I Will Give You the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven

Jesus has come to the region of Caesarea Philippi and asks His disciples,

“Who do people say I am?”

“John the Baptist or Elijah!”

“Some others say Jeremiah or one of the prophets!”

At the words of the disciples, Jesus asked them again,

“But what about you? Who do you say I am?”

Peter answers in a voice filled with conviction.

“You are the Christ the Son of the living God.”

“Blessed are you, Simon! For this was revealed to you by my Father in heaven.”

And Jesus gives a special grace to Peter, who’s recognized Him correctly.

“You are Peter (rock). On this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

When Jesus fed five thousand with five loaves of bread and two fish, many followed him but they knew Jesus just as one of the prophets who did some marvelous deeds. But Peter was different. His words, “You are the Son of the living God,” were his confession that Jesus is God (Isa 9:6). To Peter, who realized that Jesus is God who came in the flesh, the keys of the heavenly kingdom were given.

According to the prophecy of the Bible, God has come into the world a second time as a man. Who will receive the keys of the heavenly kingdom in this age? It must be the saints who receive a special grace from God and rightly recognize God who has come in flesh just as Peter did 2,000 years ago. We are the very saints, who have received the Spirit and the Bride, the Saviors in the age of the Holy Spirit.