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 16:17-19

I have always loved this story.

“Who do people say that I am?” Jesus asked. The disciples begin to chirp out names of prophets reincarnated. But not Peter.

I think we all love Peter because he’s a little insubordinate, but his heart is so clearly in the right place. Even though Jesus asked who “people say” He is, Peter either didn’t hear that or just didn’t care what people said. I’m pretty sure it’s the latter.

“You are the Son of God,” he said.

And boy did just speaking the truth in spite of the question, in spite of public opinion, in spite of his friends’ best efforts to sound intellectual, earn Peter a promotion. He got a new name, a new mission, and a promise that the Gates of Hell could not stop him.

“Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven,” Jesus tells him.

It must have been very awkward when shortly after that, Jesus is telling the disciples that He will suffer at the hands of the politicians and church leaders, and Peter spoke up and said, “Lord, this can’t happen.”

We all know that’s when Jesus replied, “Get behind me, Satan.”

I think about this a lot, because Peter had to feel pretty dumb. What’s wrong with wanting to keep your friend and mentor — your LORD — from being tortured and executed?

I don’t think Jesus’ words were aimed at Peter, though he was where the words came from. I think Satan spoke to Jesus in those words, though Peter’s motives were pure. We all have things that are completely innocent that Satan can use to tempt us, and I think Jesus’ reaction was to Satan using Peter’s protectiveness as a temptation.

But also think of this: Once God has given us a mission and called us His and told us that what we bind on Earth will be bound in Heaven, we have to be careful how we speak. I think it becomes very much more about seeking God’s will at that point, because we have an annointing from God that carries a lot of responsibility.

If God tells you something, don’t question it, don’t seek to block it in your own power. Open a conversation. He’ll show you what He means.

And never forget: Faith and truth got Peter a big promotion. I don’t think there’s a place in our lives where that doesn’t apply. ❤️