Matthew 16:13–20 January 26, 2014

Introduction
The passage we will look at this morning is one that has troubled
interpreters as long as the church has been in existence. Indeed, it is a
hermeneutical minefield chalked full of pitfalls which have led to many
abuses over the years. But despite these difficulties, this passage offers
much hope and encouragement for the church today. Our task this
morning, Lord willing, will be to carefully navigate around these pitfalls
and delight in the joy of God’s promises.

As we begin our study, it will be helpful to consider the context of

where these events fall in the ministry of Jesus. In chapter 14, Jesus
finished a lengthy period of ministry among the Jews which culminated
with the feeding of the 5,000. In chapter 15, He went about ministering
among the Gentiles, culminating with the feeding of the 4,000. From
chapter 16 onward, Jesus’ primary ministry focus shifts from the crowds
to His inner core of disciples. He is beginning to prepare them for His
eventual crucifixion and resurrection, as well as their ministry which will
follow.

The Ultimate Confession (16:13–17)

This passage is linked with the preceding section in that Peter
recognizes Jesus as the Messiah only by divine revelation, not by
demanding signs of the Lord like the Pharisees. This recognition leads to
Jesus’ self-disclosure of His role as the suffering Servant (vv. 21–23) — a
role which was foretold by the prophet Isaiah (Isa 52:13 – 53:12).

The Setting (v. 13a)

These events took place in the one of the towns on the outskirts of
Caesarea Philippi (cf. Mark 8:27). This city was originally called Paneas
after the Greek god Pan, who according to pagan mythology was born
in a nearby cave. Caesar Augustus later gave the region to Herod the
Great, who built a temple in Paneas to honor the emperor. Herod’s son,
Philip the Tetrarch, inherited and greatly expanded the city renaming it
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after Caesar. He added the title Philippi to the end for the dual purpose
of giving himself additional glory and distinguishing it from the
Mediterranean coastal town west of Jerusalem with the same name.
Caesarea Philippi was about 25 miles northeast of the Sea of Galilee and
sat a few miles from the base of snow-capped Mount Hermon. This
mountain rose to about 9,000 feet and would have been visible from
the Galilean towns of Cana, Nazareth, and Capernaum. It was also only
a few miles from the ancient Jewish city of Dan — the northernmost
boundary of the promised land. Many of you will recall that this region
had a very heavy pagan influence, and was thoroughly Gentile by the
time of Jesus’ day.

The Confession of the Crowds (vv. 13b–14)

Jesus began questioning His disciples by asking them who the crowds
thought He was. The designation “Son of Man” is a term employed by
Jesus with clear messianic overtones. Even though this was the case,
many of the Jewish rabbis refrained from using it because it appeared
to emphasize the humanity of the Messiah. This was likely one of the
reasons Jesus frequently decided to reference Himself in this way.
Apparently the expression was sufficiently ambiguous or enigmatic so
as to make the question valid. The common understanding was that
Jesus was some kind of prominent prophet. It appears that no one was
openly confessing Jesus as the Messiah.

The Disciples’ Confession (vv. 15–16)

In verse 15, Jesus turns the question directly toward His disciples.
Notice that the “you” in this verse is plural, meaning that Jesus is
addressing all the disciples. Peter, as the spokesman for the twelve,
replies, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” For many
months leading up to this point, Jesus had repeatedly demonstrated His
role as the Messiah. Unfortunately, many of those lessons were lost on
the crowd. But the disciples had come to realize the truth — Jesus is the
Christ (Greek translation of “Messiah”). Not only did they recognize
this, but they also were beginning to see Jesus’ divinity.

God the Father: The Revealer of Truth (v. 17)

In response to this confession, Jesus pronounces a blessing upon Peter.
The blessing Peter received was not a material or physical blessing, but
rather a spiritual joy and comforting hope that came with knowing
Jesus as his personal Savior. This kind of blessing is also available today
for anyone who would believe in Christ, and trust Him for salvation!
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The title with which Jesus addresses Peter is his given name, Simon.
“Bar” is the Aramaic term for “son of,” meaning that his father’s name
was Jonah. You may recall that the name “Peter” (Aramaic Cephas) was
not given to him until he first met Jesus (John 1:42). You can actually do
an interesting character study by noting the times when Jesus refers to
him as “Simon” and when He refers to him as “Peter.” When Peter does
something sinful, according to the flesh, Jesus calls him Simon. But
when he does something praiseworthy according to the Spirit, he is
called Peter. In our present context, you see that it is not through his
fleshly “Simon” nature or human parentage that this revelation came.
This truth was only revealed to the spirit-filled Peter (v. 18) because of
his status as a child of God. In theology, we refer to this as the doctrine
of illumination. This involves understanding and embracing the truth
and significance of divine revelation. However, this is not suggesting
that Peter or the others had a full understanding of who Jesus was
(cf. vv. 21–23). But just like Peter, we too need confess Jesus as Savior
and Lord if we are going to be saved!

The Church that Jesus Builds (16:18–20)

Up to this point, there has been little interpretive difficulty. But that all
changes with verses 18–19. This is the proverbial minefield that we
have to navigate carefully.

