“I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not over power it” (Matt 16.18; NASB).1
INTRODUCTION:
Let us take a moment to reflect upon this statement by Jesus to Peter. Peter, the Lord’s disciple and friend, has just testified that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the Living God” (Matt 16.16). This, in response to the question: “But who do you say that I am?” (Matt 16.15). The world at that time had their opinion of who Jesus of Nazareth was (cf. Matt 16.13-14), just as the world today does, but the Lord inquired as to who one of his closest and most trusted disciples thought that He was. A man who had faithfully followed Jesus for a number of years in close proximity. The question circled around Jesus’ true identity. A thing hid from the rest of the population, but revealed to those whom God desired to reveal Himself. Why do I say that? Because that is precisely what Jesus says is the root of Peter’s intuition. According to Jesus, “…flesh and blood did not reveal this to [Peter], but [Jesus’] Father who is in heaven” (Matt 16.17; emphasis mine). The insight was not natural it was supernatural; meaning, its origin was not in Man, but rather, the will of God. As Jesus testified in another place:
“I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him” (Luke 11.21-22; emphasis mine cf. John 6.44-45).
What Peter confessed to the Lord in front of his fellow disciples was information that was hidden to a great many people in the 1st century. The unveiling of Jesus’ true identity would only come about via supernatural means (cf. 2 Cor 3.14-16; 4.3-4). Seeing is a gift from above, and only those born from above could truly discern the reality of Jesus Christ.
Verse 18 is a continuation of that same conversation between Jesus and His disciples with Peter as their chief spokesman (at this moment, for Peter didn’t always speak first as the gospels demonstrate). And the emphasis is not on Peter the man, but Peter the representative of Christ—i.e., a man of faith. I say this, because the other disciples were included in what Jesus says, though at this moment the spotlight is on him for rightly identifying Christ. Not a peculiar notion as long as we notice that the supernatural aspect of belief, and therefore responsibility, did not rest on Peter alone as a preacher of the gospel of God but all his brethren.
Our faith is to be understood as God-centered and God-originated, for there is nothing good in man to warrant any other notion. Both the building and the giving are seated in Christ Jesus who has authority over all; not a mere man. This is evidenced further if we consider that Simon’s named is reiterated at this moment by Jesus as “petros” or stone, but it is the Rock that God has established that is the true foundation here not men. And, I believe that is a point often missed when looking at this particular passage of Scripture. Jesus is the chief rock or stone, a.k.a., the “cornerstone” that is a rock of offense (cf. Rom 9.33), a stone that crushes (cf. Dan 2.34-35; Matt 21.42), or a foundation (cf. 1 Cor 3.11) upon which something solid and stable is built (Matt 7.24-25; cf. Deut 32.4, 18, 30-31; 1Sam 2.2; 2 Sam 22.2-3, 32, 47; Isa 44.8; 1 Cor 10.4; 1 Pet 2.8). The nuances in Jesus’ statement in Matthew 16:18 are many if we consider all that the Scriptures teach regarding the “rock” that is actually being referred to. A rock not found in Man, but in God alone.
Intrusive in nature…
Looking back at the second half of Matthew 16:18 we see that Jesus describes the intrusive nature of His Church in the little phrase “and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.” What is meant by “the gates of Hades” or “hell?” Is it speaking about a structure or a symbolic representation of something else?
The gate in the ancient world served as a guard. It was a protective measure that let certain people in and kept others out. This allowed the ruling party (i.e., elders at the gate; e.g., Josh 20.4; Ruth 4.1-2; Prov 31.23) to prevent unwanted influence from affecting their people. The gate served to protect both the individual and the way of life to which the city was accustomed to living. When a gate was busted open it left its citizens and their way of life vulnerable to unwanted influence. A broken gate enabled an enemy to come in and take the wealth of the city which was primarily their people. Making them into slaves and turning their minds towards serving their new masters.
Jesus’ remark then is that His Church, which will be built by His hands (i.e., power), will not be stationary but aggressively mobile. The attack will come from God’s people; it will be brought about by Christ’s Church. And the real kicker is that the death of Christ was a death blow to the powers of darkness, for His rising was a testimony to His victory accomplished. Not just the power of the keys to bind and loose in heaven and on earth, but the keys over even life and death (cf. Rev 1.18).
The building…
(I asked these things in my last post, but it bears repeating).
