MASTER KEY
MATTHEW 16: 17-22
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, 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.” Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ. From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never Lord!” he said. “This shall not happen to you!”
Before I got married, I had a period of courtship and engagement with my wife. It was a very exciting period as both of us shared so many things together, yet she wasn’t entitled to my assets until the day she was pronounced my wife. Even her name changed and we became one. Things changed and whatever belonged to me became hers too. But that was after the wedding when we were united in this marital bond.
In 1 Kings 17:1 Elijah said to King Ahab that there would be neither dew no rain in the next few years except at his word. Elijah had guts. He never said that there would be neither rain nor dew except at the Lord’s word. The Lord had bestowed a lot of power on Elijah and Elijah did whatever he though pleased the Lord with the authority. In fact the Lord had to take care of Elijah because nobody else could have allowed rain to fall had Elijah died.
And therefore when Jesus promised to give Peter so much power; to bind and to loose, he was careful about him which prompted to telling him that he would give him the keys. Note that Jesus hadn’t given him the keys yet, its like promising to marry someone. It doesn’t mean that the two are already married. This was only a promise. When Jesus started to predict his death and ultimate resurrection, Peter was moved and decided to seize the opportunity into rebuking the Lord Jesus. Peter rebuked Jesus telling Him that it would not happen to Him!
This would have been disastrous for the human race since, with the keys in his hands, Peter would have bound the Lord Jesus for death and resurrection. The Lord would have honored His word and that could have stopped the Lord from saving the world. Many times the promises of the Lord tarry for our own good. If the Lord sees that a car is not necessary in your life, however much you fast, you will have to wait until the time you mature up to become responsible in handling a car. Some people cry over vehicles when in really sense they can’t even manipulate toys! But thanks to the Lord Jesus’s wisdom for not giving Peter the keys then.
Training is important before duty is delegated. Soldiers have to undergo thorough training before they can be allowed to start using live bullets. Many Christians want to use live bullets before they can actually qualify using the rubber bullets. There are others who run away from training and expect to become full soldiers, how can they be? A deserter has no authority over weapons but we can see spiritual deserters misleading many people today with their little knowledge. It is likewise extremely risky for one to drive a vehicle that he /she is not conversant with.
Church leaders ought to be careful on whom an authority is placed. The secular world knows how to enlist authority and power. They employ professionals in their businesses so that they can command results. Tell me about your ministry; how many spiritual professionals do you have in your church to assist in the management of your affairs? The church should therefore perform better than the world since we have the name of Jesus which is power. It is the world that should emulate the church and not the otherwise.
