenant, I personally think that this passage before us today is perhaps one of the most significant.

There are significant and pinnacle moments in all of our lives - moments or seasons that transform our thinking and perspective. My mind constantly goes back to that December day in 2015 when I held our first baby, Chloe, for the first time. I could almost tangibly feel my mindset being transformed as I gazed upon that little living, breathing, tender soul that was mine and Lizzy’s to cherish and shepherd.

There are moments when things become undeniably real and fixed. Perhaps you’re thinking of a similar time - a transition, a move, a decision, a diagnosis - something to which you can look back and say, “I remember that is when everything changed.”

Well, I think that this passage is one of those moments for the disciples - especially for Peter.

Matthew 16:13–20 ESV

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered 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 tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

This moment was pinnacle and transformative because the disciples were called upon to answer one of the most important, no, probably the most important question that Jesus ever asked them.

You say, more important than the call to follow Him? Yes, because at least one, Judas, answered the call to follow while Jesus was on earth, but seemingly never came to the full realization of the truth that we see in this passage - at least not before it was too late.

Yes, this is the pinnacle question - the question that every worldview and religion must answer. The Question that every philosopher and dreamer must answer. The Question that politicians and monarchs and influencers must answer, eventually. Who do you say that Jesus Christ is?

The most important question that the disciples were ever asked by Jesus was “who do you say that I am?” Everything else rests upon the answer.

1. Question - Vs. 13-15

The question in question, so to speak, is actually a series of two questions.

We read that Jesus, and by implication, his disciples, come into the region of Cesarea Philippi. That was around 25 miles north of the Sea of Galilee, at the base of Mt. Hermon. The region was part of the Tetrarchy of Philip. It was an area known for its idol worship, polytheism, paganism, and the like. Right around the time of Jesus birth, Philip was given rulership of the region when Herod died. He named it Cesarea to honor the great Caesar Augustus, and added “Philippi” to distinguish it, and to honor himself.

Interestingly, this area was a source or fountainhead for the Jordan River. And as we will see in this passage, the conversation had here will be a source or a fountainhead for much to come in the Kingdom of God.

Jesus asked his disciples a plain but honest question - Who do men say that I the Son of Man am?

That is, who do “people” generally say that I am?

Jesus had identified himself as the Son of Man, it seems, again, to be his favorite title. And though we know it now to be Messianic, there wasn’t a total agreement in that day whether that title was Messianic or not - So Jesus wasn’t trying to tease the answer out, he was asking honestly?

Peter, James, John, you men have been around the people, you carried the baskets of food to the companies of 50 and 100 when I fed the 5000, you went around healing and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, you have mingled among those whom I have healed and delivered and restored, what are they saying? Who do they say that I am?

The disciples answer honestly, although interestingly they don’t give any of the negative answers - probably because Jesus had heard those answers from the Pharisees and Scribes with his own ears on more than one occasion.

But they give the concencus - the people think you are one of the great prophets!

John the Baptist - A prophet, though dead at this time - but immediately the idea of resurrection comes to the peoples minds, and even Herod Antipas feared a resurrection of John after he took his head for Herodias’ sake.

Elijah - Again, a prophet - and a dead one at that - but one who was indeed promised to come back, in Malachi 4, before the great Day of the Lord - that eschatological coming of the Lord in judgment and in power. This would have been a miraculous appearance, and Elijah would be a forerunner - but not the Messiah.

Jeremiah - The weeping prophet - one who preached a message with seemingly no converts - a message of warning and doom and repentance, while the people went on in their ways. Maybe the people caught wind of Jesus warnings about how it would be easier for Sodom and Gommorah or Tyre and Sidon than some of their cities on the day of judgment? Again, a great prophet - but not the messiah.

One of the Prophets - any of the rest of them. Prophets who predicted the end, who predicted restoration, who predicted both judgment and hope, who predicted the coming of the redeemer, the deliverer, the one! But not the one.

This variety of answers was positive - seemingly, much of Israel had a positive view of Jesus! And how could they not? He healed their sick, he fed them, he cast out their demons, he generally improved the quality of life before their eyes.

But all the answers fell short of what Jesus was looking for. All the answers fell short of the truth.