The building of the Church (congregation or assembly of) Christ belongs to who? It is His constructive effort, His handiwork, His initiative that brings about the change in the life of those called by His name. So, if He builds His Church where does it exist? In one sense, we can say “In the heart of the believer justified by faith a work of God’s elective grace.” But, is that the limitation to which the impact of Christ’s Church building is experienced in history? In other words, is His Church’s growth demonstrated in any other place? Beyond the individual and beyond the weekly congregation, is its growth and therefore influence felt anywhere else? Witnessed anywhere else? Experienced anywhere else? The Church building activity of the Lord does not happen in a private prayer closet, under a bushel, or in the dark recesses of a room. Rather it is in the midst of society (cf. Matt 5.14). The building of Christ’s Church happens in the midst of what many believers term a pagan world.
The nature of its growth…
According to Jesus’ statement in Matthew 16:18 the growing advance of His Church (ekklesia) pushes past the boundary markers of the kingdom of darkness. The “gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (KJV); whether that refers to the powers which sit at the gate or the domain/territory formerly occupied by Satanic forces… well, I’ll let you decide. Either way, though, it is evident from Jesus’ words that nothing will stand in the way of the growth of His Church, for it is meant to be an intrusive force on this earth.
The Parallels Between the Kingdom of Christ and His Church…
Like I said in my last post, the two are not identical but they are alike in principle for the same Lord is over them both. The Kingdom refers to the rule of Christ (i.e., His Law-Order), and the Church refers to His people. There are citizens and illegal aliens in the Kingdom of Christ; whereas, there are true members of the body and false professors in the Church of Christ. Entrance to either Kingdom or Church (the civic and ecclesiastical spheres of influence) is by supernatural means. A person cannot truly see the kingdom if they are not “born again” (i.e., born from above; cf. John 3.3), but neither can a person be a member of the Church without being baptized into the name of God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit): both of which speak of the same thing, their new birth status.
Baptism as a sacrament is a display of commitment to the covenant order of Christ. This is true whether or not a person believes in “Believer’s baptism” or “infant baptism” for both forms refer to their covenantal status in the Church. However, this sacrament does not guarantee ones eternal standing with Christ, as true baptism is not limited to an outward act (i.e., being born from above is an internal matter). And yet, the same can be said of the illegal alien in Christ’s Kingdom who participates in an outward observance of the commandments, but internally is far from God. Such a person might live in Christ’s Kingdom, but when judged proved to not have legal status there. In the same way, a baptized person may have committed the outward requirements, share in the covenant status with others in the Church, but in the end prove to be an unbeliever.
I suppose for some that this raises more questions, especially if the reader has not mulled these things over in their mind. I only touch on this subject because I want the reader to think of the related status that the Church and the Kingdom share with one another. Both have legitimate members and illegitimate members. Both Church and Kingdom are influential in the world. And they are both influential because of their shared principle of growth. For the Kingdom and the Church grow by Christ’s initiative. As a result, the growth is intrusive into all of creation; wherever, the curse is found.
A couple of helpful (hopefully) illustrations from Scripture…
Sometimes as a preacher there is a struggle with where to start first? The goal of the preacher is for his audience to understand the message presented. Since the material in question is both spiritual and natural (i.e., heavenly and earthly) there is a very real chance that the intended recipients might not walk away with as much comprehension as the speaker (in this case, author) intends.
I want to give you a few illustrations from Scripture to help you see the growth that God intends and brings through His Son, Jesus Christ. For it is the Holy Spirit’s regenerative work in the application of Christ’s atoning sacrifice that makes possible the growth of which I now speak.
Let’s look at the Kingdom first…
When speaking of the growth of His Kingdom, He gave a few key illustrations from nature that stressed the manner by which it would grown and bear influence in the world around us. Jesus used the experience of leaven in a lump of dough (Matt 13.33) and a mustard seed planted in the earth (Matt 13.31-32) to illustrate not only the massive growth of His kingdom, but also its intrusive nature. The leaven infects the whole lump, filling it further and further until its expansion into new territories is known (cf. 1 Cor 5.6).2 The same might be said of the mustard seed planted in the earth. The seed is tiny and yet upon entering the soil it breaks forth expanding its root base as it shoots upward towards the heavens. Eventually, its growth leads to others sharing in its outcroppings.
