The Great Confession

Matthew 16:15-19

15 He (Jesus) said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 
18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 
19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

When Jesus spoke these words to Peter, He was not just only saying that Peter was:
  • Blessed because his confession came from the Father Himself (verse 17),
but also that he was:
  • Identified. When Jesus used Peter's full Hebrew name (Simon Bar-Jonah), He was identifying Simon Peter as a person with a unique Hebrew identity before God and a son of the promises of God the Father (verse 17, Matthew 1:12-16),
  • Enlightened. The Father had supernaturally given Simon Peter this revelation and, because of this, he had been enlightened and he now could see the truth of who Jesus really was (verse 17),
  • Changed. When Jesus said "you are {now} Peter" He was indicating that Peter had been changed because of this revelation. Just like Abraham who had his name changed from Abram to Abraham by God, so Peter had his name changed from Simon to Peter. 
  • Correct. Jesus' endorsement of Peter's confession was further reinforced when He said "upon this rock {revelation} I will build my church". Here Jesus was stating that this supernatural revelation was the correct way that the future church would grow. Peter means "rock" or "stone" and his personal revelation would be the first of many millions of personal revelations (rocks/stones) that people would experience and these would build the church life-by-life throughout history (1 Peter 2:5). It is important to note that Peter was not the foundation of the Church; the Father-given revelation of Jesus being the Christ was the foundation! This is clearly stated in 1 Peter 2:4-6 where Jesus is described as the Chief Cornerstone (verses 16 and 18),
  • Given a promise and shown a purpose. Similarly when Jesus said "I will build my church" (verse 18) He was reassuring Peter and the disciples that the Kingdom of God would be established by God and Peter could be confident in what the future may hold.
  • Being encouraged. Jesus' declaration to Peter and the other disciples that the Gates of Hades would not be able to stop the spreading of the Gospel was a powerful encouragement that would remain strong not only at the beginning of the Church but through all time (verse 18). Jesus was telling them (and us) to not be afraid and that He conquers in the end,
  • Going to be given the tools to do the job. Jesus promised that He would give them the keys of the kingdom of heaven although they were not immediately told what these keys were. However, after the Resurrection, Jesus told them that all authority had been given to Him in heaven and on earth. Because of this He told them to go out and unlock the Gates of Hades by:
    • making disciples, 
    • baptising them, and 
    • teaching them to obey His commands (Matthew 28:18-20). 
Jesus' declaration in response to Peter's confession is very profound and it is easy to miss the hidden messages. What is exciting is that Peter's confession was not constructed by his own mind or the beliefs of others around him ("flesh and blood" Matthew 16:17); but rather it was supernatural and given by the Father.

"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him..." (John 6:44).


Notes:

Photo: Dedication Corner Stone (Martin Luther King Jr Drive side). 
Source: Wikimedia Commons.




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