Biblical Commentary

The Biblical Commentary provides you with all the background info you need to teach your students, including context, verse-by-verse interpretation, and what the specific application of the passage is.

Investigation The Investigation section of the commentary provides a brief context for the passage of Scripture and often serves as a short summary of the content of the entire passage.

Importance The Importance section of the commentary addresses which of the Eight Essential Truths that a specific passage teaches. The section will note the most primary truth taught, as well as any secondary ones.

Interpretation The Interpretation section of the commentary explores the meaning of the passage in a verse-by-verse manner or a few verses at a time. Background information as well as theological implications are often used to help convey the original meaning of the passage.

Implication The Implication section of the commentary explains why the truth of the passage is important for students to understand. It also addresses how the passage can affect the lives of students and how they can apply these truths to their lives.

Investigation

In Matthew 16:13-20, Jesus asked His disciples who the people thought He was. The disciples gave different answers as to whom the crowds thought He was. But Simon Peter responded to the question with surprising accuracy. He confessed that Jesus was the Christ-the Messiah, the Savior-the Son of the Living God.

Jesus responded that only God could have revealed this truth to Peter. Christ followed that statement with a play on words-that upon Peter (a little rock), He would build the rock-solid Church. (Interestingly, this is the first instance in the New Testament in which the word "church" "ekklesia" is mentioned.) Not only was the Church established by Christ, it was built on Christ. He is the perfect foundation.

Acts 1:1-3 introduces Luke's history of the Church. Together, these two passages set the stage for the study of the New Testament Church.

Importance

Ultimately, The Church is God's Plan for taking the gospel to the entire world. By building up its members in Christlikeness through the instruction of God's Word, fellowship, service, worship, and prayer, the Church is an unstoppable force when it comes to glorifying God. It is crucial to look at the Church not just as the local institution but as the global body made up of all believers. Only with Christ as the foundation can the Church be effective.

This lesson also focuses on the essential truths that Jesus is God and Savior and that Salvation is by Faith Alone.

Interpretation

Matthew 16:13 Referring to Himself as the Son of Man, Jesus asked the Twelve, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" Apparently Jesus posed the question to the disciples after they crossed the Sea of Galilee (Matt. 16:5) and had come to the area of Caesarea Philippi.

Matthew 16:14-15 Jesus was quite popular. The disciples mentioned that some people thought Jesus was John the Baptist, while some thought He was Elijah, the supreme Old Testament prophet. Still others thought Jesus was the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah, a messenger of God's judgment, rejected by those in his day.

In verse 15, Jesus gets right to the heart of the matter, asking the disciples who they believed He was. In the original language, there is an emphasis on the words you and I. Jesus wanted to hear from the disciples whether they understood His true identity.

Matthew 16:16-17 Peter, who was never at a loss for words, spoke up by saying that Jesus was (1) the Christ (the awaited Messiah) and (2) the Son of the Living God. Although it was unlikely that Peter or any of the other disciples understood the full nature of His life and work, they did comprehend that Jesus was the Messiah and truly the Son of God.

Jesus responded by blessing Peter for his wonderful insight. Since Peter called Jesus the Son of God, Jesus called him "the son of Jonah," or Simon Bar-Jonah, his original family name.

Matthew 16:18 The Bible affirms that Jesus Christ alone is the Head and the cornerstone of His Church. However, Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:19-22 that the Church was built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets and that Jesus is the cornerstone of that foundation. By identifying Jesus as the Son of God, Peter, in essence, became the first member of the Church (as defined as the body of believers in Christ Jesus). Just as you were welcomed into the Church by confessing Jesus as Lord, so was Peter. When Jesus said Peter was the foundation, He may have implied that Peter was the first in what would throughout history become an incalculable number of believers.

In Acts, Peter is a chief preacher, leader, and miracle worker, obviously a vital element in laying the foundation for the Church's success. But the Church was founded on the revelation of God given through His apostles. Jesus Himself is the cornerstone of that foundation. Without Jesus, there is no Church.

Jesus also proclaimed that the gates of Hades would not be able to overcome the Church. In other words, death's gates do not have the strength to overpower the people of God-the Church-or to keep them imprisoned.

Matthew 16:19 Jesus promised Peter the "keys of the kingdom of heaven," and with that, the authority to "bind" and to "loose." In essence, Jesus said that whatever is forbidden on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever is permitted on earth will be permitted in heaven. This implies that Christians have the authority to declare what is acceptable or forbidden to God because they have His Word. While Christians cannot simply decide what is right or wrong or what is forgiven or unforgiven, they can proclaim what Godhas determined to as right or wrong based on the authority of His Word.

Matthew 16:20 Jesus then told His disciples not to tell anyone else that He was the Christ. It can seem confusing as to why Jesus would say something like this. But most Jews thought the Messiah would be a political or military ruler. When considering the spiritual nature of the Kingdom that Jesus would usher in, it makes sense for Him not to tell the people His true identity.

Acts 1:1-3 These first few verses serve as the introduction to the entire story of the New Testament Church. It is an amazing story full of incredible miracles, uplifting spiritual growth, and wonderful fellowship among believers. It is also full of persecution, imprisonment, and murder. These verses serve as a stepping-on point for the yearlong study of the New Testament Church.

Implications

The question that Jesus asked the disciples "'Who do you say I am'" is a question He still asks today. Many people in Jesus' day saw Him as simply one of the prophets. How do we see Jesus? Do we see Him as just a good person or a moral teacher? Or do we really look to Him as the true Son of God? The answer to that question will surely play out in the way we live. How do your actions tell the world what you really believe? What do your actions say to your students about how you see Jesus?

To have an impact on this world, the Church must realize the foundation upon which it is built. Like Peter, we must confess Christ as the true Messiah, God's only Son. When we recognize Jesus as our authority, we claim the power that only He can give. No force in the world can stop us. God empowers the Church to carry out His will. But so often the Church stands in its own way, letting minor issues come between it and its purpose. Where do you stand? Are you an active part of God's army? Have you taught your students to play a bold part in that army?

Jesus' statement to Peter about building His Church also challenges us. Although the Church certainly has Jesus as its cornerstone, we are the Church of today. And even if the foundation is rock-solid, the building itself must stand strong in order to be useful. The foundation has been established and it is unshakable, but the structure's strength depends upon us. Is the Church stronger or weaker because of you? 

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