{"id":691,"date":"2023-09-08T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-08T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/?p=691&2023"},"modified":"2023-09-05T18:01:27","modified_gmt":"2023-09-06T00:01:27","slug":"overcoming-the-church-matthew-16-13-20","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/overcoming-the-church-matthew-16-13-20\/","title":{"rendered":"Overcoming the Church: Matthew 16:13-20"},"content":{"rendered":"
Focus Passage: Matthew 16:13-20 (NIV)<\/div>
\r\n

13\u00a0<\/sup>When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, \u201cWho do people say the Son of Man is?\u201d<\/p>

14\u00a0<\/sup>They replied, \u201cSome say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.\u201d<\/p>

15\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cBut what about you?\u201d he asked. \u201cWho do you say I am?\u201d<\/p>

16\u00a0<\/sup>Simon Peter answered, \u201cYou are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.\u201d<\/p>

17\u00a0<\/sup>Jesus replied, \u201cBlessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18\u00a0<\/sup>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\u00a0<\/sup>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.\u201d 20\u00a0<\/sup>Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.<\/p>\r\n

Read Matthew 16:13-20<\/a> in context and\/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!<\/p><\/div><\/div>\r\n

Of all the things in the gospels to challenge me, a phrase that Matthew includes in his gospel comes near the top of the list. While traveling with His disciples, Jesus asks them who people believe Him to be, and then He more directly asks them who they think He is.<\/p>\r\n

Simon Peter responds with the correct answer when he replies, \u201cYou are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.<\/strong>\u201d (v. 16)<\/p>\r\n

But Jesus\u2019 response to Peter contains some baffling truths. Jesus begins by drawing our attention to the only way Peter could have known this response: God the Father revealed it to Him. Jesus then continues building on this theme with a three part phrase that may sound startling. Jesus continues by saying, \u201cAnd 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.<\/strong>\u201d (v. 18)<\/p>\r\n

Jesus starts small, and then He expands with each phrase. The name Peter means pebble or stone. Peter was to be a small but also significant part of God\u2019s plan.<\/p>\r\n

Jesus then moves bigger by saying on this rock (or giant stone, or cliff), He will build His church. Jesus is not saying that the church is to be built on Peter, but instead on the response Peter gave that God the Father had revealed to him. This declaration was focused on Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. Without directly pointing the focus onto Himself, Jesus takes this declaration and centers it as the cornerstone for His church.<\/p>\r\n

Jesus finishes this statement by saying that the gates of Hades won\u2019t overcome it. This is a tricky phrase to grasp. Gates are set up for protection and as a defense, but overcoming is an offensive maneuver. Perhaps Jesus is saying that whatever Satan releases through the gates of Hades, God\u2019s church will not be stopped. Or maybe Jesus is saying that however strong Satan believes the gates of Hades to be, they will not be able to stand against the forward momentum of God\u2019s church and the declaration that Jesus is God\u2019s Son and the Messiah.<\/p>\r\n

Jesus then clues Peter into His role in the next verse: \u201cI 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.<\/strong>\u201d (v. 19)<\/p>\r\n

Peter\u2019s small but significant role is to be a like a gatekeeper. However, while this appears on the surface to set Peter up to be exclusive towards others, the truth is exactly the opposite. The religious system of that time was built upon rules and laws that separated God from the people. In the minds of the people, God would only pay attention to us once we had done enough significant things. The religious leaders had locked the gate to reach God from the people.<\/p>\r\n

Jesus symbolically gave Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven so that Peter can open the gates of truth to let people into heaven. Peter does this in the book of Acts in a famous sermon shortly after Jesus is resurrected, and He does this again later in the book of Acts when He welcomes gentile believers in with another famous sermon. You and I can do the same when we welcome people into God\u2019s family who were not with us before.<\/p>\r\n

God\u2019s family and His church cannot be stopped. God\u2019s church is based on the truth that Jesus is the Messiah, God\u2019s Son, and that is something that Satan cannot deny. The church moves forward though the Holy Spirit\u2019s power, and nothing Satan throws at it will overcome it.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus<\/strong> \u201cReflective Bible Study\u201d package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here<\/a> and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!<\/em><\/p>

Subscribe<\/a> to this blog and never miss an insight.<\/em><\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Of all the things in the gospels to challenge me, a phrase that Matthew includes in his gospel comes near the top of the list. While traveling with His disciples, Jesus asks them who people believe Him to be, and then He more directly asks them who they think He is. 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