“Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “God’s Messiah.””
Luke 9:18-20 NIV
Matthew’s version of this pivotal incident includes a vital part of this exchange which Luke did not include.
“When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and de. still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 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. 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. 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.” Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.”
Matthew 16:13-20 NIV
Why are these details so important?
First, Matthew tells us where it happened. Jesus had purposely taken His disciples to a notoriously pagan and sleazy region in Israel. Caesaria Philippi, a Gentile city, dominated by pagan religion, in northern Israel near the source of the Jordan river. Founded in honour of the Caesar, this city had a temple dedicated to the his worship. Added to that, in the vicinity, at the base of a rocky cliff near a grotto, known as “the gate of hell”, the underworld, from which water flowed to join the snowmelt from Mt Herman to form the source of the Jordan, a pagan temple was built to honour Pan, a fertility god which was half human, half goat.
Second, Matthew tells us why it happened. Worship of Pan included sexual intercourse with goats! Imagine Jesus and His disciples observing this perversity! What did Jesus have in mind?
Disgusting as it was, there was no better place in all Israel to illustrate what Jesus would reveal to His disciples. After Peter’s confession as spokesman for the disciples, Jesus declared, “Do you see this awful place? This is exactly the kind of place where I will build my church! So powerful is my name, Peter, as you have confessed, and my yoke of mercy and grace, that not even hell itself can withstand the message that can rescue people from this delusion.”
Yes, Peter, “Upon this rock, where people worship Pan, I will build my church…” Not on Peter. He was a mere mortal. On the solid rock of truth that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and His message of salvation, Jesus’ church would stand firm and grow across the globe despite the very power of hell that stood against it.
How we need this reassurance today! Despite every effort to discredit, to stamp out, to obliterate the church, its people, and its truth and power, the church of the Lord Jesus had not only stood against every hostile power, but it is flourishing and growing against all odds. Even in the darkest of places and the most hostile environments, His church stands firm.
Jesus’ return, as we consider the signs, seems imminent. The earth itself longs for His coming, yearns for the day of unveiling, of the revelation of the glory of His hidden sons and daughters, and its liberation from bondage.
“For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.”
Romans 8:19-21 NIV
Yes, it’s coming! Of this we came be sure because Jesus always did what He promised.
To be continued…