Matthew Lessons 14-28 Matthew Lesson 1 - 16:13-20 Matthew Lesson 2 - 17:1-9 Matthew Lesson 3 - 20:1-16 Matthew Lesson 4 - 21:1-11 Matthew Lesson 5 - 21:33-45 Matthew Lesson 6 - 22:1-14 Matthew Lesson 7 - 24:36-51 Matthew Lesson 8 - 26:17-30 Matthew Lesson 9 - 26:36-46 Matthew Lesson 10 - 26:63-75 Matthew Lesson 11 - 27:41-52 Matthew Lesson 12 - 28:1-15 Matthew Lesson 13 - 28:16-20 Extra - Transfiguration Extra - Matthew 2:1-2, 11

Matthew Lesson 1 - 16:13-20

Lesson 1 - Matt. 16:13-20 - PETER'S CONFESSION OF CHRIST

INTRODUCTION: This morning we will commence a new study on the second half of Matthew's Gospel. Chapter 14, which we skip, begins with a back story about the arrest and execution of John the Baptist by Herod, the Jewish ruler of Judea. Jesus and the disciples take a boat to a desolate place only to find crowds waiting. Jesus heals many and then feeds as many as twenty thousand people with five loaves and two fish. Later, the disciples row against a strong wind until Jesus walks on the water to meet them and calm the wind. Peter walks on water briefly and then doubts and begins to sink. The disciples worship Jesus. On the other side of the lake, Jesus continues to heal the sick. Chapter 15, also skipped, reports the Pharisees and scribes who came from Jerusalem to challenge Jesus. They are upset because Jesus' disciples violate the religious leaders' tradition about ritual hand-washing before meals. Jesus turns this attack upside down by pointing out that His critics honor tradition above God's actual commands! He insists that nobody is defiled by what goes in the mouth-by literal matter itself-but by the overflow of the spirit, like the words that come out of the one's mouth. He and the disciples travel out of the country. Jesus casts a demon out of the daughter of a persistent Canaanite woman. They travel to the southeast side of the Sea of Galilee where Jesus feeds thousands of people from a few loaves and fishes. These last two events signal the eventual spread of the gospel beyond the people of Israel. In Matt. 16:13-20, our lesson text today, Matthew 16:13-20 describes a conversation between Jesus and the disciples about His identity. The setting is a place about 25 miles north of the Sea of Galilee in the district of Caesarea Philippi, where Jesus asks who the people say He is, then asks His own disciples, "who do you say that I am?" (16:15).

Read Matt. 16:13-14 - WHO DO PEOPLE SAY THAT THE SON OF MAN IS?

13 Now when Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" 14 And they said, "Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah, or one of the other prophets."

v. 13a: Now when Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi," - "Caesarea Philippi," 25 miles north of the Sea of Galilee, was a predominantly Gentile city which formed the boundary between the Jewish region of Judea and the Gentile world. Jesus had gone there to escape the Galilean crowds in order to prepare His disciples for His forthcoming journey to Jerusalem, a journey that would ultimately end in His death and resurrection.
v. 13b: "He was asking His disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" - Jesus chose this Gentile location to reveal Himself more fully to His disciples in order to reveal His concern, not only for Jews, but for the entire world, as He later makes explicit in the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20). The title, "Son of Man," Jesus' favorite name for Himself, is derived from Dan. 7:13-14, where God declared: "One like a son of man was coming...And was presented before Him. 14 And to Him was given dominion, Honor, and a kingdom, So that all the peoples, nations, and populations of all languages Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away;"

v. 14: "And they said, "Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah, or one of the other prophets." - "John the Baptist," the forerunner of Christ, killed by Herod, displayed such a commanding presence that people wouldn't be too surprised to see him again. The prophet "Elijah," a worker of many miracles, was expected to reappear, "before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD." (Mal. 4:5). Yet, even though many people saw Jesus as exceptional, they fell short because He is far more than a prophet; He is the Christos, the anointed one of God (Isa. 61:1).

Read Matt. 15:15-17 - BUT WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM?

