Exposition of Matthew 16:13-20

July 30, 2021 

(Jesus’ last days of earthly ministry)

Questions to be answered in this study

1. Why is it easier for us today to understand the teachings of Jesus than it was for His disciples?
2. What was the new movement Jesus was teaching His disciples?
3. What is the present-day commission given to the church?
4. What is the name of the tallest mountain in the Mideast? 
5. The disciples’ answer to Jesus’ question, “who do people say that I am?
6. What was the one name the disciples left off their list?
7. Which of the disciples was the first to correctly identified Jesus?
8. How did Peter know who Jesus was?
9. What did Peter’s last name, Barjona, mean in Hebrew?
10. When was Peter’s name changed from Simon to Peter?
11. Traditionally what was the role of the cornerstone in a building?
12. How is Jesus related to a cornerstone?
13. When was the church built, and when was it consummated?
14. What did it mean that Peter was given the key to heaven?

Introduction

Our studies have centered on Jesus training His disciples to serve the church and the Kingdom for several weeks. It has been a difficult journey for the disciples as they struggle to comprehend the teachings of our Lord. It is far easier for us today to understand because we have more reference points. However, the disciples had lived all their lives under the false teaching of the scribes and Pharisees without reference points to the truth. There was no other rabbi teacher like Jesus, nor had there ever been. Jesus was teaching a new concept to ministry unlike any other. It was also different from anything the disciples had ever known. The movement Jesus was preparing these disciples for was worldwide, including salvation for Jews and gentiles alike. The Disciples would have to face the spiritual battle on the frontlines; the struggle would be for truth and salvation.

How could the disciples ever undertake such a mammoth task? It only would be possible with the knowledge that Jesus was the mighty God and creator of the universe, the Messiah, Son of God. He came to this world to die for the atonement of sinful man and rise from the grave to be victorious over Satan and sin. Our mission today is like the disciples but different in that we are not commissioned to perform miracles, heal the sick, and feed the hungry. The commission the Lord gave us in the great commission given to the church. We are to be ambassadors of Jesus Christ going out to the world to save souls however possible, either by sending missionaries or witnessing to those whom we can. That is why Jesus came to earth, and that is what it is all about, saving souls, reconciling all we can to God. Jesus set the course and we, as were the disciples, are to follow in His footsteps seeking and saving the lost.

We ended our study last time with somewhat of a breakthrough. Look back at verses 11-12 of Matthew chapter 16:

Matthew 16:11-12, “How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? 12Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.”

The reason why Jesus chastened the disciples was because of their lack of faith and trust in Him. They had failed to observe and pay attention to all that He did. They ignorantly misunderstood Jesus’ words concerning leaven, thinking He was referring to food rather than the false teaching of the Sadducees and Pharisees, of which He was warning them to beware. We are also sometimes guilty of laboring over trivial matters and overlooking that which is most important. Matthew said they finally understood. Perhaps they had come to a turning point of realizing who Jesus was and His purpose.

Now in the passage today, Jesus brings their understanding once again to a test:

Matthew 16:13-16, “When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? 14And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. 15He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus travels to Caesarea Philippi, which is at the foot of Mt Hermon. Mt Hermon is the tallest mountain in the Middle East, reaching a height of almost 9,000 feet. Today this area is divided into two halves, Syria is in the north, and Israel is in the southern half. During the time of Jesus, this territory to the north was primarily Gentile, under the rule of the descendants of Herod the Great. The small town at the base of Mt Hermon was named Caesaria after the name of Caesar. There were two towns named Caesarea; the other was located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. So, in our study, the Caesarea, formerly known as Apneas, was distinguished by Caesarea Philippi.

