This is Matthew 16 and yet another confrontation between Jesus and the religious elite. However, this situation is different from the others we’ve looked at because both the Pharisees and the Sadducees are involved. These two groups didn’t really get along with each other, as their philosophies were vastly different. The Pharisees were totally bound up in their distorted, perverted system of rules and rituals mostly crafted to put their self-righteousness on public display. The Sadducees were a more politically motivated group desiring to put the Jews in a less narrow religious vein towards what they saw as a more open and advantageous Greek style of life and culture. Of course, the one thing they could agree on was that Jesus was seen as a threat because of the huge crowds that had begun to follow Him and any influence they may have had over the populace was diminishing.
“The Pharisees along with the Sadducees came to test Him, asking for a miraculous sign from heaven.” (Verse 1) Here, “sign” is from semeion, commonly used to indicate a miraculous act, a token of divine power and authority. Starting in Matthew 12:38 the Jews asked this of Jesus six different times. It seems they were a little slow. Jesus had been performing public miracles for several years by this time and His reputation and fame was unquestioned. And Jesus’ answer shows He had no interest in putting on a private miracle show for their benefit.
“So, He answered and said, ‘When evening comes you say it will be fair weather, for the sky is red. Then in the morning, today it will be stormy, because the sky is red and overcast. You know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times. A wicked and unfaithful generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given except the sign of Jonah.’ Then He left them and went His way.” (Verses 2-4) The reference to the sign of Jonah obviously is the comparison of Jesus being in the grave for three days and nights, then being resurrected to life, as Jonah was three days and nights dead in the belly of the whale and before he was thrust out alive (Jonah 2:1-2, says he cried out to God from hell).
“And when the disciples came to the other side, they had forgotten to bring food.” (Verse 5) The “other side” here is Magdala, about 10 miles south of Capernaum. Jesus had already gone there (Matthew 15:39) and the disciples were just catching up the next day. “Then Jesus said, ‘Be aware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.’ And they reasoned among themselves, is it because we didn’t bring any bread? And knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, ‘Why are you talking about having no bread? You still have so little trust in Me! Don’t you remember the five loaves and the five thousand and the baskets left over? Or the seven loaves and the four thousand or those baskets left over after everyone was satisfied? How can you not understand that I was not talking about bread, but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees? Then they understood He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the corrupt teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” (Verses 6-12)
In the New Testament “leaven” (zume) is used as a metaphor to describe corrupt doctrine. In Matthew 13:33 Jesus compares the Kingdom of Heaven (the inhabitants of this present time, sometimes called the Church Age) as a bowl of dough in which leaven is added, so the end result is that all the dough is leavened or corrupted. The concept of leavening applied to the Kingdom of Heaven is that the pure doctrine of Christ has been adulterated with error. Here, Jesus is correctly predicting that all the resulting religious denomination and institutions that will make up “Christianity” will be corrupted in some way with wrong doctrine. This is something that can be easily understood by simply comparing the differences in belief and practice of these different groups.
A simple study of the history of these different groups make this clear. They all have a different founder and different doctrines conforming to the particular religious agenda of the man or woman who originated the group. And the very purpose in forming the different group was to distinguish it from those that already existed. This is a truth maybe not understood by many, which is that the purpose in forming a religious movement is not to simply teach this “new” truth, it also serves as an opportunity to gain control of a group of people and their wealth. Something obvious in the history of religion going all the way back to Nimrod in Genesis 10.
Now, the differences between some of the major Christian denominations today may run anywhere from subtle to extremely obvious. However, what is curious to me is the fact that there are some groups who claim to be Christian that actually deny the reality of Who Christ really is. Here’s some examples:
Christian Science: Jesus Christ was the offspring of Mary’s self-conscious communion with God…her conception of him was spiritual…Jesus Christ is not God.
Unity Church: Jesus Christ is the I in man…reveal yourself to yourself by affirming, I AM THE CHRIST!
