15' He said to them, But who do you [yourselves] say that I am? Simon Peter replied, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Then Jesus answered him, Blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) are you, Simon Bar-Jonah. For flesh and blood [men] have not revealed this to you, but My Father Who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter [Greek, Petros –a large piece of rock], and on this rock [Greek, petra –a huge rock like Gibraltar] I will build My church, and the gates of Hades (the powers of the infernal region) shall not overpower it [or be strong to its detriment or hold out against it]. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind (declare to be improper and unlawful) on earth must be what is already bound in heaven; and whatever you loose (declare lawful) on earth must be what is already loosed in heaven. [Isa. 22:22.] Then He sternly and strictly charged and warned the disciples to tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ. From that time forth Jesus began [clearly] to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders and the high priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised from death.' Matthew 16:15-21 https://my.bible.com/bible/8/MAT.16.15-21
Of great interest is Jesus’ next command to each of them that they do NOT share this information with those outside of the present group. Why would Jesus not want them to tell everyone that the Messiah they have been waiting for AND need is actually on Earth with them? Jesus understood two very important things; 1st, It was not time for his identity to be explicitly revealed because he had more things to complete in order to fulfill prophecy, and to complete the original covenant. 2nd, Jesus was aware that the people were not spiritually ready to receive the Messiah, or the establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. Long before God sent Jesus to Earth he had a plan and order to how he would accomplish his will on Earth. He knew how he would redeem man from sin, and end the power of sin/death on Earth. Old Testament prophets had prophesied of Jesus’ coming and the things that he would perform on Earth, and at the his time Jesus had not fulfilled them yet. Also he had not visited all the areas of Israel that he needed to before heading to Jerusalem where he would be crucified AND resurrected. The Jews of the time had gone over 400 years without a prophet in Israel until John the Baptist began his ministry, which set the stage for Jesus. The people were still grappling with the radicle ministry of both of them in addition to having gone so long without fresh instruction from God. The people had grown accustomed to the pagan ways of Rome and other countries who had ruled over them, so they were looking for a savior that resembled the identity and values of their oppressors. Jesus was nothing like Caesar, a Roman general, soldier, or even an Old Testament warrior king/leader like Moses, Joshua, Samson, or David who led Israel in bloody battles to obtain or defend the promised land. Jesus aware of the peoples blindness and ignorance to his identity, and God’s plan, was not willing to compromise either for the sake of the peoples dreams or ignorance.
The other special thing about this passage to me is the change in the relationship between Jesus and his disciples from this point forward. When he realized that at least one (Peter) had been given insight from God, he now began to speak plainly to them about what the future held in store for him.
15I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. John 15:15 NLT
As long as his disciples were operating according to their own understanding or allowing the peoples perceptions or understanding of Jesus to influence their own, he could not reveal to them the plans of God. Once he realized that they were able to hear the voice of God in the midst of the crowd of noises, he could entrust them with privileged information that would enable them to continue the ministry in his physical absence. As long as he had one (Peter) that possessed true faith, Jesus could entrust that one to encourage, lead, and demonstrate that faith for the others until they were able to walk in faith themselves. We must become like Peter who many credit as the father of the current church, or 1st pope in the Catholic church, in that we must be a rock/foundation that others can lean on and God can build on.
a large piece of rock which has become detached from a cliff or mountain; a boulder.
Dictionary
I like that definition of a rock because it is representative of us in that we are all a detached pieces from a single larger rock or source. Jesus identified himself as the chief cornerstone
42 Jesus asked them, Have you never read in the Scriptures: The very Stone which the builders rejected andthrew away has become the Cornerstone; this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes? [Ps. 118:22, 23.] Matthew 21:42 AMPC
This means that Peter and us are all extensions or chips off the old block. We should reflect Jesus, and contain the same active ingredients as the son, chiefly being filled with the Holy Spirit that enables us to complete what he has entrusted to us. When you have shown and been proven to be a rock, and filled with the Holy Spirit, then you have now transitioned from slave or follower to a friend of Jesus who is now worthy AND capable of being entrusted with privileged information.
Reflection Time
How would you describe your relationship with Jesus? How has it changed over the years? Stronger? Weaker? Why? What do you need to do to strengthen your relationship with Jesus? What would you like to see from Jesus in order to improve your relationship with him? Are you a rock upon which Jesus can build on, or you leaning on some other source other than Jesus?
