The Weekend Word

Matthew 16:13-20

Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ

¹³ Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

• “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” (What do you hear out on the street, in academia or from family?)
• This could be a Gallup Poll or the old Jay Walks that Jay Leno used to do.
• Each year at Christmas & Easter – Time & Newsweek magazines always do their holiday “Who is the real Jesus?”
• I think the History Channel has taken over.

¹⁴ And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

• What do they say? Have you ever really been confronted to answer this?
• Do you have a tied down pat answer you could give someone if asked in an elevator? If not – you should.
• What do we hear people say when we ask what they think of Jesus – or what do they say when asked “have you considered Jesus?”

¹⁵ He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

• Now after this time, he will put them to the test
• “OK guys, what do you say?”
• I wonder who will step up and answer?

¹⁶ Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

• Bingo! He gets it right on the first guess
• The Christ – The Messiah – The Anointed One – The Promised One
• Now here in the flesh – the Son of the living God.
• The Creeds are the answer to this very question. Deep study of the creeds will end all questions and confusion of who is Jesus Christ.

¹⁷ And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

• Now Jesus returns a blessing and calls Peter by his full name.
• You didn’t get this from other people – they all had it wrong.
• You got this from My Father – the Father approves and reveals.
• A reminder to look back at the Canaanite woman and her confession as Lord, Son of David, Master.

¹⁸ 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.

• Who built the church? Jesus
• Who is building the church? Jesus
• The church today is built on the very same confession Peter made.

¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

• I = Jesus – this is Jesus at work
• Heaven and earth are somehow connected – and it happens in the Divine Worship service. It happens when the word is properly preached and the sacraments properly administered. The whole church participates – the Church Triumphant and the Church Militant.
• This is the Office of the Keys – what do keys do? (lock & unlock)
• This can also be seen as a proper use of the law & the gospel.
• Binding = You don’t want Jesus and his forgiveness for your sins?
• You want to handle it on your own? – well ‘it will not go well for you’
• What is the opposite? Loosing = “What is it you want to hear?”
• The forgiveness of sin for Christ’s sake? Well I am here to tell you, You ARE forgiven of your sin for Christ’s sake.
• The Binding & Loosing — The locking & the unlocking.

²⁰ Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

• Hush up! People do not understand what it means to be “in Christ”.