Blessed Are You Simon

Keys of the Kingdom

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets. "He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"

Simon Peter said in reply,

"You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."

Jesus said to him in reply,

"Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

Matthew 16:13-19, infamous verses where Jesus built His Church upon the Rock. Which Rock? Jesus gave Simon his new name, Peter (in Greek), or Kepha (in Aramaic). However, in Aramaic, the language of Jesus, there was only one word for rock, Kepha. The other disciples would have heard Jesus saying, “You are ‘Kepha,’ and upon this ‘Kepha’ I will build my Church.”

I accepted this fact since my conversion experience in late 1993 (full story here). But it’s not until I stumbled upon a brother in Christ in 1996, David Currie, who pointed out a few more significances, then I understood how important these verses were.

“Blessed are you” is not a standard way of addressing a particular someone in Scripture. As a matter a fact it is used only once by Jesus, which is in this passage only. Jesus used the expression elsewhere in a broad sense, “Blessed are the poor... (and the rest of beatitudes)” in order to inhibit certain traits on the people who heard Him.

In the New Testament, Mary was the only other person addressed by Elisabeth who was inspired by the Holy Spirit with this special designation, “Blessed are you among women” (Lk 1:42).

Mary was addressed this way when she was greeted publicly as the Mother of Christ. Peter was address this way when he was greeted publicly as the Shepherd, the Father, the Papa, the Pope, of Christ’s Church.

Peter concluded that Jesus was the Messiah not based upon His own experience but based on the knowledge coming from the Heavenly Father. This declaration separated Peter from the rest of the Apostle and from this point on, Peter’s office was set by the Lord Himself.

With his office established, there were four promises given:
1. Christ’s Church would be built on Peter, “Upon this rock I will build My Church.”
2. The power of Hell will be powerless against this Church, “The gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it”
3. “I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven”
4. “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven”

These four promises were addressed to Peter in a second person singular. Nowhere else Jesus extended these promises to the other disciples. Everyone understood that Peter was singled out for a special authority.

And this authority continues until today, the same four promises were handed down to our beloved Pope Benedict XVI, the Shepherd, the Father, the Papa, the Pope, of Christ’s Church.

Blessed are you Simon...

By: Bro Chan
Image by Pietro Perugino, Sistine Chapel

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