According to Mark, this conversation between Jesus and His disciples took place as they traveled to Caesarea Phillipi. The original town, Apneas, was named after the pagan god, Pan. He is depicted as half man and half goat, and perhaps the conversation took place near the temple of Pan. In this area, where people worshiped pagan gods, Jesus asked His disciples, “who do people say the Son of Man is?” So, Jesus, for the first time, is drawing attention to His identity. The answer the disciples gave reveals the confusion among the people concerning who Jesus was. Jesus knew the answer to His question, and He knew their thoughts but asked so the disciples could audibly declare who He was—proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah would reinforce the disciple’s faith in Him. The answer the disciples gave was, some thought Jesus was the resurrected John the Baptist. You will recall that Matthew earlier had said that Herod, who killed John the Baptist, believed that Jesus was John resurrected, even though both had been living at the same time.

Some said Jesus was Elijah, the prophet taken up in a chariot of fire; this they believed because they knew the Scripture stated that Elijah would return, according to Malachi; he would come to announce the coming of the Messiah, which was John the Baptist’s call. Some others were saying that Jesus was Jeremiah resurrected. Where they got this idea is unknown since the Bible nowhere says that Jerimiah will come back to earth. In general, they were saying Jesus was one of the prophets resurrected. Strangely, they were ignoring what Jesus said about Himself, that he was the Messiah and proving it by the miracles He performed and the healing of the sick and raising of the dead. People are doing the same today. Rather than accepting what the Scripture says, they speculate on the origin of man, etc. When we ignore the Bible, all else is the only speculation. The disciples missed one crucial detail. We know that some believed Jesus was the Messiah. Perhaps they were fearful to name Jesus as the Messiah knowing blaspheming carried the penalty of death. Still, there was one exception, the Apostle Peter, who on this occasion was fearless.

When Jesus asked them, “who do you think I am?” it was Peter who spoke up and declared, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” It could not have been stated better. However, in the original Greek, it is even more emphatic adding the article “the”: You are “the” Christ, “the” Son of “the” God, “the” living One. I believe Peter said this to convey to his fellow disciples emphatically who Jesus was. He need not convince Jesus; He already knew who He was. Then Jesus let it be known where Peter got this knowledge. Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven,” Matt. 16:17.

Notice what was included in Peter’s declaration of who Jesus was: He said not only was Jesus the Messiah but also, He was the Son of God. Now that is a revelation of the plurality of the Godhead. Orthodox Judaism has never acknowledged the trinity of God. Today that is an accepted doctrine of evangelistic churches. Peter became the first Jewish man to confess that Jesus was the Son of God. That is quite a leap in faith for the Apostle Peter. Through the knowledge coming from God, Peter steps forth and establishes what we refer to today as a fundamental Christian doctrine. That was a benchmark for Jewish belief. Peter acknowledged in a few words that Jesus was the Son of God sent to the world to conquer sin and redeem sinful man from the clutches of Satan.

Peter was clumsy in many things, but here he shines as a stalwart of the faith, becoming the first apostles to understand fully and declare who Jesus was. John was there that day, but it would be later when he wrote concerning the deity of Christ that He was God in the flesh. Some critics say Jesus never said He was the Messiah; then why did He not correct Peter when he declared Him so? However, Jesus reveals that it was God in Peter’s heart who told the truth. God is always the author of truth. Rather than doing that, Jesus acknowledges Peter’s confession to be the truth of God. Notice also, Jesus affirms Peter’s second statement that He was the Son of God. In that, He confirms that He was the Messiah and the Son of God, the second person of the trinity. Today we know and accept that God manifests Himself in three persons Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Notice something else in Jesus’ declaration. He uses Peter’s full name, something we do not hear of the other disciples. He said Simon Barjona. In Hebrew, Bar means Son, and Jona means Jonah. Therefore, Simon’s name in Hebrew was Simon, Son of Jonah. We usually use a person’s full name formerly when it is connected to something significant. In the case of Peter, it was a turning point in his life. At this point, Peter formerly and publicly declared his faith in Jesus as the Messiah, God incarnate. This kind of confession would have condemned Peter under Jewish law, but he was blessed, not condemned in the sight of Jesus. Every believer must make that same confession.