Each one of these answers would leave the people still looking for another. Still looking for the one to come - John The Baptist proclaimed the coming of the messiah, but he was not. Elijah would come before the Lord, but the Lord he was not. Jeremiah and the Prophets spoke truth and told of redemption, but they were not the redeemers.

Every positive opinion shared about who Jesus was would leave them lacking, still waiting, still yearning. They would pique their interest and give them a ray of hope, but would not satisfy or redeem or deliver.

And so it is with every answer to this question even in our day which falls short of what we are soon to see - everything short of the truth about Jesus leaves us lacking, needing more, looking for something else.

So Jesus follows up -and surely, as a teacher, he intended it this way - he intended to hear the inadequate answers and sets up his disciples for the fulness of response. And if he did intend that, it surely sets up the answer we read on a backdrop that really makes it shine - but it needs no backdrop to make it glisten - no, this answer, again, is a pinnacle moment of learning, of revelation, of discovery, and of truth.

2. Answer - Vs. 16

Matthew 16:16 ESV

Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Matthew gives Peter his full name here - almost as to indicate the grandeur of the moment. We often see Peter as the leader, as the first to speak, as the spokesman of the group - and there is probably some validity to this. As here, he seems to be given that place of recognition.

We almost get the notion that the disciples had this conversation amongst themselves. Maybe after the walking on water when they admitted that he was the Son of God. Maybe after the feedings when they saw him give bread from heaven - bread from himself really. Maybe after hearing him give the Pharisees and Saducees the sign of the prophet Jonah, where he predicted his own death and resurrection.

Either way, Peter speaks for the group and says

You are the Christ

The Son of the Living God.

When Jesus called the disciples, there was something different about him but they weren’t quite sure.

When he gave the Semon on the Mount, they knew he had unique authority but, perhaps they were still not sure.

When they saw his first miracles and healings, they knew they were seeing God’s power but still, they may have been hesitant.

Even John the Baptist, while in prison, had his moments of honest doubt.

But now, they had come to understand, they had come to realize, they had come to believe and to know that Jesus, their Lord, Their Master, Their Rabbi, was more than a teacher, more than a master, more than a healer, more than a leader, more than a politician, more than the son of Joseph and Mary - yes, He was the Christ, the Son of the Living God!

Messiah - that is not an explicit title in the Old Testament, but by Jesus Day it had certainly come to describe and be a stand-in title for the deliverer, redeemer, restorer that was promised by the Prophets. The one who would come and heal, the one who would bring back the former glory of Israel.

Now, perhaps in the people’s minds, a political messiah was the most prominent image.

And perhaps that is why everyone with a positive view of Jesus thought that he was a forerunner, but not the actual Messiah. He seemed to despise the political aspect. When they tried to make him king by force, he disappeared from the crowd.

When the Pharisees and Scribes gave him too much grief, he went away from them rather than challenging them for their positions.

Perhaps they thought Jesus was the Spiritual forerunner, the one to prepare the people’s hearts and bring righteousness before the political Messiah would come and overthrow Rome.

But alas, that was not Jesus’ intention. His Kingdom, as he will say later to Pontius Pilate, is not of this world.

The real work was the spiritual work. Read deliverance was the deliverance yet to come in the Crucifixion and resurrection. The real redemption was not that of the political nation at that time, but to redeem a whole group of people from every nation for all time.

The disciples, though still growing in their understanding of all this, had come to accept that Jesus was the Christ even though he didn’t fit all the expectations.

The Son of the Living God.

This idea is seen many places in the Old Testament, but look at Psalm 2 with me for a moment.

Psalm 2:2 ESV

The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying,

Psalm 2:7 ESV

I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.

Psalm 2:11–12 ESV

Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

The Anointed One, The Son of God, he is the redeemer. He is equally to be feared and revered as Yahweh. And Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.

This is who the Disciples are coming to see Jesus as.

The Deliverer, the redeemer, the judge, the blessed and blessing one.

I ask, who do you say that Jesus is? It makes all the difference. It truly does matter.

A high opinion of Jesus may fall short if you have not come to see Him as the God-Man, the Son of God, the Anointed One, the Lord, the Ruler, The Redeemer, The Judge of all, the Blessed and Blessing one.

3. Blessing - Vs. 17

It is interesting to read Vs. 17 after reading the end of Psalm 2, for blessed are all who take refuge in Him.

