Matthew 16:19-23 Keys
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: April 29 & 30, 2019 Matthew 16:19-23
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ. From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
(Understanding the Text / Revelation of God) Many assume that Jesus is talking about Peter only here, but I think that He was speaking about all of the disciples. However, the word you is /soi/ in Greek which indicates singular. I think maybe Jesus was showing them the awesome responsibility that He was giving them. The keys to the kingdom of heaven are related to what has just been said, i.e. Jesus is the Messiah the Son of the Living God. Jesus is the keys to heaven. Faith in Jesus is the keys to heaven. Thus, witnessing to that fact will change everything in heaven and earth. The disciples were being given an awesome responsibility to change the world and, in the process, change heaven also. The SDA commentary says that the words of Jesus are the keys to heaven. This does not contradict what I thought; it just adds to it. Jesus was committing His words to the disciples, who were to impart them to everyone that they could, thus, opening the doors of heaven to them. If they chose not to impart the words to people, those people would not receive comfort on earth or the joy of heaven. Jesus was giving them an awesome responsibility by giving them the job of His spokespeople on earth.
(Understanding the Text) Guzik’s commentary points out that this passage is not about keeping people out of heaven but about getting people into the kingdom. “The idea is not that Peter will admit people to heaven, but that Peter opened the door of the kingdom to both the Jews (Act_2:38-39) and the Gentiles (Act_10:34-44).” The SDA commentary says “The argument that Jesus bestowed upon Peter a degree of authority greater than, or different from, that which He gave to the other disciples is without scriptural basis (see on Matt. 16:18). As a matter of fact, among the apostles it was James and not Peter who exercised administrative functions over the early church in Jerusalem (see Acts 15:13, 19; cf. chs. 1:13; 12:17; 21:18; 1 Cor. 15:7; Gal 2:9, 12). Upon at least one occasion Paul ‘withstood’ Peter ‘to the face’ for a wrong course of action (see Gal. 2:11-14), which he certainly would not have done had he known anything about Peter’s enjoying the rights and prerogatives that some now claim for him upon the basis of Matt. 16:18,19.” The commentary’s argument about Paul has even greater weight when compared with how Paul apologized for speaking rudely to the high priest in Acts. “Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet contrary to the law you order me to be struck?” Those who stood by said, “Would you revile God’s high priest?” And Paul said, “I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people’” (Acts 23:3-5).
Then, Jesus told the disciples not to be bragging about Him being the Messiah. He began to teach them that He had to be killed, but He would rise again. The disciples did not want to hear that. Peter somehow thought that Jesus was just being pessimistic and depressed and tried to give Him advice. “You’re making your followers depressed. Stop it.” Jesus rebuked Peter and told him that he had his priorities all wrong. Jesus said that God’s way had to succeed, not man’s way. I like how Guzik puts it. “We must always understand that a sincere heart, with man’s thinking, can often lead to disaster.”
The SDA commentary says that there may have been an interval of time between Peter’s confession of faith and Jesus beginning to teach them about His suffering. There may have also been a delay between Jesus’ teaching and Peter trying to stop Jesus from talking about it. On the other hand, in another part of the commentary it implies that this all took place in the same conversation. The SDA commentary states that all of this probably took place in the area of Caesarea Philippi around the late summer of A.D. 30.
(Application / Prayer) My application for myself is that I have to quit expecting success by man’s definition. God’s way does not involve a direct line to human-defined success. Instead, much of what God does to achieve success is counterintuitive. Quite often, suffering is considered to be necessary for success. Never knowing the results of actions taken is quite often part of God’s methods. In the end, God says the key to heaven, i.e. the key to success, is to have faith in Him. I must trust God. I must follow His lead, and if that lead is to walk on a path never knowing where it leads or who that I’m touching day-by-day is part of God’s plan, then so be it. I will trust in You. Please help me to trust in You.
My second application for myself is that Jesus’ words have been given to me also, and thus, I also have the keys to heaven. I have a choice of imparting them to others and opening up the way to heaven for them or choosing not to open up Jesus’ words to them. In order to be a key bearer, I must study Your word. Then I must be ready to tell others of Your words. Help me to open up Your words to others.