The church is God’s gift to us! As the epicenter of God’s purpose and plans of spreading the good news, the church is where we come together to worship God, be discipled, and encourage one another in the faith.

In Matthew 16:13-20, Jesus and the disciples are taking a brief respite from all the attention they are receiving around Galilee and Jerusalem. They traveled to Caesarea Philippi, the most unlikely place to find a Jewish Rabbi and his disciples.

This was a gentile area saturated with idol worship. But it’s here Jesus and the disciples would not be bothered as Jesus asks a major question and makes a significant statement.

Among the various idols worshipped, at one time, this location was the center of worship for the Greek god Pan. Pan is one of the oldest Greek gods and is associated with nature and pasturelands. And this is the backdrop for Jesus’ question and statement.

Here, Jesus asks the disciples, “Who do people say the Son of man is?” The disciples answer: John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or another prophet.

Then Jesus asks the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter responds, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

This is the most important question you could ever be asked. The answer to this question will have the greatest impact on your life, more than any other decision you’ll make.

If Jesus is just another religious figure among many, you may not see Him as someone of significance. Yet, archaeology and history affirm His claims and His activity on Earth.

Following this question, Jesus makes a very profound statement.

“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of hades shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18

There are three significant points for us to glean from this verse.

#1 The rock.

The English does not capture the wordplay Jesus is making as the original Greek does. The name Peter comes from the Greek name Petros, meaning rock, a small stone, a piece or fragment. The word rock in this verse is petra, meaning a rock, cliff.

So what Jesus is saying is “You are Petros, and on this petra I will build my church.” This means that the confession of faith, which Peter received from God regarding who Jesus is, is what the church will be built on. 

#2 The church.

This is the first time the term “church” has been recorded in the New Testament and comes from the Greek word ekklesia, meaning called out. The church is distinguished as people who recognize that Jesus is the Christ and are called out of darkness into His light.

Furthermore, Jesus is building His church. The church was His idea, and He wills that you and I be a part of a local church, participants in building and advancing His church.  

Today, the church building symbolizes the world as a place where they can find God, but as Christians, we bear the responsibility of making Him known.

#3 The invincibility of His church!

Jesus declared the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. This statement is an odd illustration. We often interpret a gate as a defense component, not an offensive one.

• But in the Bible, gates represented power and authority.
• The gates of Hades symbolize the organized power of death and Satan.

Satan is well organized in his attempts to deceive God’s creation and to lead people away from the truth.

But by Jesus’ death and resurrection, He subdued the power of Satan and give all people a sure way to escape final death and live for eternity in Heaven.

No force in Hell or on Earth can silence or destroy the church.

• Social trends will come and go.
• Political parties will flip and flop.

But God’s church, established on the gospel of Jesus, will stand for all time.

There is one final comment regarding the church.

“I 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.” Matthew 16:19

The symbolism of the keys, bind and loose have to do with authority.

Every Christian who has overcome the power of death and the grave via faith in Jesus now possesses the authority to open the door and show others the way to everlasting life.

You and I, as the church, have a great commission to carry on. Let’s live to make Him known!