Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” Matthew 16:16
Outgoing, impulsive Peter, who sometimes said the wrong thing, got this right. Peter’s spiritual connection to God in Heaven was the means to his faith on earth. Jesus had not announced Himself as God’s Son publicly, yet, Peter knew.
Petra is the Greek word for rock. Jesus gave Simon, son of Jonas, this name, Peter. It was on the rock of this revelation, Jesus is the Son of the living God, that our church is built. In verse 18 of this same chapter, Jesus says, the gates of Hades will not overcome ‘it’. It is Zion, the city of God, the church triumphant, the Body of Christ. Gate keepers control the city, everything from commerce to politics. They also keep enemies out and let in those who will prosper them. The Truth that Peter confessed is; Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life, The Son of God, is the gatekeeper of the Body of Christ.
We live in fear of being ruined, disappointed, irrelevant, rejected, but Jesus is the Messiah and the Gates of Hell will NOT overcome any us whose hope is in the LORD.
Love,
Gretchen