The Promised Indestructible Church (v. 18)

Jesus begins this verse by emphatically stating that the disciple’s name
is Peter. Again, this is another way of affirming that what Peter has said
has been done through the power of the Spirit. He then uses a play on
words with Peter’s name and the word rock. Notice how they appear in
Greek along with their gender:

English Greek Gender*

Peter petros ( ) Masculine
rock petra ( ) Feminine

*We don’t often see a gender ending assigned to English words,

even though this is common in many foreign languages. There are,
however, a few exceptions, e.g. fiancé (masc.), fiancée (fem.).

For centuries, this verse has been cited by the Catholic church to teach
the primacy of Peter as the first pope and justification for the entire
Catholic system built around this concept. However, Protestants have
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come to reject the errant Catholic view. Nevertheless, because of the
different genders, there are still four different identifications suggested
for “rock.”

1) Jesus is the rock (Walvoord). This view finds support in

1 Peter 2:4–6 where Jesus is referred to as a “living stone,” and the
“chief cornerstone.” Indeed Christ is the foundation upon which the
entire church is built. This certainly makes sense since He is also
metaphorically referred to as the head of the church (Eph 5:23).
However, in Matthew 16:18 Jesus referred to Himself as the
builder, not the foundation. Furthermore, the metaphor in
1 Peter 2 should not be used as an interpretive key for Matthew 16
because there are other passages where similar metaphors are
used in different ways. Notice:

Passage Metaphor Who?

Matt 16:18 A Builder Jesus
1 Cor 3:10 An Expert Builder Paul

1 Cor 3:11 Church’s Foundation Jesus

Eph 2:19–20 Church’s Foundation Apostles & Prohpets
(Jesus is the “cornerstone”)

Matt 6:19 Given the Keys Peter

Rev 1:18; 3:7 Given the Keys Jesus

John 9:5 Light of the World Jesus

Matt 5:14 Light of the World Jesus’ Disciples

In the end, it simply isn’t consistent with the metaphor of

Matthew 16:18 to argue that Jesus Himself is the “rock.” The
metaphor here must be understood in light of the local context
first.

2) Peter’s confession of Christ is the rock (Glasscock). This view

accounts for the use of the feminine form and the association of the
term elsewhere with the person and work of Christ. However,
elsewhere the foundation of the church is said to be or include the
witness of the other apostles and prophets (Eph 2:19–20).
Furthermore we noted that Peter’s confession was spoken on
behalf of all the disciples (vv. 15–16).
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3) Peter alone is the rock (Roman Catholocism). Nothing is said in this
text about Peter having exclusive authority, nor is Peter given this
kind of authority elsewhere in Scripture. Also, no mention is made
of a line of successor “popes” who would carry this exclusive
authority.

4) Peter, as the representative of the twelve, is the rock (Carson). This

is consistent with Ephesians 2:19–20 and what the Scriptures say
elsewhere about the role of the disciples.

The term “church” is used twice in the gospels — here and in 18:17. The
expression is used in the Septuagint (LXX) — the Greek translation of
the Old Testament — of an assembly or congregation, particularly of
the nation of Israel. This does not mean we should understand the term
church as a substitute for Israel. But the nation of Israel is God’s chosen
people and therefore belongs to God. Similarly, the congregation in
view in verse 18 is described as “My church,” specifically belonging to
Jesus. The future tense in this verse indicates that this congregation was
not yet in existence, but would be established by Jesus at some point in
the future.

According to Acts and the epistles, this congregation was established at

Pentecost through the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This baptism joins
believers in spiritual union with Christ and those so united are called
the “body of Christ” or the “church” (cf. 1 Cor 12:13). The expression
“church” is used in two ways: 1) the universal body of Christ, consisting
of all Spirit-baptized believers; and 2) local congregations as visible
manifestations of this body. But we shouldn’t understand this term in
the sense of the “new Israel” or take it to be synonymous with the
“kingdom” (see below).

The gates of Hades is an expression found in the Old Testament

(Job 17:16; 38:17; Psalm 9:13; 107:18; Isa 38:10), in the inter-
testamental literature, and in Greek literature. In every case, it is a
reference to death or dying. When we see this combination here, it
should be taken as a metaphor for the powers of death, including
Satan, sin, and death itself. Between Jesus death on the cross and
resurrection from the dead, He descended into a compartment of
Hades called Paradise (cf. Luke 23:43; 1 Pet 3:19–20). But unlike every
other dead person there, the gates of Hades could not contain Jesus.
They could not prevent Him from rising again to new life and returning
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to the land of the living. The sure promise of resurrection is also given
to the church! Death has no power over those who belong to Jesus. This
doesn’t mean believers won’t die. But if we die, we will be immediately
ushered into the presence of the Lord. Church saints will never see
Hades! This is why Paul is able to taunt death in 1 Corinthians 15:55, “O
death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?”

