The Church UnveiledMatthew 16:13-20

• Feeds 5,000 people: Bethsaida • Walks on water: Bethsaida • Travels to Tyre/Sidon • Heals demon possessed

daughter• Returns to Galilee• Feeds 4,000 people:

Tyre/Sidon • Warns disciples of the

Pharisees’ leaven• Now in Ceasarea Phillippi with

the 12

Setting

• General: “Whom do men say that I … am?” • Personal: “But whom say ye that I am?”

– The correct identity of Christ is critical for salvation (Jn 8:24, Jn 20:31)

• “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God”– The 1st confession of Jesus as the Christ by a disciple

• The parallel accounts only have Peter saying “the Christ” only

• Christ means “anointed One”

• To anoint = “Consecrating Jesus to the Messianic office, and furnishing him with the necessary powers for its administration” – Strong’s

• Dan 9:25 predicted the coming “anointed One”

– Previous confessions in the Gospels• “Thou art the Son of God” – Humans (Mt 14:33)

• “Thou art Christ the Son of God” – Demons (Lk 4:41)

Who Am I

• “Flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.”– This is not the fruit of human teaching!

• Lu 10:21 I thank thee, O Father …that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes

• John 6:44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him ... 45 ‘And they shall all of them be taught by God’ (Weymouth)

• 1Cor 2:11 The things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received … the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

• Eph 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ … may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.

• Eph 3:5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit

• Col 1:26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: 27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery

• 1John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true

Divine Revelation

• “Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it”

• Different views of what the rock is:– Peter’s confession

• “The true meaning of "the rock" in this passage appears to be the truth of our Lord’s Messiahship and divinity, which Peter had just confessed.” – Ryle

• Ro 15:20 “Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man’s foundation”

– Christ• “Nothing can be more wrong than to suppose that Christ meant

the person of Peter was the rock. Without doubt Christ himself is the Rock, the tried foundation of the church” – Matthew Henry

• Christ is often called the rock or foundation (1 Cor 3:10-11, 10:4, Eph 2:20)

The Church Unveiled

– Peter • In Aramaic (Jesus’ language), the word for Peter and rock are

identical, both are Kephas. Therefore, “this” rock was likely metaphorical reference to Peter in the third person (similar to Matt 21:42-44)

• “As Peter means rock, the natural interpretation is that ‘upon this rock’ means upon thee.” – Broadus

• Seniority – Peter was the first disciple called• Special responsibility to “strengthen thy brethren” (Lk 22:32) and

“feed my sheep” (Jn 21:16-17)• Peter took the lead in many ministry events (Acts 1:15ff, Acts 15:7ff)• Peter was the first to preach the Gospel to the Jews (Acts 2) and the

Gentiles (Acts 10)• Such an interpretation does not mean that Peter was infallible in

spiritual matters – Paul verbally rebuked him per Galatians 2:11ff

• “my Church”– 1st mention of the church in Matthew– Ekklesia = “called out from”– All the apostles, and any church leader, keep building on each

other’s foundation (Eph 2:19-20, Gal 2:9)

The Church Unveiled

• “And 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.” – This promise was not just for Peter

• Matthew 18:18 - Whatsoever ye [all 12 of you] shall bind on earth• And I appoint unto you [all 12 disciples] a kingdom (Lk 22:29)• For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his

house, and gave authority to his servants (Mk 13:34)

– “The only pre-eminence, then, that Peter had, was the honour of first opening the doors of the gospel to the world.” – Barnes

– “Peter is not to be regarded as exclusively endowed with it, either in whole or in part, but is simply to be looked upon as first among his equals” - Vincent

The Church’s Authority

• “Whatsoever thou shalt bind…loose” – a popular Jewish phrase meaning to allow or disallow– “No other terms were in more constant use in Rabbinic canon-law than

those of binding and loosing. They represented the legislative and judicial powers of the Rabbinic office” - Vincent

• The church’s authority is grounded in Christ’s authority: “All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth. Go ye therefore …” (Mt 18:18)

• In its evangelistic commission (“… and make disciples of all the nations”), which includes a declaration of the remission of sins (Jn 20:23, Lk 24:47)

• In matters of Church discipline (Mt 18:15ff, 1 Cor 5:5)• In matters of spiritual warfare (Binding demonic forces - Mt 12:28, loosing

those in bondage – Lk 13:12)• Anything commanded in the authority of Christ will never ever contradict

scripture

• “Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.”– This shows that the conversation with Peter was not private– It also shows that Jesus was not yet ready for a public proclamation of His

identity.

The Church’s Authority (Cont’d)