8/17/2023

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE READING:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 2. 5-6)

“Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by My Father in Heaven. I tell you that you are Peter [the rock], and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. [Further,] I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven so that whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’” (Matthew 16.17-19)

TODAY’S REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

Yesterday, I mentioned that we are fitted like a key to the lock on the door that is the “eye of the needle.” Typically, these gates were nearly twenty feet high and twelve feet across. As you close your eyes to imagine such a gate, I draw your attention to a smaller gate (like a door within a door) that would be the size of a man of normal stature. In Jesus’ day, that man would have been 5’6″ or so. The gate, or door, was not meant for convenience for man or beast. The large the person or animal, the more difficult it was to pass through. Now, with a mind set on comparison seeing both gates focus on the lock. The larger gate would not have had a lock but a gatekeeper. But, the smaller gate may well have had a lock set in the gate itself or in the stone in which the gate itself was placed. Notice, however, that the lock is accessible from the inside only lest it be easily picked and entrance quickly gained. As we move in our mind’s eye from large to small to smaller, imagine holding that “key.” It is smaller yet. As such, it is the lynchpin to gaining entry. At some gates in the Jerusalem wall (ranging from 10 to 18 with the description of New Jerusalem having 12), the gatekeepers were the elders. One gate in particular stands out in the reconstruction conducted by Nehemiah. That gate was called “The Muster Gate” or “The Inspection Gate.” It was set in the northeast corner of the Jerusalem compound. Since most people who came to visit and conduct business in Jerusalem came from the north, this was a key gate. Entrance through it led into the marketplace and beyond it to the Temple Mount itself. No one today knows for sure where the “Eye of the Needle” was located. But, since Jesus mentions it to the disciples amidst their question about “who then can enter in if a rich man cannot,” we may safely assume that Jesus, the disicples and many others knew of its existence. This would be especially true of those from Damascus, Galilee, Samaria and beyond. What a critical and strategic location the “Eye of the Needle” provided. But, it would only have been used when the main gate was closed. Therefore, it would seem that (borrowing from Jesus’ teaching about “I AM the gate of the sheep”) it would be an elder, a shepard of the people of God, would be assigned there with the task of monitoring who passed through in the cover of darkness.

All of that descriptor to bring to mind the vital importance of a “small” key, especially as it is applied to our own lives confessing Jesus as the Christ. Yes, there in the midst of many places of worship where Jesus had led His disciples north of Caesarea Philippi, the question was asked “Who do people say that I AM?” Many answers were offered “speaking for the people.” Peter, however, responded with his own understanding and affirmation. He said, looking at Jesus as if the other disciples were not there, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God, Adonai Elohim.” For his faithful response, Jesus declares a passing of the torch to Peter. Jesus conferred on him “the keys to the Kingdom.” It wasn’t about Jerusalem. It wasn’t about business acumen and financial success. It wasn’t about authority and dominion over people as a king, governor or local magistrate. It wasn’t about an honorary title with the award of “the key to the city.” No, the responsibility for one called to be “a fisher of humanity” was put into the hands of Peter and all who would believe, confess and profess “Jesus as the Christ.” With that key, or those keys, what was commissioned was a sifting of the wheat from the chaff, the righteous from the unrighteous, the good from the evil with eternal consequences. This was no mere judgment and discernment about “right and wrong.” This was a calling into accountability the need to determine who will enter into the kingdom of God and His righteousness (His justice) and who would not. As a spiritual leader, Peter, and all those who would make the “Good Confession,” were elevated to a great position by making them the lynchpin, the key, the bearer of the key. This was a serious duty and responsibility which we, mighty ones of God, must execute ourselves. We do so according to the “keys of the kingdom” themselves. What are those keys? We are not given a description of them in scripture but let’s reflect tomorrow on “key” possibilities. Until then, consider wisely your own testimony and witness as to who Jesus is for you. You will be judged not on what other people may say or do because of your ministry, to accept or reject, but on your faithfulness to the task, the duty, the responsibility of “making disciples in all nations.”

TODAY’S PRAYER IN LIGHT OF GOD’S WORD:

Father, You have revealed Yourself to us best in Jesus the Christ. By Him and Him alone shall we gain the eternal life and our place in eternal rest, living for You always. Show us more and by Your Holy Spirit instruct us in the way we should go, the truth we should reveal and the life we shall live with you forever. In Jesus’ name, we pray. AMEN.