Now when we think of kingdom building we need not assume the erection of strongholds, or of physical entities—although, they do serve an illustrative purpose at times. Rather, when we speak of the Kingdom of Christ and its growth we mean its rule or dominion into every recess of life. Everywhere, everything that involves man the creature illustrates this truth. The Kingdom of Christ, of our God is nothing less than the rule of God expressed in every day life; or living.
Now the Church…
In Matthew 12 we find the tie in with the Kingdom of Christ and His Church. In fact, it was this historic act that spurred the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 13 as as rebuttal to the religious leadership in Israel in the 1st century. Jesus had been doing a great many things. People were abuzz with His preaching and practice. In Matthew 12, Jesus demonstrates His power once more over the powers of darkness that be. He is casting out demons, and those jealous of Him challenge this ability. They mock it and say that it must be a charlatans effort. For there is no way this man Jesus, whom they “know,” is truly able to cast out demons. He must be working WITH Satan, not against him (Matt 12.24).
Now the term “rule” in relation to the Kingdom of Christ (of God) describes the kingship of Jesus. He is ushering in His kingdom on earth. He has been ruling from heaven, but now He is doing a work where the former master of this fallen world is being cast out. The demonstration of Christ’s rule—i.e., His kingdom put on display in historical reality—is highlighted by His casting out of Satan from the formerly possessed. Just as His Word was uttered in the beginning and it was so (cf. Gen 1.3), even now when the cursed are brought to Him, the curse of sin is done away with and the demonic powers that be are cast aside. The man formerly blind and mute can now see and speak (Matt 12.22). He has been freed. Jesus’ response is telling:
“Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Matt 12.25-28; ESV).
The Lord is not done explaining something to the listening ears around Him. He has already explained the untenable stance they have taken. Their argument is unable to “hold water” because it is “a leaky bucket” (cf. Jer 2.13). It has no substance. It lacks true power. Jesus has just told those who had ears to hear that what they have witnessed is not the power of Satan, but the power of God. Moreover, it is a demonstration that God’s Kingdom has encroached on their lives. The King is right before them exercising His authority to rule. His dictates, His decrees are final. To drive this point home further the Lord adds the following:
“Or how can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house” (Matt 12.29; ESV).
Further lessons from history…
When God delivered Israel from Egypt how did He do so? What did He first do (demonstrate) to the people before He freed them. He exercised His rule on the earth. Every plague the Lord brought against Egypt’s king was a demonstration of His ultimate power to rule and to free His people from bondage and slavery. He controlled everything. The waters of the earth, the heavens above, the animals that exist, disease the strikes the body, and in his final act, the preservation of life for some and the decree of death exercised against others. In essence, the Lord God bound the strong man—Pharaoh—in order to plunder his household (his kingdom; Egypt); taking what He saw as valuable treasure and establishing them under His rule (Exod 19).
The same sort of occurrence took place in the life of Jesus, and the passage that we just visited is one such example. Christ Jesus bound the strong man (Satan) and has effectively plundered his house (i.e., kingdom). From this then, we see the lesson being taught to Peter and the rest that Christ builds His Church. He takes that which He has declared as His own. He frees them from the enemies power, and grants them a new life in Him. The extent of this growth, which is an evidence of the growth of His kingdom, is seen in the world in which we live.
Power and Authority…
Jesus has all authority and He tells His people to pray for the continued spread of God’s Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. Not sitting idly by in their prayers, but advancing forward in declaring His Lordship to every nation (tongue and ethnicity). To call for (command) their being baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, thereby making disciples, and then teaching those disciples the Law-Word of God.
I say this because the gospel of God teaches that Jesus has not only tied up the strong man and is now at work plundering him, but He has effectively destroyed his gate. Think about this… in order to bind the strong man, he must first get into his house (i.e., kingdom). By breaching his kingdom, the Lord has demonstrated another truth: He has broken or carried off the gate. Remember what Jesus said, “I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades shall not stand against it.”
He builds the Church by what means? By plundering the strong man. He now states quite clearly that He now builds His church by being victorious over the enemy of our souls.
In the Old Testament, we are given another picture of this truth. A foreshadowing of what was to come. An earthly demonstration of God’s power, His rule exercised through His agents. We now come to the closing argument of what I have been slowly driving at through my recent posts.
