Mat 16:13-20 | Family

Matthew 16:13-20

Bar-jona; son of Jonah; bar; being a Syriac word for son.

Flesh and blood; man. In order rightly to apprehend divine truth, and suitably to regard it, men must be taught it, not merely by their fellow-men, but by their Father in heaven. Thou art Peter; in the Greek,

Petros, the same as Cephas--from the Aramaean, or Hebrew of our Lord's day--and meaning, rock.

And upon this rock; in the Greek, petra, that is, rock. The less usual form,

Petros, differs from petra in taking the masculine form, because it is given to a man as his epithet. The words "upon this rock I will build my church," have been differently interpreted among Protestants. First, "upon this rock," that is, upon thee, Peter, with allusion to the name "rock," which Christ had given him upon his first interview with him, Joh 1:42. According to this interpretation, Peter is called a rock only in a lower sense, as an eminent instrument to be employed by Christ in building up his church, just as he is afterwards said to receive the keys of the kingdom of heaven in a lower sense; for in the high sense, Christ alone is the rock on which the church is built, and he alone has the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Isa 28:16; 1Pe 2:6; 1Co 3:11; Eph 2:20; Re 1:18; 3:7. Secondly, "upon this rock," that is, upon the confession thou hast just made of me; or rather, upon the great truth contained in that confession, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God". According to either of the above interpretations, Christ alone is the true foundation of the church. As it is written of him, "Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; he that believeth shall not make haste," Isa 28:16. The apostle Peter says same, 1Pe 2:6. Paul also, in Eph 2:20, speaks of the church as "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone." Thus, according to the prophet Isaiah and the apostles Peter and Paul, writing under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the foundation of the church, and of the hopes of all true believers, is, not Peter, or Paul, or any creature, but "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever."

Gates of hell; the counsels of the powers of evil. The gates of cities were anciently the places in which deliberations were held and plans formed. The keys of the kingdom of heaven; keys are a symbol of power and authority.

Bind--loose; the same gift is elsewhere bestowed on all the apostles and the disciples generally. Chap Mt 18:18. The words of this verse may be understood, first, of the authority which Christ bestowed upon the inspired teachers and guides of his primitive church to settle all questions respecting her. For eminent examples of the exercise of this power, see the decisions concerning gentile converts, Ac 11:1-18; 15:1-29. In this sense, the power ceased with inspiration. Secondly, the words may be understood of the common power conferred by Christ on his churches to regulate their own affairs, to administer discipline, and to admit to or exclude from their communion. In this sense this power continues in the visible church, and is valid so far as it is exercised in accordance with Christ's word. Apostles, in making known the will of God, and recording it in words which the Holy Ghost taught them, and faithful ministers in proclaiming it, allow or condemn on earth what God allows or condemns in heaven. Churches, when they act in accordance with his truth, bind or loose, that is, allow or disallow on earth what will br bound or loosed, allowed or disallowed, in heaven. Chap Mt 18:18. Tell no man; the time had not come to proclaim him publicly as the Messiah. He must first die for the sins of men, according to the Scriptures, and rise again for their justification. 1Co 15:3,4. The publication of the whole truth would at some times be very improper. It would prevent much good, and occasion much evil. Very much of a person's usefulness on earth depends on his doing right things at the right time, and in the right way, as well as for the right end.