Matthew 16:13-20 Commentary

Comments, Questions, and Observations

This passage sits in the middle of the gospel of Matthew. It is the first time that the term “Messiah” is applied to Jesus Christ, and it is the first time that the church (ecclesia) is mentioned. It’s also the moment that Simon Peter becomes Peter in the narrative, the rock on which the church will be built because he has believed what he has received from the Father about the man Jesus standing in front of him.

God’s identity and presence, blessing and connection with the Father, and the church’s everlastingness are all somehow connected here. In a book study at church recently, we were discussing the laundry list of toxicity within the church’s history and someone asked, “When was a time we were actually doing it well?” Another member jokingly said, “Probably for that little window when they were all sharing all their possessions and no one had any need.” (You know the section in Acts 4…) And that’s likely true, for in that moment the gathered community had a profound experience of God’s presence among them, a strong conviction and belief in the uniqueness of Jesus Christ, and they let that faith shape their convictions in a way that made them be blessings to one another.

Knowing who God is is pivotal to the vitality of the church and its livelihood. Not acting and living based on who other people think God is, or who other people want God to be, but truly knowing God. Jesus starts by asking the disciples who others say he is, but this seems to only be to breach the subject with his closest companions. Peter answers on behalf of them all, basing it on what their life with him has revealed: Jesus is the Messiah; he is much more than what others know.

Jesus describes knowing this truth as a beatitude: “Blessed are you, Peter!” And on you, blessed one, the church will be built. Remembering that Peter is the “stand-in disciple,” even for us, might we understand that Jesus is describing his church being built as the people who know the true truth, the true God, who are blessed by that knowing and become blessings to others as they learn to live in their authority of faith?

Jesus goes on to describe the authority that people of faith have, describing it as holding the keys of the kingdom and the ability to bind and loose things on heaven and earth. Anna Case-Winters argues for a rabbinical understanding of binding and loosing—teaching and living with clarity about what is permitted and what is forbidden. We ought not take this as power trip but as discerning life as a beatitude based on who God is, since that is the flow of the passage. Jesus hears the declaration of faith about his identity and affirms it as revelation from God (i.e., it’s what we might describe as a “good word”). He then calls Peter blessed and gives him his task: be the rock on which others will come to faith as well. And in the process of being connected and connecting with the Father through the Son by the power of the Spirit, the church will continuously be built up in a way of living that reflects the character of the true God, binding up and containing evil while letting loose the goodness and love of God on earth as it is in heaven.

And even as this powerful revelation is made known, Jesus orders them to keep his Messiahship to themselves. The Greek word here connotes serious business: Jesus is serious about his identity remaining a secret. Though it is true that there will soon come a time where Peter and the other disciples become apostles, sent with the good news of Jesus Christ, the seriousness with which Jesus tells them to keep their mouths shut might also be to underscore the importance of other ways of witnessing. After all, binding and loosing are action-oriented words, not just a prayer. We bind and loose through our lifestyles and we do so with freedom because we know the Messiah and his blessing.

Textual Point

Anna Case-Winters also points out that Matthew is the only gospel writer who includes Jeremiah in the list of prophets. She finds this significant because of other connections to Jeremiah, especially as they relate to calls to repentance in spite of rejecting the prophetic messenger. As Matthew’s audience is trying to make sense of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, would this reminder about the church’s survival—if it keeps in faith and repentance—have helped?

Illustration Idea

In the haunting movie based on the Miriam Toews book Women Talking, the women of an Amish community deliberate over a number of days whether they should leave their community for the sake and safety of their children. In essence, it is a discernment of their power and authority to bind what is evil in their midst by removing themselves and their children from its reach. Their conversations with one another consider the cost: if they leave, who will teach the next generation of young men to be better? In this way, they consider seriously what is theirs “to loose” as well. Most of the women know that, no matter what, once they’ve made their decision there will be no turning back and everything will be changed from that moment on (the epitome of the perfect tense).