March 10, 2026
(Josiah Hall)
Matthew 16:13–20 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17And 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. 18And 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. 19I 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.” 20Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
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Having just warned his disciples against failing to interpret what his signs reveal about his identity (16:1–12), Jesus now asks his disciples who they think he is (16:13). The disciples respond that the crowds consider Jesus to be a prophetic figure, in the mold of John the Baptist, Elijah, or Jeremiah. Each of these prophets played an essential role in Israel’s history, calling the people to repent and warning of a coming day of judgment. Like Elijah, Jesus performed great miracles, and like both John and Jeremiah, his message was divisive and controversial. Like all three, Jesus called the people to repent, and it is right to conclude that there is a prophetic element to Jesus’ ministry.
Yet Peter rightly recognizes that Jesus is more than a prophet. Each of the prophets sought to prepare the people for God’s decisive action of judgment and deliverance, whereas Peter recognizes that Jesus himself is God’s anointed one,* himself the embodiment of God’s decisive action to restore his people.
While the Reformed tradition disagrees with how the Catholic church uses verses 16–19 to justify the papacy, we can affirm three things from Jesus’ blessing of Peter. First, Peter was an ordinary man, just like the rest of us. The insight he had into Jesus’ identity was a gift of God (16:17), which reminds us that our relationship to God depends on the gift of his initiative and grace, not our intellect.
Second, God used Peter in an extraordinary way to grow and establish his church, as the book of Acts records. Peter preached the sermon on Pentecost in Acts 2 to which thousands responded in faith, and Peter played a key role in helping the church recognize how God had included Samaritans (Acts 8) and Gentiles in his people (Acts 10–11, 15). Yet, Jesus’ statement here reminds us that despite the central role Peter played, the church is Jesus’ and it is Jesus who builds it (16:18). Likewise, we can take great joy and delight in the way that God uses us as he builds his kingdom, while remembering that there is no room for boasting, for it is Jesus’ church and he is building it.
Third, Jesus’ statement about the keys of the kingdom similarly highlights the central role Peter will play in preaching the Gospel. Yet Jesus will later tell his disciples as a whole that they bear this authority of binding and loosing for the kingdom (18:18). This role of binding and loosing that Jesus gives to his church reminds us that the church is the community through which God brings his salvation (WCF §25.2). We are not saved on our own or to be lone rangers, but we are saved into a people.
One other element of this passage merits further comment. Jesus reminds us that because the church is his, the gates of hell cannot prevail against it. It is tempting to despair when considering the many crises which have plagued the church throughout its history. But Jesus calls us to perpetual optimism about the fate of the church, for that fate does not depend on its broken members, but on the sure promises of the one who suffered for the church’s sake.
* The title Christ is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word “Messiah” and means “anointed one.”
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An audio version of each devotion will be posted on our church podcast “Life Together at CRPC,” which is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.