Red Letter Bible Study--Matthew 16:13-20 (Peter Confessed Jesus as Christ)

 Matthew 16:13-20 (Mark 8:27-30; Luke 9:18-20)

Jesus is walking from the area of the Sea of Galilee to the district of Caesarea Philippi, approximately 29 miles.  As He and His disciples traveled, Jesus asks them who they are hearing that other people think He is.  They say John the Baptist (reincarnated, as John has already died.) Some thought Elijah, who didn't die but was taken to heaven in a whirlwind.  (2 Kings 2)  And still others thought maybe He was the prophet Jeremiah or another prophet.  Then Jesus asks the more straight forward question, who do they think He is?  He uses the name "Son of Man" in reference to Daniel 7:13.  Peter jumps forward with a bold answer!  Jesus calls Peter by the meaning of his name "rock".  Jesus lays out the blueprint for His church and places the keys in the hands of the disciples, both then and now. 

So-called Messiahs were not uncommon in Israel.  Just like every little boy dreams of being a superhero in our culture, little boys (and their parents) would dream that maybe he would be The One who would save Israel from Roman dominion.  So when Jesus asks who others think He is, He's getting a feel for what the disciples were hearing from others and how they interpreted it.  When He asks them who they say He is, Peter declares Him to be The anointed, The chosen, The Messiah, the Son straight from the living God.  Jesus blesses Peter, because no one had point blank told Him all of that, but God had revealed it Himself.  And, true to his name (which means rock), Peter gave a rock-solid answer that would be the foundation for the church.  Not Peter himself, as some believe, but on the trustworthiness of his declaration "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God."  This statement is the foundation and every load bearing wall in the church today.  Jesus came with a mission, and that was to be a sacrifice once and for all for the sins of humankind.  But the setting up of His beloved church He places in to the hands of His followers, His disciples.  

This section of verses changes me, because in them I see the same blueprint for our churches today.  Jesus is the Same, Yesterday, Today, and Forever.  He didn't redesign and remodel His plans for His church.  He first commissioned His disciples to build His church, which they did.  He has entrusted great men and women  to carry out  and carry on with His mission throughout centuries.  Now it's our turn!  On the solid foundation of our declaration that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, we continue to build His church. There's a lot of steps to the process, but all we need to know and apply from these verses  is with this great gift comes great responsibility.  Heaven and earth hang in the balance for those we would need to reach.  We can move with boldness as the Church of The Christ, the Son of the Living God--our firm foundation-- because we know the gates of hell cannot overcome us!