And Jesus’ first words to Peter are “You are blessed!”

This beatitude, given to Peter, perhaps reflects all the other beatitudes.

We cannot rehash them all, but Peter finds himself here blessed in such a way that nothing he brought to the proverbial table contributed to the blessing.

Poor in Spirit - Peter couldn’t offer this truth of his own riches.

Meek - Peter couldn’t boast that his flesh or thinking gave him the answer

Hungry - Peter was fed with this bread of truth

Pure in Heart - this was the unadulterated truth that came from the Father Himself into the heart of Peter, and out of the overflow of that heart, Peter spoke.

Blessed are you Simon, son of Jonah - again, we see Peter’s full title - this is a miraculous and monumental moment.

Flesh and blood has not revealed it to you.

Simon, do you understand how wonderful this is? Your deductive reasoning didn’t give you this - you had all the same evidence as everyone else, but your answer is different? Why is that?

My Father in Heaven has revealed it to you.

And even in speaking in that way, Jesus gives approval and credence to the answer Peter gave.

Yes, I am the Son of God. Yes, I am the Messiah - it is undeniably true, because it wasn’t your idea - it was God’s.

As a side note, this is true of all of us, isn’t it? None of us are believers in Christ, followers of Him, none of us have come to realize that He is the Son of God, the deliverer, the redeemer, the Blessed and blessing one because of our own thinking or deductive reasoning.

That is not to say that our minds and thoughts are irrelevant, but rather that the Lord captivated and renewed our minds and thoughts to be able to know, opened our eyes to be able to see who Jesus was.

And if you are a believer in Jesus, blessed are you, brother and sister, for flesh and blood have not revealed it to you, but the Father who is in Heaven! And you are truly blessed.

4. Promise - Vs. 18-19

We move on from the blessing for Peter, to a promise which effects not just Peter and the other disciples, but one that is ongoing and working and proving to be true even to this day.

Matthew 16:18 ESV

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Now admittedly, this verse and some of the ones to come have provided a fair amount of controversy over the years, particularly having to do with the argument about how significant Peter’s role, or place, actually was and is.

For instance, some have taken this verse to mean that Peter is the rock on which the church is built, and that Peter and his successors were to be the perpetual fountainhead of truth for the church.

We see this in the Roman Catholic system of the Papacy, where each successive Pope is seen as in the line of Peter’s seat, and Peter is seen as the first Pope.

My intention is not so spend time refuting that, other than to say that no such concepts are found either in scripture or in the way the early church played out.

Peter was never self-consciously a “pope” of sorts, and nowhere in the Bible do we see an expectation that other leaders would follow and take Peter’s official place.

On the other hand, some have gone to great lengths to reduce this statement from having anything at all to do with Peter himself.

Jesus says to Simon, “you are Petros” that is peter, and upon this “petra” that is, rock, I will build my church.

Now, what is significant about Peter in this moment that makes this statement meaningful?

His confession, which did not come from Peter, but which came from the Father Himself. Peter’s place in this transaction was simply as a faithful mouthpiece.

He was blessed because of what God had given him. The Rock, then, is not Peter as Peter, but Peter’s great confession, which was truly a work of God.

And that is fitting, because it is upon this Rock that God would continue to work. Specifically, Christ would Build his Church.

Continually, upon Peter’s confession, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, Jesus would build and build and build.

It would continue to be the Lord’s work, not centered on Peter. Peter would be a mouthpiece, but the work would always be Christs. The Building would always be Christs.

Now, what would he build?

His church - Ekklesia.

This is the first time we see this word in the New Testament. And at this point, we can’t read into it every detail of the New Testament church with elders and deacons and structure and meetings.

But we take it in its plainest sense - it is a gathering, an assembly. In secular usage, in Greek, it often referred to a town-meeting type gathering. A societal gathering.

In the Greek Translation of the Old Testament, the word was often used to refer to the gathered people of God.

So Christ would build his assembly and his people, but he would build them upon a new and unique understanding that He was the Messiah, the Son of God.

This is the great promise - that Christ is building his church, which means, he is bringing people to the same confession that Peter was brought to.

It is important to note that in the rest of the New Testament, the foundational “Rock” of the church is always seen as Jesus Christ, not Peter Himself.