Jehovah’s Witnesses: Jesus Christ was a man, no more nor less…God created him…he’s forever dead, not resurrected.
Mormonism: Jesus is both the Father and the Son.
Baha’ism: Jesus Christ is only one of many manifestations of God, one of many Messiahs…His sufferings were no more than those of other prophets.
Seventh Day Adventism: In his humanity Christ partook of our sinful, fallen nature.
Now we’re ready for verse 13. “Now when Jesus arrived at Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they answered, some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah and others Jeremiah or on of the prophets. And He asked, ‘But Who do you say that I am? And Simon Peter said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Verses 13-16)
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This brings us to what is one of the most misinterpreted, misunderstood passages in the New Testament and a great example of corrupt doctrine. “And Jesus answered, ‘Blessed are you Simon Bar-Jonah. Flesh and blood have not revealed this to you, but My Father in Heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:17-18)
Let’s break this down a little. First, “Flesh and blood have not revealed this to you.” Here, “revealed” is apokalupto, to remove a veil or to reveal something previously secret, unknown or not understood. In other words, Peter did not come to the conclusion that Jesus was “the Christ, the Son of the living God” by his own understanding, it was revealed to Him by supernatural revelation. Then, “you are Peter”, where “Peter” is from petros, a rock fragment, a stone that can be easily moved (reference to Peter’s humanity). The verse continues, “and on this rock”, a definitive comparison where “rock” is petra, a massive, immovable, foundational stone. “I will build My church”, It is this foundational stone upon which Christ will build His church, not the rock fragment that could be easily moved.
It is astonishing that a major “Christian” denomination is willing to distort and corrupt this clear statement by Jesus to justify their deceptive claim that Jesus was actually saying He was going to build his church on a mere man and that man should be recognized as the historical head and founder of the Catholic Church, a falsehood they use to make the claims that Peter was the first Pope and that the Catholic Church is actually the Universal Church, the only legitimate church in existence.
The immovable, foundational stone (petra) represents the unchanging truth and reality of Who Jesus Christ was and what He did in carrying out the redemptive plan of the Father when He voluntarily submitted to the cross and sacrificed Himself for the sins of the world. And regardless of the feeble efforts of men to falsify, corrupt and even deny that truth, it will remain true throughout all eternity. To anyone who really wants to know the truth and is intellectually honest enough to seek it, the difference between petros and petra is not difficult to understand.
Yet, there are millions of people (untold millions in the past) who have blindly followed this distortion of truth. And sadly, there is nothing in the Scriptures that tell us sincerity or blind dedication to corrupted truth is the way to eternity with God. In fact, just the opposite is true. And, again, just a surface examination of the different Christian denominations and groups will show how those who support those groups blindly follow the beliefs, rituals and traditions of those different groups. In Christ’s church truth is the coin of the realm, the only legal tender as it were, sincerity never was. Yet it’s obvious the majority are counting on using their sincerity to buy their way into an eternity with God. This brings back the words of Jesus concerning the “many” on their way to destruction as opposed to the “few” on their way to life (Matthew 7:13-14)
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This brings us to the last verse in this section of red letters. “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatever you bind on earth must be what is already bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth must be what is already loosed in heaven. (Matthew 16:19) Here’s another distortion of truth related to the Catholic Church. Since Jesus gave Peter the keys (a symbol of authority) to the kingdom of heaven, the claim follows that Peter and his successors would be the true arbiters of what is true doctrine and what is not. This is another claim that on its face is ridiculous, given the obvious rituals and doctrines of the Catholic Church that have absolutely no source in the Scriptures. They justify this by claiming the Pope is infallible, something even many Catholics today would question, given the man who currently holds that position. Here, Jesus is simply admonishing Peter to remain faithful to what he knows to be true. And, in fact, history shows us Peter did exactly that. It was only those who eventually followed him in the establishment of the Catholic Church who are responsible for the church’s gross departures from truth.