Living in the Spirit

August 23, 2020

Scripture Reading: Matthew 16:13-20
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has 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 Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’ Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

Peter’s getting the keys to the kingdom of heaven delineates his and our role of opening the schoolhouse door rather than serving as an usher into heaven. Sharing the Word of God is a sacred trust. Jesus is telling Peter that what he says and how he acts will be how the lives he touches welcome Christ into their lives. That is an awesome responsibility and one that all Christ-followers are called to do.

Jesus did not leave us alone to take on such a task. He left us an Advocate, Counselor, and Helper who is always with us. God provided us with the written word of how our ancestors in faith experienced God. And God communes with us as we commune with God.

The Greek word translated “bind”* means to forbid, prohibit, declare to be illicit. It comes from the Rabbinic tradition. I could not help but think of Paul, a Pharisee of Pharisees*, in those three years he spent in Arabia wrapping his head around the traditional role of a teacher while he is being commanded and drawn into taking the gospel to the gentiles. At each stop, moving from one city to another, Paul encountered some facet of life out of sync with things the Rabbi’s had taught him. He had to discern whether they were out of sync with God. Circumcision was probably the most challenging of these issues.

We deal with new and different aspects of life that require us to turn to God, searching for answers to what is of God and what is not. We can easily get caught up in making rules about things that I doubt God gives much thought to. We made Native American children cut their hair and wear European style clothing and shoes when missionaries first reached out to them.

To me, the primary test of whether something is of God or not is: does it past the test of love? Does the behavior or cultural norm have any negative impact on the person’s loving God or loving their neighbor as they love themselves? Does it support wanting the very best for the person and others?

Prayer: Lord, help us discern our ways and words carefully as we share your good news with others. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/greek/1210.htm
** Philippians 3:5

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.