Gathering Stones at Caesarea Philippi
Matthew 16:13-17
13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi...
Isn't that word "coasts" a bit misleading, for there is the implication that with a coast, there will be a body of water, and it simply isn't so concerning Caesarea Philippi. The word “coasts” used in this context is best rendered as in the outer regions of Caesarea Philippi or the outskirts of the city. However, there is a water source at Caesarea Philippi as one of the three tributaries feeding the River Jordon originates deep within the cave dedicated to the Greek god, Pan.
Can't you just see the picture that is being painted in those words?
Jesus and His disciples are walking along the outskirts of Caesarea Philippi, and Jesus turns to the craggy crest of rock face before them, and He points to the grotto of Pan and then to the temple to the Roman deity, and ...
He asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
In actuality this is a multiple choice question, because, given the location of Jesus and the disciples, the background is a pagan temple built to the god Pan on one side, and the other side is a temple built to a Roman ruler.
Whom do men say that I am?
Was Jesus to be compared to a mythological Greek god?Was Jesus to be compared to the ruling authority who often thought they were gods? Peter knew the context of the question, and knowing that Jesus was neither a mythical god nor a god created by man towards the "godness" of a human ruler, but that Jesus was THE Christ, the Son of the Living God, the “anointed one” or Messiah.
Anyone approaching the area of Caesarea Philippi would be able to see the craggy cliffs and the face of the rock cliff which held the temple of Pan and also a temple built to Herod. Between the two temples are several niches cut out of the rock which held the rock idols of Greek mythology.
In Verse 16, Peter says "Thou art the Christ". He didn't say "Thou art a Greek God" as in the Temple of Pan, nor did he say "Thou art a god because you demand worship to yourself" as in the temple to Herod. No, Peter says, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God."
So, here is the passage that coincides with the history.
18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
20 Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.
Is it a coincidence that Jesus continues in his teaching in the area of Caesarea Philippi to say that "the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (the church)?
No, the disciples would have been aware of the traditional teachings of the area of Caesarea Philippi. The Temple of Pan sits next to a very deep cave. Within that cave, it was a traditional teaching in Greek mythology that when the water level dropped, that the "gates of hell" were opened and demons came from hell to walk upon the face of the earth. Will the "gates of hell", i.e. the demons from deep within the Temple of Pan, be able to stand against the church of Christ? Jesus is telling them “no” in this passage. "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church;"
Was it a coincidence that Jesus Christ was referencing the "rock" at Caesarea Philippi? Of course not. It is very rocky and craggy in that area in the Golan Heights. There is the solid wall of limestone that was cut to build Herod's palace and a temple to worship the "king of the land". That face of the rock which was used as the backdrop for the Temple of Pan, and there are the many "niches" cut out of the rock to hold stone idols. What "rock" was Jesus citing? The limestone? The craggy rock face? The niches with stone idols? Jesus was talking about the foundational rock of the church that would come from His teachings. Peter is not the rock; Christ is, and that places this verse in alignment with other passages in the Bible. Calling Peter "the rock" or "the stone", doesn't align with other passages in the Bible, but it does put Peter in one of the niches cut from the rock face that held idols.
Now, the disciples can look at the rock face, and they know that temples are built to gods, not to men. They are looking at a temple built to a Greek god and to a temple built to a ruling, earthly king. And where does Christ fit in this picture?
Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Peter replies that Jesus is "THE Christ" that meaning "THE messiah" that was prophesied.
~serapha~
posted by ~serapha~ at 7:39 PM
2 Comments:
I think its pretty definite. Jesus renamed Peter as Cephas (rock) went up to Philipi in front of the large Pagan rock temple and said to Cephas/Peter - you are Cephas and on this Cephas i build my Church.
Then he quotes Isaiah 22 in handing over an office to Peter.
"the coast of Caesarea Philippi..." the Greek word in any textual tradition is from the root "meros" which just means "part." It is plural here, so Jesus came into the "parts of Caesarea Philippi" or the "region" of...
However, I agree with you that Jesus brought his disciples here on purpose for this event. Do you have any sources supporting the tradition of calling this grotto of Pan the "Gates of Hades/Hell"? I'm looking for these sources...
nick@fbechurch.com
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