Once God revealed the truth to Peter in his mind and his heart, he had to say it for others to hear. Dr. J. Vernon McGee said, “We first receive the truth of God in our mind as God reveals it through His Word, and then we bury it in our heart, and then it presents itself by how we live, and we are then compelled to share it with others.” If that is not the case in your life, you are missing the point somewhere along the line. It was at this precise point in Peter’s life that God revealed to him the identity of Jesus the Messiah, and Jesus allowed him to confess publicly. It was at this time Peter stepped up to become the leader he would prove himself to be.

Also, at this time, Jesus assigns Peter to that position of leadership:

Matthew 16:18-19, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19And I will give unto thee the keys of the Kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

What Jesus said in these verses has become a significant controversy and also wrongly interpreted. The Catholic Church uses these verses to establish its doctrine of the Pope, concluding that he is the highest representative of Christ in the world. They contend that Jesus made Peter the first Pope. On the other hand, others may diminish Peter’s importance as a great leader in the New Testament church. To clarify what Jesus is saying here, we need to understand the original meaning of the words he uses. Jesus begins in His first statement by changing Peter’s name from Simon to Peter. Although Matthew has been using the name Peter for the previous two years, it was at this point that Jesus changed his name from Simon Barjona to Peter.  

Notice Jesus’ following statement: “Upon this rock, I will build my church.” The critical word here is “this,” not “you.” Jesus says from now on you shall be called Peter, “thou art Peter.” The two words Jesus uses here are different genders in Greek. Peter in Greek is “Petros,” which means rock or a small stone. Then Jesus says, “upon this rock, I will build my church.” The Greek word for rock, in this case, is “Petras,” meaning a rock cliff or a huge rock. Mathew is showing a contrast between these two words; “Petros,” a small stone contrasted to “Petras,” a massive slab of stone. Later in Scripture, it is clarified that Jesus is the cornerstone or the main foundation of the church and the Apostles, including Peter, help to make up the foundation of the church: “… built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone,” Ephesians 2:20(KJV).

The cornerstone traditionally had a vital role in relationship to architecture. It was the first stone laid in a building with each of the other stones about it. It determined the geological direction or location of the building. Likewise, Jesus, the cornerstone, was the essential part of the structure of the church. He was the direct support of the foundation with the rest of the foundation, made up of the Apostles, relating to Him. He is what holds the church together and gives stability, purpose, and direction. Note: The church was in its construction mode while Jesus was on the earth and consummated after His ascension on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended on the 120 in the upper room. Yes, I know that it is generally believed that the church was born on the day of Pentecost.

In verse 14, Jesus says to Peter, “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” Both the Old and New Testaments use keys to symbolize power and authority. For example, in Isaiah 22:22 (KJV), the key refers to the house of David; this in context refers to the authority of the steward over the house of David. He was the manager who was the overseer of those who served King David. 

In the New Testament, we see another application of the key. Revelation 3:7 is applied to the risen Jesus who held “the keys of Death and Hades.” Jesus is the key to life, who said, “I am the way the truth and the life and no man cometh to the Father but by me.” Jesus says in Luke 11:52 (KJV), “Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.” Through their lack of knowledge and the teaching of falsehood, they had locked the door to the Kingdom of heaven and blocked it not only for themselves but also for others who followed them. 

We see him doing that on the day of Pentecost when 3,000, responding in faith to Peter’s gospel sermon, entered the door to the Kingdom of heaven. The so-called experts of the law had a key of knowledge that locked the door to the Kingdom of heaven; whereas, Peter was given the key that opened the door to the Kingdom of heaven. The gospel that Peter preached determined what was bound or loosed here on earth and in heaven. In Matthew 18:18, Jesus gives this same authority to the church. When we unloose or free someone by sharing the gospel, that is also released and bound in heaven. If people reject Jesus, that is heaven’s verdict, and they are barred from the Kingdom of heaven.