The Keys of the Kingdom (v. 19)

The “keys” of the kingdom is also a metaphor, referring to the
implements that gain access through a door or gate. Thus, the one who
holds the “keys” has the power either to permit or bar entrance into a
place whose access is somehow restricted. In this context, it is referring
to access to the kingdom (cf. Rev 9:1–6; 20:1–3). The interpretation of
the keys metaphor has also been debated through the centuries.
Specifically, what do the keys represent, and how were they used by
Peter and the other apostles historically?

The keys themselves probably point to the gospel and/or the teachings
of the apostles. One of the difficulties in arriving at this conclusion has
to do with the grammar and translation of the binding and loosing
phrases. Notice how several versions use a future tense:

“…whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven…”

“…whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
~Matt 6:19 NKJV (also KJV, NIV, ESV)

More recent research into Greek grammar has found that these would
better be translated as future perfects. Note:

“…whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven…”

“…whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven.”
(HCSB, NET, NASB)
(cf. John 20:23)

The former rendering gives the impression that the church can
somehow impose its will on the God of heaven — a view which is
completely unbiblical and foreign to the rest of Scripture. And yet this
mentality has persisted throughout much of the history of the Roman
Catholic Church. But with the latter rendering, we can see that the
actions taken by Peter and the other apostles — assuming they comply

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with divine revelation — will represent what has already been
established in heaven by God.

The binding and loosing have to do with the consequences of one’s

response to divine revelation. In Luke 11:52, Jesus rebuked the scribes
and Pharisees, because they had taken away the key of knowledge from
the people. They themselves had not entered into the kingdom and
they were hindering others from doing so by imposing their self-
righteous law code. In other words, they were preventing people from
believing the gospel, and barring access to the future kingdom. The
apostles, as divinely inspired gospel preachers, also had the ability to
allow or prevent access to the kingdom of God. Because their teachings
carried the full weight of divine authority (2 Tim 3:16; 2 Pet 1:19–21),
they could loose/allow access to the kingdom (those who believe the
gospel) or bind/deny access to the kingdom (those who reject the
gospel). This same binding and loosing authority is extended to all the
other apostles and the entire church in Matthew 18:18. But notice the
context of this in chapter 18 — church discipline (vv. 15–17). The church
today exercises the same kind of binding and loosing authority that was
given to Peter and the apostles.

Objection: I thought only God Himself allows access to the kingdom

through salvation? TRUE! But the church is called to proclaim the
whole counsel of God and recognize those who respond to the
gospel in repentant faith. However, the church is only exercising
divine authority in as much as it complies with divine revelation.
Notice how there is a dual aspect to this:

Guarding the “Front Door” — Biblically Accurate Evangelism

Part of that recognition involves guarding the truth and purity
of the gospel message. Only those who accept the true gospel
message are admitted as members of the church.

Guarding the “Back Door” — Church Discipline

The other part of recognizing believers comes with the
realization that there will be wolves who come in among the
sheep. False teachers and those who reject Christian doctrine
are not exercising faith and need to be removed from church
membership. Likewise, those who stubbornly bull forward in an
ongoing pattern of unconfessed sin are not exhibiting
repentance and need to be removed from church membership.
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The continuity of the church today depends as much on discipline as on
truth. Sadly, many churches today are installing front doors so wide
that a whole herd of camels could pass through, while at the same time
bricking up their back doors under a misguided notion of universal love
and forgiveness. If we want to see God prosper this local assembly and
others, then we need to be in the habit of binding and loosing — in
compliance with God’s word.

The Danger of an Incomplete Gospel (v. 20)

After declaring these things to Peter and the others, Jesus warned them
not to tell anyone that He was the Messiah. But why? Isn’t talking about
Jesus and evangelizing the lost a good thing? The real danger then was
that Jesus’ work was not yet complete. The kingdom Jesus was offering
was not simply a usurpation of the Roman Empire. Nor was it a
“spiritual kingdom” as many Christians hold today. The kingdom Jesus
was offering is the Millennial, Messianic Kingdom. It is the kingdom
prophesied by the Old Testament prophets. And as Jesus is in the
process of building the church today, He is at the same time gathering a
citizenry for that future kingdom. We don’t enter the kingdom the
moment we become believers. But if anyone is going to enter that
kingdom in the future, then they must be a believer (John 3:3, 5). If we
are to see the glories of that future kingdom, we must be born again.

But here was the danger at that time: there was something missing. The
Messiah will surely return to the earth one day to reign, but first He
needed to go to the cross. Peter and the other disciples thought He
would start up His kingdom right away. In that sense, their thinking was
no different than Satan’s. Satan offered Jesus a kingdom without going
to the cross (Matt 4:8–10). If the disciples were to start proclaiming
Jesus at that time, they would be asking for a kingdom without the
cross. The good news of the gospel was not yet complete. He first had
to suffer before enjoying the glories that would follow.

Conclusion
Jesus’ death on the cross accomplished many, many things! Not only
did it pave the way for His future kingdom, but it allowed wretched
sinners like you and me to be washed of our sins, and saved, and added
to His church. Jesus is still building His church today. As long as you still
draw breath, there is time to repent of your sins and turn to Christ in
faith. God has promised that all who come to Him, He will never cast
out. Will you trust Christ today? ~AWB
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