…as He [Jesus] was praying alone, the disciples were with Him…He asked…Who do the crowds say that I am? …they answered, “John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.” …He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.” And He strictly charged…them to tell this to no one, saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and, on the third day, be raised.”
Luke 9:18-22
In our verses today, we see Jesus praying while His Disciples were present. Jesus takes a poll among the Disciples regarding “His reputation.” They give Jesus several answers that they had heard people say who they thought Jesus was. Then, Jesus asks the Disciples who they thought He was. And, the spokesman for the group, the one who opens his mouth before thinking, Peter (also known as Simon), states for the first time that Jesus is “the Son of the Living God, the Messiah!” This event is recorded in Matthew 16 and it contains more information. Jesus tells Peter, as the other Disciples listened, that Peter was given this revelation by God the Father. Jesus blesses Peter and tells the Disciples that He (Jesus, not Peter) will build His church upon “this rock” and hell will NOT be able to destroy His church. Jesus, also, talks about “the keys to the kingdom of Heaven” being “given to you (the Disciples).” It is true that Jesus renamed Peter, Cephas, which means “rock.” During the early centuries of the church, there was much discussion about the organization of the church as it grew. Unfortunately, the church turned to a hierarchy that was never given in Holy Scripture. Some “leaders” interpreted Jesus’ words about His church being built upon “rock” meant Peter and “the keys to the kingdom of Heaven” were given to Peter, also. The Greek word translated “you” in Jesus statement about giving the keys “to you” is plural. So, Jesus told all His Disciples they had “the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven.” Regarding “this rock” that Jesus said, He may have been talking about building His church upon rock in the same manner He told the parable of the man who builds his house upon rock for a foundation. Over 1,500 years, the church became the Holy Roman Catholic Church which, by the 16th century, had become so corrupt that a Reformation of the church was begun to return to the Biblical teachings and the Gospel message as it was to be proclaimed according to Jesus. Peter should never have been looked at as the first “Pope” of the church and he certainly had no “keys to the Kingdom” to pass on to subsequent “Popes.” Yet, the Roman Catholic church still exists today and claims both, along with other liturgical worship that is not based upon Holy Scripture. Christians must be knowledgeable about God’s Word, the Holy Bible, and not allow any one, or group, to keep us from reading for ourselves and discerning God’s Word.
Source: S C Ball February 2, 2023
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