There is much confusion about the identity of Jesus. The Pharisees and Sadducees seem to think he is a false prophet. They’ve just said to him at the start of this chapter, if you really are from God as you claim to be, give us a sign from heaven.
They probably have in mind something fairly dramatic perhaps a bit like the story told in 1 Kings of Elijah and the Prophets of Baal when Elijah summoned fire down from heaven to burn an altar to show the people his God was the one they should worship.
The Pharisees request is a bit ironic given that Jesus has been healing lepers casting out demons and raising dead people to life.
Anyway Jesus turns down their request. They don’t need more signs they simply need to believe the signs they’ve already received.
This episode reminds me of a story about a Christian stranded on a rock out at sea who prays to God to rescue Him.
A boat comes along but he sends it away saying that he’s a Christian and God will save him.
A helicopter then comes along but he sends it away again saying that he’s waiting for God to save Him.
Finally a submarine surfaces and offers to rescue him but he says no, God will save me.
Eventually the man drowns and when he gets to heaven he says Lord why didn’t you rescue me.
God says to him, I sent along a boat, a helicopter and a submarine. What more could I have done for you.
God says to him, I sent along a boat, a helicopter and a submarine. What more could I have done for you.
Jesus has given the Pharisees and the Jewish people generally plenty of signs as to who he is. They don’t need new signs. They just need to recognise those he has already provided.
Perhaps you’ve been praying to God for something or to answer a question and perhaps He’s already answered your prayer. You don’t need him to answer it again. You just need to recognise and believe the answer he’s already given you.
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Jesus knows what the Pharisees think about him but he wants to find out what the rest of the Jewish people are saying about him. The disciples tell him there are lots of views.
Some people seem to think that he’s John the Baptist come back to life. This is quite a strange view as John the Baptist was beheaded. Resurrecting him would involve re-attaching his head which although theoretically possible for God is perhaps a tad unlikely.
Others seem to think that Jesus is Elijah come back to earth. This is perhaps a bit more understandable as
Elijah never actually died. He was carried up to heaven in a fiery chariot and according to scripture he would one day return before the coming of the Messiah.
So this group of people recognise that Jesus is special but they don’t recognise him as the Messiah God’s special servant and representative. They’re sort of on the right tracks but not quite there.
And some think Jesus is just another prophet like Jeremiah or someone. One detects a note of boredom with these people. Prophets come along now and again but they’re not really that interested.
As I looked at this passage and the Jewish people’s response to Jesus I started to see that they reflect people’s responses today.
Some people like the Pharisees dismiss Jesus. They want nothing to do with him and are actually vehemently opposed to him. They have strong negative feelings toward him.
Some people have extremely odd theories about Jesus. They believe he wasn’t really crucified but went to live in India or that he fathered children and his earthly descendants still live on.
Some people are on the right tracks. They recognise he’s special but they haven’t yet received the full revelation of who he really is.
And others are really not that interested. He may be a prophet or something but so what?
Jesus listens to the disciples answers and then asks; “But what about you? Who do you say I am?”
Peter gives the correct answer; “You are the Christ. The son of the living God.”
Peter is saying that Jesus is the Christ, the promised Messiah. He is not just a man. He is the Son of the living God.
Peter speaks using words that were familiar to the Jews of his day but in short he recognises that Jesus is God.
In fact Peter seems to recognise who Jesus is quite early on in the gospels.
Luke tells us in chapter 5 of his gospel following the miraculous catch of fish;
“When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”
Jesus tells Peter he is blessed because he has received this revelation from God the Father.
It’s not something that he has worked out himself. It’s something that has been revealed to him by God the Father who has opened his eyes to recognise that Jesus is God the son made flesh.
But what about you sitting here today in Brenchley Church who do you say that Jesus is?
Your answer to this question is extremely important because as Paul tells us in his letter to the Romans; “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
If you can honestly say that Jesus is Lord, and you sincerely believe in your heart that God did raise him from the dead - you will be saved.
Being able to say this is a sign that God the Father has opened your eyes to recognise who Jesus really is and that the Holy Spirit is living inside you. It is a sign that you are his beloved child and belong to him eternally.
It is a sign that you have crossed over from death to life and that you have eternal life.
It is a sign that God will never lose you but raise you up on the last day.
Do you remember what Jesus said; this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Truly, if like Peter you have received this revelation about Jesus’ identity, you are blessed because your salvation is not in doubt and one day you will go to heaven, and it’s not because of what you have done. It’s because of what Jesus has done for you. Rejoice and be glad because great is your reward in heaven.
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Jesus calls Peter Petros which means Rock and tells him that he will be a foundation stone in the church that he is going to build.
