Luke 9:18-20

Luke 9:18-20 (Matt. 16:13-19, Mark 8:27-29) Peter’s Confession

Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say I am?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life." "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "The Christ of God."

A Turning Point
1. Jesus had, previously, been extremely popular
2. At this point, many stopped following Jesus
3. Jesus takes this opportunity to ask 2 key questions

Question #1 Who do the crowds say I am?

Popular Theories
1. John the Baptist
2. Elijah
3. Jeremiah
4. Other Prophet

Question #2 Who do you say I am?

1. Peter’s answer wasn’t a new answer
2. Peter had heard others say that Jesus was the Christ
3. Peter was now willing to believe in Christ for himself
4. Jesus was preparing the Apostles for the struggle ahead


Jesus Responds to Peter’s Confession

Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not
revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven

1. Simon had, in fact, heard this from man
2. But now Simon truly believed it himself
3. We are ‘blessed’ when our faith becomes personal

And I tell you that you are Peter,
and on this rock I will build my church

4 Possible Interpretations
1. The Roman Catholic View
The Church will be built on Peter himself
2. Protestant View #1
The Church will be built on confessions like Peter’s
3. Protestant View #2
The Church will be built on Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 3:11, 1 Peter 2:10)
4. Protestant View #3
The Church will be built on the 1st generation Apostles (Ephesians 4:11-13)

Problems with the Roman Catholic Interpretation
1. Peter didn't interpret it this way (1 Peter 2:10, 5:1 'fellow elder')
2. The other Apostles didn't interpret it this way (James/Paul show leadership)
3. Peter was called 'satan' soon after
4. The disiciples continued to argue about who would be the greatest
5. The early church had various interpretations of the passage
--A French Roman Catholic Launoy surveyed the Patristic evidence and found...
------44 citations claiming 'this rock' = 'Faith'
------17 citations claiming 'this rock' = 'Peter'
------16 citations claiming 'this rock' = 'Christ'
------8 citations claiming 'this rock' = 'Apostles'

and the gates of Hades will not overcome it

4 Interpretations
1. The attack of the enemy will never overcome the church
2. The defense of the enemy will never be strong enough
3. The grave can’t keep those who have Peter’s kind of faith
4. Even the death of Jesus won't stop the Kingdom from overcoming

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven;
whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

1. Keys represent authority
2. Binding/Loosing meant disallowing/allowing
3. The Greek actually reads ‘will have been bound/loosed’
4. Jesus is granting the authority to enforce heaven’s laws on the church
5. Thus, we are to submit to those in spiritual leadership over us