May 4, 2012

Matthew 16:19  "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."


Okay, in 30 seconds or less give me a definitive, exact, no-room-for-reinterpretation explanation of that verse.  30...29...28...27...   Didn't think so.

There are some verses in the Bible that are so open to interpretation we may never know the "exact" meaning this side of heaven.  For me, Matthew 16:19 is one such verse.

In his devotional journal, Experiencing God Day-by-Day, Blackaby writes "the keys to the kingdom represent the access  you have to the Father through your relationship to Jesus Christ.  With this relationship you have access to everything that is accessible to Christ."  Hmmm. . . .  If this truly is the correct interpretation of this verse, then I too can literally walk on water, curse fig trees and raise the dead.

I am not sure I agree with Blackaby on this one.  The context of this verse was a conversation between Christ and Simon Peter.  When reading the whole chapter, I don't find anywhere where Christ offers this to all believers.  In fact, the very next verse (Matthew 16:20) is "then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone he was the Messiah."  Which, to me, even reinforces the fact that the promise in verse 19 was a very specific promise to Simon Peter and not meant for general consumption.  Perhaps I am missing out on seeing the Lord work miracles through me as a result of my interpretation/disbelief, but. . .

I do agree with Blackaby when he wrote, "you do not have need for an intermediary, for you to have an unobstructed access to God.  With that access comes all the resources you need to face any circumstance." p. 164.  But access does not equal power.  My immediate, 24/7 access to God the Father is equal to Christ's, but not the unlimited power of Christ.

My boss, Dr. Hackenwerth, can give me 24/7 access to him through email, text messages and phone calls; however, that doesn't mean I can make budgetary decisions, assign building principals, etc.

With that said, the comfort, guidance, strength and wisdom available to each believer through unlimited access to God the Father is far more than enough to get us through this life here on earth.  If we took advantage of that access more frequently I wonder how many bad decisions would be avoided, restful nights' sleep would be gained and relationships would be restored.