Worship into the Week- Who? at Banias, Israel

Worship into the Week

Matthew 16:13-20

Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ

Jesus and his disciples came to the 

district of Caesarea Philippi.

He asked the question- 

"Who do you say that the Son of Man is?"

They offered options:

John the Baptist, Elijah,

Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.

Peter speaks up and in  bold statement professes-

"You are the Christ, 

the son of the living Good."

Jesus responds that this truth

 has not been Peter's own knowledge,

 but revealed to him by His Father in heaven.

Then Jesus lays out the future of His Kingdom.

"...you are Peter, and on this rock

 I will build my church, and the gates of hell

 shall not prevail against it.

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven,

 and whatever you bind on earth

 shall rebound in heaven,

 and whatever you loose on earth

 shall be loosed in heaven."

Then he charged the disciples

 to tell nobody that he was the Christ.

 The Gates of Hades- 
or the Grotto of Pan at Banias, Israel.
The cave where cultic pagan sacrifices
 were made at Caesarea Philippi
 was filled in by an earthquake.
(From our trip in January 2020.)

Some of the niches that would have held gifts
 to the god Pan, the fertility god,
 beginning in the 3rd century BC.

 This spot sits at the base
 of Mount Hermon north of the Golan Heights.

Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi,
 but these "good Jewish boys"
 had heard about what happened at this site.
They would have known about the Gates of Hades.
It was a clash of worlds of two cultures here.
The perfect spot for Jesus to spotlight
 the countercultural projection of his Ministry.
The perfect spot to ask- "Who?"

The same question looms large in our own world.
A world that has turned away from the Messiah.
This spot is always such a powerful reminder
  that Jesus asks the same question of me today.
How will I make an uncommon impact in the world?
By loving God and loving my neighbors.

Supplies:
Visual Church Year  Printable
matthew-1619-82320
Magazine cutouts
Colored pencils
Washi tape