15 He *said to them, "But who do you yourselves say that I am?" 16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 And Jesus said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

v. 15: "He *said to them, 'But who do you yourselves say that I am?'" - In v. 13 Jesus had told His disciples that He was the "Son of Man," but He now asks them what they believe about Him. The "you" in this question is both plural and emphatic: directed to the disciples as a whole, not just Peter. Jesus has carefully been preparing these disciples to continue His work. So, what they think of Him is critical. And indeed, how we answer the same question is equally critical. To call ourselves Christians means believing that Jesus is the Christ, the living Son of God. Anything else is less than Christian.

v. 16: "Simon Peter answered, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.'" - The title "Christ" means anointed One. Israel anointed people to set them apart for a special task-priest, prophet, king, etc. It not only signified being chosen by God, but carried with it the God-given authority and power needed to carry out the specified role and mission. However, Peter's acknowledgement of who Jesus is goes a giant step, further: He confesses that Jesus is the Savior-the Messiah-for which Israel had been waiting to come for centuries. After John baptized Him with water, Jesus was anointed by God when "the Spirit of God descended as a dove and settled on Him" (Matt. 3:16-17).

v. 17: "And Jesus said to him, 'Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.'" - In this context, "blessed" identifies someone whom God has favored. Peter had gained insight about the true identity of Jesus not from his own abilities but because God had blessed him with it. The expression "Barjona" translates to son of Jonah, and Jesus refers to him as "Simon" because that's the name by which his earthly father would recognize him and emphasized his earthly origins-an ordinary person like you or me.

Read Matt. 15:18 - UPON THIS ROCK I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH

18 "And 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."

v. 18a: "And I also say to you that you are Peter" - The name (or title) "Peter" (Gk. Pétros) literally translates to the word rock. God is frequently referred to in Scripture as a 'rock' (Gen. 49:24; Deut. 22; 1 Sam. 2:2; Ps. 18; 28; 31). Jesus does Peter a great honor but at the same vein lays upon him a very heavy burden of leadership.
v. 18b: "and upon this rock" - Over time, Catholics and protestants (evangelicals) have been sharply divided over the interpretation of these words. The simple version is that Catholics see it as a job description, i.e., that Peter was the first of many popes, whereas, evangelicals view "this rock" as the foundation, i.e., the base-upon which the church was built. Evangelicals have understood Jesus to be distinguishing between the rock that is Peter and the rock upon which Jesus will build His church. While evangelicals acknowledge Peter's special role in the early church, they don't believe he was the first pope, insofar as Christ is the head rather than a human appointee.

Evangelicals also point out that Jesus offers His blessing to Peter, but without any suggestion that the blessing can be passed on or that there will be any future succession.
v. 18c: "I will build My church;" - The word "church" (Gk. ekklesia) literally means 'called-out assembly.' Jesus uses this word to refer to a new entity that had yet to come into existence. He said He would build it in the future.
Jesus revealed the existence of this new entity here for the first time in history, for there is no OT revelation of its existence. Jesus brought it into being because Israel rejected its Messiah, and as a consequence, God would postpone the Kingdom of God on earth. In the meantime, Jesus would construct an entirely entity, with Himself as its foundation and builder.

v. 18d: "and the gates of Hades will not overpower it." - "Hades" means place of the dead. When Jesus declares "the gates of Hades will not overpower it," He's saying that the powers of death, with Satan and his demonic hosts doing their most determined work in opposing life, would not prevail over the church, because the church cannot die. By this statement, Jesus anticipated His resurrection and the resurrection of the church saints that would follow. Even Jesus' death would not prevent Him from building His church; and Jesus' church would be a 'living church," just as YHWH is the living God.

This is all that Jesus revealed about the church here. He simply introduced this new revelation to the disciples as a farmer plants his seeds. Up to now, all of their thinking had been focused upon on the kingdom of God.

Read Matt. Matt. 16:19 - I WILL GIVE YOU THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN

19 I will give you the keys of 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." -

v. 19a: "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven;" - This phrase has its roots in Isa. 22:22: "Then I will put the key of the house of David on his shoulder." In the more immediate sense, as a 'gatekeeper,' Peter will open the gate to the kingdom for over 3,000 people who will be saved at the Pentecost (Acts 2:ff); but in the broader, long-term sense, Jesus' promise looks to the future, at His Second Coming, when His Messianic Kingdom will be established on earth. It is not the church, but the establishment of His 1,000-year, millennial reign on earth (Rev. 3:21; 22:1ff). Jesus' reintroduction of the subject of the kingdom was intended to help His disciples understand that the church would not replace the kingdom that was yet to come.

