One of the many spiritual blessings God has promised His church is the keys of the kingdom of heaven (see Matt 16:13-20). The context for this blessing concerns the identity of Jesus, as He asks His disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ (Matt 16:13) It is interesting that He does not ask what people say He is doing, but who He is – and it’s clear that people regarded Him as special (‘Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ Matt 16:14) It’s not enough, however, for us to have second-hand knowledge of Jesus, and in Peter’s confession of Him as ‘the Messiah, the Son of the living God’ (Matt 16:16), we see how divine revelation is needed for us to fully appreciate who Jesus is. It will always take divine revelation, the work of the Spirit, to see and understand spiritual truth (see 1 Cor 2:8-13).
Understanding who Jesus is changes us too: Simon (the impulsive, changeable, volatile disciple who would go on to deny he even knew Jesus) is renamed Peter (the rock) by Jesus (Matt 16:18). Jesus sees beyond who we are now to who we can become in Him and reminds us that nothing can stop Him building His church. (Matt 16:18) We do not have to despair, because God provides all that we need to live for Him: ‘His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness’ (2 Pet 1:3) God’s miraculous provision, unceasing grace and desire to bless us provide the context for His words about the keys of the kingdom of heaven.
Keys can lock and unlock doors, and for anyone to enter the kingdom of heaven, there must be a new birth (John 3:3, 2 Cor 5:17-21). God has entrusted to us, His church, the message of reconciliation, and as we speak His words, we will find the veil lifted and salvation arriving (see 2 Cor 4:4, 2 Cor 3:16, Rom 1:16) God has given us keys to unlock situations and the words to bring life and freedom to others as we introduce them to the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. God is the God who can both open doors and shut them. ‘What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.’ (Rev 3:7) The key, although powerful, doesn’t boast of its own strength or power; it simply performs the job for which it was created. We have been created to do good works in God (Eph 2:10), created to be of service to our Lord, created to bring His light into every situation and every life we meet. We can give thanks for this blessing and seek to use these keys well, grateful for all the authority and trust God has placed in His people.