In his letter to the Ephesians Paul throws a bit of light on what Jesus is saying here.
Writing to the church in Ephesus Paul says; “you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.
So Jesus is the chief cornerstone on which the whole church rests but apostles and prophets will be like foundation stones in the church.
The church of course is built of people so every Christian is incorporated into the church like stones into a building, and the building itself is indwelt by the Holy spirit.
Peter along with Paul and the other disciples were Apostles which is the highest calling in the church. Apostles are really church founders and builders.
Thus in the New Testament we see the disciples, the apostles – particularly Peter and Paul, founding and building churches in various places.
Because of this role God gives them his authority which is what the keys that Jesus refers to here symbolise.
If you own a house and you trust someone to look after it while you go away – you’ll give them the keys. They have your permission to oversee your house while you are away.
So Jesus tells Peter that he will give him the keys of the kingdom of heaven. He will have the responsibility for building and looking after the church but also the authority to fulfil this role.
He will have the authority to bind and to loose. This really means he will have the authority to prevent and to allow things on earth and as he exercises this authority it will be backed up in heaven.
Now I think there is something quite important for us to grasp here. Although we are probably not apostles every Christian has a role to play in the church and God gives us authority also to fulfil the roles we have.
So although we may not exercise authority to the degree an apostle does we still have authority to bind and loose, to prevent things that might oppose or hinder our different ministries or the life of the church and to allow those things which will be beneficial.
I was trying to think of some examples of situations where we could exercise this authority. So if for instance someone wanted to convert the Bull in Brenchley into a lap dancing club - we as the church, the body of Christ in Brenchley might object. We might feel that this would be harmful to the church’s ministry, the moral climate and family life in the area.
We could therefore exercise our authority by praying to prevent this. We’d get together as the body of Christ in Brenchley and say no we prevent the use of the Bull for these purposes in Jesus’ name but we allow its use for some purpose which will benefit the community.
Another example might be if someone with an anti Christian agenda was likely to be appointed to some role which would be detrimental to the church. We could again in prayer say no in Jesus name; we prevent this appointment but we allow the appointment of such and such.
The Church is also able to do this on a national level but sadly rarely does as I think many Christians are perhaps unfamiliar with praying in these ways.
Personally when I pray in this way I see it as putting my own spiritual brick into a wall of opposition against something. As others also pray in this way and put their bricks into the wall, the wall of opposition rises and when sufficient bricks are in place the wall becomes spiritually strong enough to prevent whatever it has been erected against.
I remember a few years ago hearing the comments of a German church minister speaking after the German parliament voted to relax the country’s abortion laws. The interviewer said to him – so you lost the vote in parliament then. He said no. We lost the vote in the heavenly realms. The church in Germany didn’t rise up and exercise their authority to prevent these laws being relaxed.
In the Church of England the modern day equivalent to apostles would be bishops. However one can also see apostles at work in the lives of people who have built up churches in various parts of the world. Some of you may for instance be familiar with Jackie Pullinger.
As a young lady she went to Hong Kong and established a Christian church in the Walled City among drug addicts and prostitutes and in the midst of Triad gangs. Personally I would say that Jackie Pullinger is a modern day apostle, a foundation stone in Christ’s Church in Hong Kong.
Lastly Jesus orders his disciples not to tell anyone that he is the Messiah. This seems a bit strange. Personally I think Jesus says this because the Jewish people’s idea of what the Messiah would be like was by and large political and worldy rather than spiritual.
The Jews were expecting a Messiah in the mould of King David, a powerful political figure and king who would drive the Romans out and restore Israel’s position as a great nation.
Jesus’s kingdom however is not of this world. His kingdom is in the spiritual dimension, in the heavenly realms.
His kingdom is experienced within the hearts and lives of those who have turned towards him in repentance and who have believed in his name.
His kingdom is an eternal kingdom whereas worldly kingdoms will pass away.
This is why Paul tells us that we should fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
What we see around us in this world with our physical eyes will pass away and cease to exist. But what we don’t yet see – the spiritual dimension will last forever.
Many Jews in Jesus’ day were looking for a wordly Messiah, a worldy king but Jesus is a spiritual king.
Those whose eyes are fixed on the world and worldy concerns fail to recognise him, but those who seek after spiritual truth will find him.
I would urge everyone here today who has not yet done so, to make their peace with the King of the spiritual domain, the King of the heavenly realms, the Lord Jesus Christ; to turn towards him and to invite him into your life and heart; to acknowledge him as Saviour and Lord, so that like Peter you too will be able to say, you are the Christ the son of the living God.
Amen
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