The Gates of Hell
Day eight of a month for prayer and fasting and calling out to God
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
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. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Matthew 16:15-19
I have wanted to share this for a while now, and was prompted again by a visit to Aberdeen in the North East of Scotland and listening to this teaching from King's Church Aberdeen:
A couple of years ago I had the opportunity to visit Israel and we were taken to the region of Caesarea Philippi, and the Gates of Hell. A most beautiful place:
Our guide shared that in ancient times, some believed that caves were gates to hell and there are different places around the world that have been given this title. In Caesarea Philippi one of the sources of the river Jordan originates from this “gate of hell” and it is an incredible contrast, the bleakness of this pagan site with the clear, fresh, life giving water.
Was it here that Jesus said the wonderful words above? Where he finally prompted his disciples to give voice to their growing belief that he was indeed the messiah, the saviour promised by God. And if so, this explains what has confused me for my whole life: why would Jesus say “I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” If the gates of Hades (Hell) that Jesus was referring to were the pagan religions, the sacrifices to idols and foreign gods that we are warned away from, then this is what cannot overcome the church, Jesus’ church:
Idols of wood and stone will crumble and be broken. Small G gods forged in gold or silver and adorned with precious stones may look beautiful and enticing, but they are cold and heartless. And in our modern age, the idols of identity and ideology steal away hope for the future, the normal desires for family and children, harming and sterilising and trapping their victims in a cycle of destruction.
Was it here that Jesus brought his disciples? To a bustling place where animals were sold and perhaps people too, for sacrifice, to appease gods who would not, could not listen. To help his closest friends understand that it is only through Jesus - who listened and heard and touched the leper and the blind and lame and sick and even dead and healed and brought back to life - through Jesus that the river of life flows, ever onwards and outwards, refreshing and restoring:
Father in heaven, thank you for your son, for Jesus, who came to give us life, to bring us back from death and hell, to restore and heal, to comfort and encourage. Thank you, Father, that you are the God of life, the giver of life, the one who calls us to live - fully - as you intended. May your life flow through us, fill us, pour out from us. May we, your church, take your life out into this world, bring your refreshing to a weary and downtrodden world. Bring your church into contact with our children, to share your life, your hope, your healing that they too may know the source of life. Guide us and lead us. Help us to hear you. Amen
Read yesterday’s post: https://goal31.substack.com/p/we-speak-the-name-of-jesus
Day nine: https://goal31.substack.com/p/sackcloth-and-ashes
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