Trinity Matthew 16:13-18
[13] When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
[14] And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
[15] He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
[16] And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
[17] And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
[18] And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it
Today we go with Jesus as He enters the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, a wicked and perverse Roman city, 30 miles outside the boundaries of Palestine. It is perhaps the most unlikely place we would expect our Savior to go. Here Herod the Great had built a magnificent temple for Pan, the horned Greek god of sexuality. Here his son renamed the city, Caesarea, to honor the dissolute Roman emperor, Tiberius Caesar. It is truly a witness to the power of the Gospel that this wicked city later became the site of a Christian congregation. While He was in the area, Jesus challenged his disciples to think about how much He meant to them, and He did it with a question, “Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?”
Notice He did not ask, “Whom do the Scribes and Pharisees say that I am?'' They told Him that without asking. They considered Him a deceiver and in league with the devil. Perhaps that is why He chose to pose this question so far from the city of Jerusalem. He wanted His disciples to tell Him how the ordinary man on the street considered Him—the laborer, the publican, the Roman soldier, yes, even the citizen of Caesarea! Jesus, of course, knew the answer to His question, but He was teaching. Teachers already know the answers to the questions they ask, but they want their students to think about it.
Listen to the answers of the disciples. “Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” A superstitious Roman citizen of Caesarea might have answered this question the same way unbelieving Herod did, who was fully convinced that Jesus was a reincarnation of John the Baptist, “When Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus, he said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead.” Matthew 14:2. . The common person might have replied in confusion, “This is Elias,” or “This is a prophet, or one of the prophets,” Mark 6:15.
How do you suppose the people in our 20th Century might answer this question? The masses see Him in so many different ways Most will readily admit that Jesus is the Son of Man. You can speak of Jesus as a prophet, or a holy man, or a teacher, or a spiritual leader, and few people will object. Speak of Him, however, as the Son of God, as divine, as possessing the same nature as the Father, and you will at once receive disapproval. A billion Muslims will say: "Prophet, yes. God, no!" Jews scattered around the world will say, "Teacher, yes. Messiah, no!" Liberal Protestants and religionists of various stripes will say, "exemplary man, yes. Divine, no!"
How did the disciples answer the question? Peter, always the first to speak and, speaking for them all, replied, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” “ You are more than the Son of Man,” replied Peter. The Apostle spoke of Jesus not only as the Son of God, but also as the Son of the living God, living, as opposed to all the dumb idols of the Romans and the self-righteous idol of the Jews. Moreover, to make the picture complete, St. Peter called Him the Christ, the Anointed One, our Prophet, Priest and King. He is our Priest who sacrificed His life as the Lamb of God, our Prophet who gave us this message to proclaim, and our King who rules in our hearts with His word to the end of time.
How could a sinful apostle, a man who often spoke without thinking, a man that later in this very chapter tried to prevent Jesus from going to the cross, how could he come up with an answer that was so perfect and so complete? Jesus said, “Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father, which is in heaven.” With fewer than a dozen words, the apostle declared the fundamental truth of Christianity, namely, that Jesus is the holy Son of God, the Christ who came to die for our sins. Your faith and mine is built on his confession.
It is for our benefit as much as for the benefit of the Apostle Peter that Jesus added the words, “flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee.” Faith is not the product of superior intelligence. Faith is not something we work for or deserve, for “No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.” 1 Corinthians 12:3. Our faith, like the apostle’s, is a wondrous creation of the Holy Spirit through the promises of the Bible. Left to ourselves we can only choose the wrong paths and do wrong the wrong things, as we can see daily. The inner peace that we now enjoy, the ability to face each new day with a clean conscience is the work of the Spirit in our hearts. This is truly a blessing. As Jesus said to the apostle, “Blessed are you, Simon,” so He says to each of us this morning, “Blessed are you, dear Christian.” What a blessing to abandon our foolish wisdom and ideas; what a blessing to commit ourselves body and soul to the care and direction of our Savior. Think of the wonderful things the Spirit does for us. He makes us aware of our sins, He brings us to faith, and He strengthens and keeps us in that faith. None of this is our own doing, but it is altogether the work of God through the Bible. That is what grace is all about, the unmerited love of God toward unworthy sinners.
Jesus’ final words to Peter are some of the most disputed words in the New Testament. Hear this verse again, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Roman Catholic tradition falsely claims that Christ, with these words, established the Apostle Peter as the mediator between God and His people here on earth, that when St. Peter spoke, it was God speaking. Catholic theology erroneously claims that the Christian church is built on a person and not on Jesus Christ. St. Peter, they say, was the first bishop of Rome, who passed all his rights, privileges, and authority to his successors up to the present day. Anything, therefore, that a pope, a man as fallible as you are I are, speaks from the chair, ex cathedra in Latin, his words, they claim, must be viewed as the very word of God that supersedes the teachings of the Bible.
What did Jesus mean when He said, “Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church?” What is the church that Jesus is speaking about? Is it not the very church that we confess each Sunday morning when we say, “I believer in the holy Christian church, the communion of saints,” that invisible gathering of all believers, all those who are presently in heaven or who, like us, look forward to heaven through faith in the rock, Jesus Christ? The church did not begin with Peter, but it has existed from the beginning ever since God promised our first parents that He would send His Son to redeem us from our sins. The church is indeed built on a rock, but that rock is not Peter or any other person or institution, but Jesus Christ Himself. To view the church as an earthly institution, started by St. Peter and governed by popes, an institution outside of which, they claim, there is no salvation, is idolatry and jeopardizes our salvation.
This morning the Savior asks you and me, “Whom do you say that I am?” By the power of the same Spirit that inspired the apostle Peter, may we say, “You are Jesus Christ, my Rock! You are my Strength and my Hope, my divine Friend, my Savior and my King. You are the Lamb of God that died for my sins. You are the only immovable Rock on whom I can rely in every need,”
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadows of death, I will fear no evil for Thou art with me. Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. Thou anointest my head with oil. My cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”