Peter’s Confession and Christ’s Response (Matthew 16:13-19; Mark 8:27-29; Luke 9:18-20)

Submitted by admin on Sat, 2008-03-22 09:31.

Posted in | printer-friendly version »

On the way to Caesarea Philippi, Jesus appears to have walked a short distance away from his disciples, seeking privacy for prayer. When they thereafter approached him, he asked them who people thought the Son of Man was. Based on their interaction with others, they responded that some believed him to be John the Baptist raised from the dead, others that he was Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the other ancient prophets who had been resurrected. He then asked, “But who do you say I am?” (Matthew 16:13-15; Mark 8:27-29; Luke 9:18-20; see the Notes section regarding Luke 9:18.)

With full conviction, Peter spoke up, “You are the Christ [the Messiah], the Son of the living God.” Jesus pronounced him happy or fortunate, referring to him as Simon son of Jonah (Simon bar-Jonah). On account of his faith, Peter was fortunate, finding himself in a truly desirable or enviable state. Pointing to the reason for his faith, Jesus continued, “Flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in the heavens [did].” The faith in Jesus to which he had come did not have a human source (“flesh and blood”). He had not been won over by means of someone’s impressive argumentation. It was through Jesus that he had seen the works of his Father, and Simon responded in faith to the divine revelation. (Matthew 16:16, 17; Mark 8:29; Luke 9:20)

As Simon had identified Jesus as the “Christ, the Son of the living God,” Jesus identified Simon by the name he had given him, “You are Peter [or Cephas].” (Matthew 16:18; John 1:42) The name “Peter” or “Cephas” means “rock.” Simon, when expressing his unqualified conviction respecting Jesus, revealed that he had been rightly given the name Peter. Although many had abandoned Jesus, Peter had continued to prove himself to be firm as a rock in his faith or trust.

After saying, “You are Peter,” Jesus added, “And upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of the heavens, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in the heavens, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in the heavens.” (Matthew 16:18, 19)

The “church” is the congregation or the community of believers. According to the book of Acts (2:14-41; 3:11-26, 4:4; 5:14-16, 42; 6:2, 7), Peter’s testimony led thousands to put faith in Jesus. Then, in association with the other apostles, he devoted himself to teaching fellow believers. Therefore, one could conclude that Peter is the rock on which the church is built, for it was his witness to Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God, that set the new community of believers on a solid foundation.

The testimony of the Scriptures as a whole, however, indicates that Jesus is the primary foundation on which the community of believers is built. (1 Corinthians 3:10, 11; Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Peter 2:4-8) Therefore, Jesus’ words may be understood as meaning, “And on this rock [the one whom you acknowledged to be the Christ, the Son of the living God], I will build my church.” In that case, the language would somewhat parallel an earlier statement of Jesus, “Pull down this temple, and in three days I will raise it.” The unbelieving Jews misinterpreted these words to mean that Jesus was referring to the literal sanctuary, whereas he meant “the temple of his body.” (John 2:19-21) Accordingly, just as Jesus could refer to himself when saying “this temple,” he could also have done so when using the expression “this rock.”

At death, believers come to be in Hades or the realm of the dead. From a human standpoint, they then find themselves in a place comparable to one that is locked by gates and from which they cannot escape. Because their resurrection is certain, however, the “gates of Hades” cannot prevail against them (as members of the community of believers) or keep them permanently sealed off from life.

The “keys of the kingdom of the heavens” would be “keys” that unlocked the opportunity to become part of the heavenly kingdom, the realm where God is Sovereign and reigns by means of his appointed king, Jesus Christ. (Compare Isaiah 22:22, where Eliakim is spoken of as receiving the “key of the house of David”; see the Notes section for additional comments.) Entrusted with the testimony about the Son of God, Peter came into possession of the “keys of the kingdom” and on the day of Pentecost (after Christ’s resurrection) used them as he bore witness to Jews and proselytes. (Acts 2:14-40) Later, he was divinely commissioned to use them again in being first to testify about Jesus to Gentiles. (Acts 10:9-43)

The context does not specifically identify the nature of the binding and loosing. One might conclude on the basis of Peter’s having the keys that this would involve opening or closing the opportunity to enter the realm where God reigns through Christ and that the spirit-directed action of Peter would be confirmed in heaven.

In the case of Ananias and Sapphira, for example, Peter’s judgment of them (based on what God’s spirit enabled him to discern about their lying) was confirmed in heaven. The use of his “binding” authority led to their death and kept them out of the kingdom of the heavens. Moreover, it served to frighten many who were not genuine in their faith from associating with the community of believers. (Acts 5:1-11, 13) So, while the testimony about Christ, accompanied by validating miracles, unlocked the opportunity for entrance into the kingdom of the heavens, the disciplinary measures served to lock out persons who would have corrupted the community of believers.

In Matthew 18:15-19, the context regarding binding and loosing relates to sin committed within the community of believers. The “loosing” refers to forgiving an individual’s sin, whereas the “binding” denotes letting the record of sin stand against the person. Anyone who was “loosed” remained in the community of believers, but those who were “bound” ceased to be a part thereof and so had no share in the kingdom or the realm where God reigns by means of his Son.

Notes:

Only Luke 9:18 mentions that Jesus was alone while praying. Most manuscripts of Luke use a form of the word syneimi, meaning “be with” when commenting about the disciples. This suggests that, although Jesus was alone, the disciples were with or near him. Some manuscripts, however, have a form of synantáo, meaning “meet,” “come upon,” or “happen,” indicating that the disciples approached him after he had finished praying.

In the case of Eliakim, his being entrusted with the “key of the house of David” seems to indicate that he had oversight of the king’s chambers. He must have possessed the authority to determine who might or might not be accepted into royal service or who might be granted or denied access to the palace complex. Similarly, in Peter’s case, the “keys” Christ gave him related to his being entrusted with full knowledge of the requirements for entering the kingdom of the heavens.

The community of believers, though solidly built on Christ, benefited from the authority with which Peter had been entrusted. In its infancy, the congregation needed to be protected from corrupt elements that could have impeded its being firmly established within and beyond the borders of Israel and that could have brought about its ruin. Once the kind of authority Peter exercised under the guidance of holy spirit (as did the other apostles, including Paul) no longer existed, sham believers, although continuing to increase in numbers, could not destroy the true congregation. Throughout the centuries, persons with genuine faith in Christ have continued to point others to the apostolic testimony (first conveyed through Peter) that has been preserved in the Scriptures.

The Greek passive participles for “bound” and “loosed” are in the perfect tense. Therefore, some have concluded that Peter would be carrying out what had already been determined in heaven. In his expanded translation, Kenneth S. Wuest conveyed this significance with his rendering, “shall have been already bound in heaven” and “shall have already been loosed in heaven.”

Under the guidance of God’s spirit, the “binding” and “loosing” always would have harmonized with God’s will. This “binding” and “loosing” would not have meant that acts stemming merely from the exercise of human authority would afterward have been divinely confirmed or sanctioned.