A reflection on Matthew 16:13-19.

This was back-to-school week for our family.
Perhaps it was for your crew too.

We prepared for the annual ritual as usual:

Backpacks were readied,
Supplies purchased,
Water bottles filled,
Clothes selected,
Travel plans made.

There were back-to-school haircuts, of course.
Gotta have those.

We.
Were.
Ready.

Graham opted to ride his bike to school – a first for him – with Dad in tow. We arrived, placed his bike in the rack, secured the lock, practiced the four-digit code.

Hannah opted to walk. As I arrived home she was just about to leave. “Bye Dad!” Hannah exclaimed, opening the front door, departing with a wave.

“Oh wait! I almost forgot something,” she said. Hannah grabbed the front door key from the wall, put it in her pocket, and headed out.

My wife Kathi went back to school this week too, she’s teaching nursing students full-time at Grand View University. Her first day was a fun one: faculty and staff were invited to a Welcome Back Gala, and encouraged to dress as their favorite Hollywood icon.

She chose a classic to mirror, Audrey Hepburn from Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Complete with black dress, high heel shoes, long gloves, chunky sunglasses, pearls around her neck, and a silver tiara atop hair coifed just so Kathi rocked the look. Yowza.

Clearly, she was prepared. Upon seeing her I leaned in for a goodbye kiss, of course 😊.

Before going Kathi grabbed her car keys. With them she opened the car door, put keys in the ignition, turned the vehicle on, and went on her way.

Back-to-school week this year for us was fairly sane.

It isn’t always.
We were due.

You know what one item made these back-to-school trips a success?

Keys.

Without a four-digit code Graham’s bike would still be at school.
Without a house key Hannah would be locked out.
Without the car key Kathi’s CRV would still be in the drive.

Any of those withouts would have made this back-to-school week for us something less than success.

Then
To ready themselves for their journeys Jesus’ disciples also had to prepare.

To hit the road well they would need to –

Pack their belongings,
Fill water jugs,
Bathe,
Put on clothes,
Strap their sandals.

Over time perhaps roles for their travels with Jesus began to emerge.

Imagine –

James and John going ahead to find housing.
Jude and Matthew ensuring they had food.
Judas, as the treasurer, distributing funds.
Peter, as a leader, managing the crew.

Is everyone ready to go Jesus may have asked?

Breakfast finished?
Bags packed?
Sandals on?

Ok then. Let’s move.

Logistics now in place, they’d be on their way. Each new destination they arrived at made it possible for –

Parables to be shared.
Norms to be challenged.
Sickness to be healed.
Thousands to be fed.
Tables to be turned.

I saw a photo online recently with a street sign, right in the middle of a vast water body, that said No running. The caption above the photo said Behave yourself, Jesus. Christ would have likely broken this rule too 😊.

All this talking and healing and feeding and walking on water drew a crowd.
People were curious about who this guy was. What it is he represented. What the future could now be.

There was some buzz, chatter, rumors running around.
Jesus, noticing this, asks the disciples a question:

Who do people say that I am?

The disciples rattled off a list. Some say you are –

John the Baptist, or
Elijah, or
Jeremiah, or
some other prophet.

Jesus then gets more specific.
Who do you say that I am?

Peter, ever the confident one, chimes in.
You are the Messiah, Son of the living God.

Jesus responds Yes! Blessed are you, Peter. For my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. On this rock I will build this church.

Jesus then continues on, saying something symbolic, something important. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.

Up until then the disciples had been participating in a spectator sport. Oh they watched and cheered. But Jesus was the one on the field. With keys in hand now they could get in the game.

The image is from fifteenth century Italian painter Perugino, and is called Christ Handing the Keys to St. Peter.

These keys are big – almost as long as Peter’s torso – suggesting having them is a big deal.

Interpretation-wise this is one of the most contested passages in all of scripture.

The Roman Catholic Church stands on this text. In their understanding apostolic authority passes from generation to generation beginning right here with Peter, with the keys being passed, Pope by Pope, all the way to Francis.

As Protestants we see this passage more broadly.

We are a priesthood of all believers; that’s a notion Martin Luther developed.

We focus not on the person,
But on the proclamation.

And it is that proclamation that elicits those keys.

Now
Guided by the Spirit, when we confess Jesus is –

Messiah,
Son of God,
Lord –

we too are given the keys to the kingdom of heaven. It is these keys, when put to use, bit by bit, enable life on earth to better resemble the divine.

It is a kingdom where –
People are fed,
Clothed,
Housed,
Healed.

People have everything they need for the day.

It is a –
place of community,
governed by kindness,
practicing a politics of peace,
a harmony among peoples,
of every kind.

The disciples on this text received their keys.
In the upper room, on Pentecost, 120 received theirs.

Billions have received theirs ever since.

These keys show up every time we give testimony about –

Who Jesus is to us,
How God blesses us,
Where we see the Spirit move.

We use our keys every time we –
Love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind,
and Love our neighbors as ourselves.

As summer winds down, and we get back to –

School,
Work,
Church,
Routine,

And all the tasks that mark our daily journeys,
this text offers simple, powerful advice:

Don’t forget your keys.

For with your help, and
keys to the kingdom in hand,
this world will never be the same.
Amen.