Bible expositors suggest that the "keys" mentioned here represent Peter's authority to admit or refuse admission to the "kingdom." In the Book of Acts, we see a progression as Peter opens the door for the Jews (Acts 2), the Samaritans (Acts 8), and finally to the Gentiles (Acts 10); and this authority is subsequently extended to all who are called to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Note: The traditional notion of Peter as keeper of the 'Pearly Gates of Heaven' is mistaken insofar as it pertains to the afterlife rather than Jesus' kingdom on earth.

v. 19b: "and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven." - This is a difficult verse. The terms "bind" and "loose" have to do with authority to permit or forbid. So, this appears to suggest that Peter will have the authority to discipline concerning right and wrong conduct for those in the kingdom. This authority is not exclusive to Peter but is extended to the church as a whole (Matt. 18:18; John 20:23). Jesus delegates authority to human leaders in the church who are called to govern His church on earth, under His ultimate authority, through the application of God's Word. The story of the discipline Peter imposed on Ananias and Sapphira (i.e., death) reported in Acts 5:1-11 serves a case in point.

Read Matt. 16:20 - JESUS WARNED THE DISCIPLES TO TELL NO ONE

20 Then He warned the disciples that they should tell no one that He was the Christ.

v. 20: "...that they should tell no one..." - Because of the Jews' flawed ideas about the true identity of the Jesus as Messiah-i.e., they were expecting someone a who would step forward as a an zealous nationalistic and political figure-Jesus ordered His disciples not to publicize Peter's confession (v. 16), because it could potentially precipitate a revolution against the Roman authorities, which, in turn, would undoubtedly lead to bloody reprisals and even stricter repressive measures.

Jesus wanted His disciples to confine themselves to the plans and limits that He had imposed on Himself in regard to His self-disclosure. They must not appeal to people's acceptance of Jesus out of nationalistic zeal or misguided messianic expectations, but out of faith rooted in Jesus, which was based on a clear understanding who He is and why He came-to seek and to save a lost world. Moreover, Jesus already knew His destiny-death on a cross and resurrection, to the extent that inciting a rebellion and revolution could potentially derail His journey to the cross.
In the final analysis, however, Israel's response to Jesus proved to be one of repudiation. Even as the religious leaders reject Him, the people are left to wonder and speculate about who He truly is. The self-righteous religious elite wrongly brand Him as a blasphemer who colludes with Satan, while many ordinary Jews imagine him as some kind of prophet; but they were all wrong. In a stark contrast to Israel, the disciples-as recipients of divine revelation-are led by Jesus to think of Him as God thinks of Him; namely, as the Messiah and Son of the Living God. But because His disciples at this point in time do not understand that the central purpose of Jesus' mission is His death on a cross, Jesus commands them to silence.

APPLICATION-Loving the House That Jesus Built:

1. The church is important because Christ promised to build it. Jesus asked His disciples (Matt. 16:13), "Who do people say that the son of Man is?" They replied (Matt. 16:14), "Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets." Then Jesus asked the most crucial question for every person to answer (Matt. 16:15): "But who do you say that I am?" Your eternal destiny hinges on getting that question right! Peter gave his well-known answer: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." And that's the RIGHT answer! (Matt. 16:16-19)

2. The church is important because Christ loved her enough to give His life for her. If Christ loved the church enough to die for her, then if we love Christ, we must love His church sacrificially. Loving Christ's church in the abstract is easy. But if the church is Christ's bride-one flesh with Him-and because we love Christ, we must love and commit ourselves to a local church and learn to work through our differences and offenses in a biblical way. We must love "the saints we know"!

3. The church is important because it reveals Christ and His glory to the lost world. The church is God's means of accomplishing His eternal purpose for creation: to exalt Christ above all (Eph. 1:9-12; Col. 1:20). The church is His temple, where He dwells and wants His glory to be manifested (Eph. 2:21). We not only reveal Christ's glory to this lost world, but also to the rulers and authorities in heavenly places! The gospel is always under attack from different angles, because everything rides on whether or not a person has believed in the true gospel. The gospel isn't about how to have a happy life or a better marriage or to raise happy kids, although it can result in those things. Rather, the gospel is about how sinners can be reconciled to a holy God through faith in the crucified and risen Savior.

Endnote: We need the church because it is of fundamental importance: Christ promised to build it; He loves it and gave Himself for it; and, His church is His means of revealing Himself to this lost world.