Even Peter Himself, again as that mouthpiece, as that speaker for God, would go on to say this.

1 Peter 2:4–6 ESV

As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

So Jesus is that corner stone, rejected by men, but adored and revered by those chosen of God, and we are being built up as a spiritual house. A house made of believers. A building made of people. A church, which is not just a building, it is an assembly of those whom Christ has bought and brought to himself.

This is the Promise, along with another.

The gates of hades will not prevail against it.

Quite simply, the power of death would not be able to overpower or overcome Christ’s work of building the church.

This would be seen first and foremost in the Resurrection of Jesus Himself, and it will be seen in the resurrection to come at the end of the age. And it will be seen eternally as death is no more in the new heaven and the new earth.

Dear one, we should be constantly praying and setting our hope on Christ as the builder of his church. Any church not built by him is one that will not stand in that final day. Many religions have come and gone. Many false-hopes and false-Christs, but Christ is building his church.

Matthew 16:19 ESV

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Now, what do keys do?

They lock and unlock.

In this case, it is the Kingdom.

We have already seen that Christ will be building up his people in a new and unique way, based on the confession that Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah.

So how is it that Peter, and we will see the rest of the Apostles, are given these keys?

Acts 2:36–37 ESV

Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

Acts 2:41 ESV

So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

So on that Day of Pentecost, the kingdom was opened to about 3,000 Jews to enter based on this message that Jesus was the Christ.

Acts 8:9–12 ESV

But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

Here, the gate of the Kingdom was opened to the Samaritans as the message of the Kingdom was preached. Even Simon, one who had preached a false message, had his eyes opened to the truth and believed.

In acts 10, we read of Peter’s vision of foods that were formerly called “unclean” made “clean.” And in the same passage, the lord shows him an even bigger message, when Cornelius, a Roman Centurion believed in Jesus.

Acts 10:34 ESV

So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality,

Acts 10:43 ESV

To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

So Through the Apostles, and Peter was present or involved in all of these cases, the gates of the Kingdom were opened to the believing Jews, to the Samaritans, and to the gentiles.

The key, so to speak, is the preaching of that message - that Jesus Christ is Lord, the Son of God, and that life and forgiveness are available to all who believe in his name.

The last part of the promise in verse 19, has to do with recognizing those who are part of the church and those who arent.

We will come to this again when we get to Matthew 18, so we will leave it sort of bare for today.

But in short, Jesus is saying that in the Church, you will be able to recognize by fruit who is in and who is out. And Jesus even charges the church to make that declaration, backed by the very reality in heaven.

“whatever you bind will have been bound… whatever you loose will have been loosed...”

Beginning with the Apostles, the first leaders in this new Church, there would be a reality of community and belonging that would be true both on earth and in heaven. That would particularly true in what would be known as church discipline, but more on that in Chapter 18.

Regardless, Jesus is introducing a whole new understanding of the people of God.

They would be a people, a gathering, a church, based on the fact that Jesus Christ is Lord. Entrance into the Kingdom would not be based on history or family, but on that rock and confession - that Jesus Christ is Lord and God.

There would be a reality of those who are “in” and those who are “not” - and that reality would be true on earth and in heaven.

Do you see why this question - who Jesus truly is - is more important than just an identity for the son of man? It is important because the answer determines eternity. It determines a place in the Kingdom.

Who do you say that Jesus is?

5. Charge - Vs. 20

Matthew 16:20 ESV

Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

The passage closes with this strict warning - it was not time yet to tell people that he was the Christ.

Again, this might be because of the misunderstandings of who the Messiah was to be.

People had already tried to make Jesus King by force.

If they caught wind, at this point, that he was the Messiah, they might have looked for armies and uprisings. They may have been emboldened to start riots and revolts in his name.

No, they were not to know that he was the Christ until his work was accomplished. A work that would include a conquering, but not of Rome.

A work that would include bloodshed, but not of his enemies.

A work that would include death - but not of an Empire.

The people were to see him as the Messiah, soon, but not yet - not until they could see him as the Suffering Servant that Isaiah had promised.

And for this reason, the Disciples, though armed with this great knowledge and revelation, though no doubt filled with anticipation based on this new understanding of God’s People - were to tell nobody.

And that is where we will pick up next time.