And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:18
Jesus is in the middle of a critical conversation with His disciples. At this point in His ministry, Jesus has lost popularity, has lost some followers, and knows that the shadow of the cross is looming somewhere off in the distance. Jesus quizzes the loyal men about what others say about Him. Then, He wants to know what they themselves think about His identity. Peter, always ready to speak, nails the answer… Jesus is the Son of the Living God. To which Jesus affirms that only the Father could have revealed that answer to Peter and the disciples. Apparently Jesus understood that the optics were not in His favor. Most people simply did not think He was anymore than a great prophet, at best.
In response to Peter, Jesus makes a curious statement. While the quixotic disciple confesses Jesus’ identity, Jesus in turn pronounces Peter’s and then proceeds to say that He’ll build His church upon a rock. Christ’s words have left the church in somewhat of a quandary for 2,000 years. Is Jesus saying He will build His church upon Peter (whose name means rock), or Himself (The Rock)? The easy answer is that Peter is not stable enough or solid enough to bear the weight of the whole universal people of God throughout all of the centuries of the church’s existence. Jesus though is perfectly able. Suffice it to say, Jesus did not found the church on a man like Peter, but upon Peter’s confession. If you read the rest of the chapter, Peter is immediately quickly overwhelmed by the spirit of the dark one right after pronouncing Jesus to be the Son. So much for the gates of hell not prevailing against him. In reality, It is the identity of Jesus as the Son of God, the recognition of Jesus as the Rock of Ages, and the church’s unwavering belief in that fact that bursts open the doors and through the barriers of hell and death and demons and evil. All men are overcome by a wild and wily Satan. None can withstand the onslaught of wickedness. None but Jesus.
Another observation. Jesus’ assertion about the gates of hell not prevailing against his church is typically thought about from the perspective that Lucifer is marching his unholy army towards the church in an attempt to overtake it. But that is not the imagery being crafted in the text. It is that the church, armed with the gospel of Jesus Christ, is marching and conquering and that when it encounters the opposition of the kingdom of darkness, it mows down the gates, storms into its palace, and sets free the captives. Hell cannot win against God. It absolutely does not stand a chance. This is war language, and it is the announcement of certain victory. God’s church today should be advancing and taking territory, not sitting and sulking and whining about how bad the world is and how low church attendance is or how many young people are deconstructing their faith. The fact the Jesus is the great God and the glorious Son, is reason to have confidence that the church will win the day… is winning the day. So then, will you walk in the power of that knowledge today? Will you live with that kind of confidence and conviction? Will you advance in the name of Jesus, conquering through His grace and Spirit? Will you make the same confession as Peter and believe in the wonder of that truth?
We resume our sermon series this week with a message entitled, Life and Teachings of Jesus: Creeds. Our study will take us into the history of the Christian church and the many confessions or creeds that emerged from sometimes volatile debates about the nature of Jesus. Was He human, was He divine, was He both? We will also dive into some practical elements in the text to encourage your daily walk with Jesus. See you this weekend!
Pastor Dean