Jesus declares clearly in Matthew 16:18 that He will build His church. This is something that He is committed to doing.
We have been seeing how Jesus came and declared that the kingdom has now come. The kingdom of heaven is not an abstract idea but is something that one can enter into. Baptism is the sign of entering this kingdom.
The church is not built on a personal relationship with Jesus nor is it on a moral life though both are important. The foundation of the church is the teaching of the apostles, found in the New Testament.
(A) Who is the Son of Man? (Matt 16:13-16)
The identity of the Son of Man is the central question in this teaching discourse in Matthew 16:13-16. The title “Son of Man” does not mean the humanity of Jesus, i.e. someone who is born of man. Rather, we need to turn to Daniel 7:13 to understand this. In the verse, one who looks human appeared in the vision that Daniel had. Therefore, Jesus is asking his disciples who they think this divine, heavenly figure that can approach the throne is (Matt 16:13).
They replied that it could be John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the prophets (Matt 16:14). Elijah was a significant prophet in Israel’s history, who ministered in a period of decline and sparked a hope of revival among the people. As we read Matthew 14:2, there were also those that wondered if Jesus was a resurrected John the Baptist because of the miraculous powers that He had.
Why Jeremiah? He did not preach good news. This is the common thread linking John, Elijah and Jeremiah. Thus, it seems that the divine figure speaks to the people of repentance and judgement because the kingdom of God has come. The coming of the kingdom should mean turning from our sins.
Have we changed this message? We need to associate the coming of Jesus with the coming of the Kingdom, and we need to know that it means repentance and faith.
Jesus then asks the disciple for their answer (Matt 16:15). This could be asked of us today. Who do we say Jesus is?
Peter declares that He is the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matt 16:16). Christ is a title that describes the fullness of Old Testament prophecy. He is the figure that the Old Testament promises. Peter also acknowledges Jesus’ divinity directly by declaring that He is the Son of the living God. Jesus is like His Father.
(B) What ongoing work is He doing? (Matt 16:17-18 c.f., Matt 16:1-12)
Jesus responds by blessing Peter, as he provided a right and true answer (Matt 16:17). He also referred to him as “Simon Bar-Jonah” or “Simon son of Jonah”. This is his full name and a formal designation. Jesus mentions where Peter obtained this knowledge from (Matt 16:17b). According to Jesus, it was not because someone told him. Neither was it by deduction, reasoning or inference. Rather, the Father, who is in heaven, revealed it. We need the Father in Heaven to give us revelation about who the Son is. The Father causes us to know Jesus.
Jesus also declares that he has a new name, Peter, and on this rock, Jesus will build His church (Matt 16:18). He makes a statement about the invincibility of the church (Matt 16:18) and then talks about the keys (Matt 16:19).
Before we look at the various ways of understanding this, see that regardless of what this rock is, Jesus will build His church and Jesus’ commitment to build an invincible church is unquestionable.
As we read in Matthew 12:28-30, Jesus is able to set people free because He has tied up the demons. The coming of the Kingdom of God is an invasion of this world. Combined with Matthew 16:18, we see that the gates of hell cannot keep out this invading and advancing kingdom.
We think of the church perhaps as a castle in ruins. But notice the picture in Matthew. It is a picture of war as Jesus is advancing. Gates are falling down as He marches on. If you forget what this is or what it feels like, think back to your own conversion. Someone brought you the truth that you are a sinner and you need to repent. One day you did, and when you repented, the gospel shone into your heart with the light of Christ and the gospel was more than an idea. The Kingdom of God advanced and the darkness rolled back.
What is your church life like? Are you trying to keep church nice and comfortable?
What is the rock? There are a few possibilities for what “Rock” in Matthew 16:18 refers to. It could be:
Peter who plays a papal role — This is held by Roman Catholics, and is based on a wordplay on kepha / Cephas or petra / Petros. However, Protestants do not adopt this view as clearly, not all that Peter says is true (c.f. Matt 16:21-23). Furthermore, Peter himself does not give any indication that he understands that he has this role. He is clear that his is a living stone and Jesus is the cornerstone (c.f. 1 Pet 2:4).
The true confession — This is held by theologians like John Calvin, J C Ryle, Origen, Ambrose. This view is contextual to the weight of what is revealed and is based on the grammatical shift between second person “you are Peter” and third person “upon this rock” where the referent shifted away from person addressed.
Peter (non-papal) — This is a view held by theologians like D.A Carson and Craig Blomberg. They admit the wordplay on kepha/Cephas or petra/ Petros, but understand it to be historical / foundational and never to be repeated for anyone else
Christ — This is held by theologians such as Augustine, Zwingli, Luther and Eusebius. This reads a deliberate shift from Petros (small stone) to petra (bedrock) and harmonised against other Christ-as- rock references in the New Testament e.g., 1 Corinthians 10:4
Christ’s teaching — This is held by Robert Gundry.
What can we see here? Jesus is not committing to build the church on a magic formula. Rather, He is building the people of God to enter the Kingdom as the church, as they confess who Jesus is.
Let us take a closer look at Ephesians 5:27-30. We often read these verses at weddings but look closely. They tell us that Jesus loves His wife so much that He considers her to be His flesh and He is committed to cleanse her through the washing with the word. One day, He will receive her as she is presented to Him as finally perfect. This is how Jesus views your church. He is building her, washing her, causing her to be more beautiful and radiant with every passing day. And He has no alternative. Do you believe that Jesus is this committed to the church?
If you say you love Jesus but not the church, perhaps you are loving an idea of Jesus.
(C) What does His work in building look like? (Matt 16:19-20)
Jesus gives the keys to “you” — which, if we understand the rock to be the true confession — refers to the church (Matt 16:19).
This verse in Matthew 16:20 reinforces the idea that authority has been given and this is consistent to other passages in Scripture such as in Isaiah 12:22, Revelation 3:7 and Matthew 18:18-20. If we read Matthew 18:18 closely, we understand from the context that it refers to the church.
This invincible church that Jesus is building has delegated authority. Where do we go to see the kingdom of heaven? The church is where God’s kingdom is visibly displayed on earth. Churches are like embassies.
What is your relationship to the church? Are you in it? Do you attend one? Are you a member of it?
Doesn’t this mean universal church? Scripture is clear that the Bride is the church, an assembly of people. He meant for us to be a part of local congregations, to live with one another and to practice love in community. As Ephesians 3:10 teaches us. the church is God’s plan A, and God has no plan B. God has planned for the local church to be the vehicle for His glory.
Do you love what Jesus loves? Do you see its glory? Are you willing to spend your time, energy, hopes, dreams and tears to invest in what is precious to Jesus, on what He desires to build?