The Gate Breaker and My Long Awaited Conclusion…
Samson the judge is perhaps the most recognized of all the judges because of his supernatural strength. He was able to do phenomenal feats of strength that truly baffle the mind. As James Jordan explains to his readers,
“as a Nazarite, Samson pictures to Israel that tremendous strength was available to them if they would live faithfully to God. If they would separate from uncleanness, they could all be Samsons, and the Philistine would be wiped out overnight. If they compromised their priestly status, however, they would wind up as Samson did.”3
One of which was when he ripped up the gate of Gaza and then carried it many, many miles away. In so doing, he left the Philistines that had been a thorn in Israel’s side in a very vulnerable position. Unfortunately, there are those that get to caught up in focusing on Samson’s folly4 that they miss the underlying message of the narrative. Though, the Philistines think that they have him and wait at the gate of Gaza to ambush him, their plot dies with them. For when Samson picks up the gate of Gaza and carries it up hill many miles away into the mountains of Hebron (Jdg 16.3), he left Gaza in a vulnerable position.
In other words, Samson left them open to attack. Their protection had effectively been removed. All that was needed was for God’s people to bring the attack. Samson had broken their strength by breaking their gates.
Jesus has done the same thing. He has tied up the strong man in order to plunder him. And the plunder is the people whom the Father has given the Son. Jesus frees them from their captor and offers them freedom to serve a new Master, their new King. However, we must see in the binding of the strong man another reality or truism. Jesus has broken the gates of hell in the ushering in of His kingdom. He is the Gate Breaker. He has left the kingdom of darkness vulnerable to attack. All that is necessary is for His people to exercise the authority that He has granted them. This depends on a willingness to act in His stead.
We need not worry about the things going on in the world in the sense of uncontrollable fear or despair. Jesus has done the heavy lifting for us, but we must be willing to do the work He has left behind. Again, I think of another illustration granted to us from the Old Testament. Jesus is Joshua. Technically, that is His Hebrew name. But He is Joshua in another sense.
Joshua (OT man) was victorious everywhere he went because he depended solely and wholly upon the Word of God. He did not deviate from the right to the left hand, and as a result he was victorious everywhere he went. Before his passing, he had in essence broken the gates of the Canaanite nations dwelling in Canaan. He had left a remnant for God’s people to finish driving out. Jesus in breaking down the gate of hell or by binding the strong man (I am tying these two truths together here) has done the same. He was victorious, a man of great courage, because He leaned wholly and fully upon the Word of God. It was His foundation for thinking and living. And yet, He has left the remnant of this mighty work to those called by His name; His agents in the world.
We are all called to think presuppositionally—that is, a Christ and His Word first approach. We gain our insight and wisdom to think and act in this world by entrusting ourselves to God’s Law-Word. We are also called to be theonomic in our perspective, knowing that God’s Law is chief standard by which all men are called to live by. And as a result, our pursuit is reformational. We seek to reconstruct the world after the image of our God. The world already does this of their own gods, but because Jesus has broken the gates of hell carrying them to the mountain of His cross, we are the ones that possess the true strength to be victorious if we only believe.
Obviously, this work starts first in our hearts, but it does not end there. It is meant to intrude into every corner of life; the very essence of the culture war in our midst. My challenge for you today is to stop thinking and living in a way that negates this truths I have shared with you; rather applying them in your life. Learn to discern the times through God’s Word and act accordingly. Drop the mindset of this fallen world (i.e., the world of sinners) and adopt the mind of Christ.
ENDNOTES:
1Unless otherwise stated, all Scripture shall be of the New American Standard Bible (NASB).
2The difference in the type of leaven is in terms of righteousness (right thinking/living) and unrighteousness (wrong thinking/living). Good leaven, the type of leaven that Jesus speaks of in Matthew 13 is that which comes from the mouth of God; whereas, the type of leaven Paul speaks about in his 1st Corinthian letter is tied to that which is sinful and impure (i.e., unholy).
3 James B. Jordan, Judges: God’s War Against Humanism (Tyler, TX: Institute for Christian Economics, ), 241, PDF E-book.
4 We should note that Samson’s whoring after Philistine women, like the one in Gaza, is reminiscent of the whoring to which Israel, God’s covenant people, were guilty of. Rather than opposing the surrounding culture and its gods, they grafted them into their life. They were guilty of whoring (spiritually speaking) by adopting the thinking and acting of the Philistines. Samson’s folly is an example of this truth put on the display, in the life of God’s people. We might apply this to the modern Christian who whores after American culture, tolerating it, rather than standing firm in opposition to it.
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