“The gates of Hades will not prevail”

Matthew 16:17-19

 

Pastor Tom Johnson, August 24, 2014

Jesus question, “Who do you say that I am?” and Peter’s response, “the Messiah, the Son of the living God” is not unique to Matthew. Mark and Luke also include these too. But the statement “the gates of Hades will not prevail” is unique to Matthew. Some of you may already think I obsess with biblical references to Sheol and Hades. You will not be disappointed. This morning I will not pass up the opportunity to talk about it because I think the message Jesus sends with this phrase is just too good to ignore.

“You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.” It doesn't get much better than that! These words are meant to reassure Peter of his important role in the birth of the church on Pentecost. These words are meant to reassure all of God’s people that God will edify and build us up on a solid foundation. The confession of Peter—the Good News that Jesus is the promised Messiah—both human and divine—that is the cornerstone of that rock-solid foundation. Jesus’ death and resurrection will be proclaimed by Peter, the Apostles, and all God’s people worldwide and generation after generation—and here is where it gets really rich and deep—“the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.”

For a moment, put Greek mythology out of your mind. Forget about Dante’s Inferno. Explore with me this profound comfort. Jesus makes a clear, biblical reference here. The gates of Hades are the gates or bars of Sheol. In the Hebrew Scriptures, Sheol is literally the grave. Sheol is the tomb. And even more than that, it personifies the power of death itself. The grave has an open mouth and a voracious appetite. This is what Jesus references here—a vivid nightmare—a horrific vision shared by the prophet Job and King Hezekiah when they were sick and spiritually oppressed (Job 10:21,22; 17:16; 28:17; Isa 38:10). Matthew’s Gospel is the most Jewish of all and those reading it would have immediately recognized this reference. Both Job and Hezekiah are deathly ill. They both feel like death is swallowing them alive. To put it bluntly, they feel like they have been buried alive. And their tomb has iron bars to lock them in so they cannot escape.

You’ll remember that this is what happens to Joseph when his brothers throw him into a cistern. They throw him into a rock-hewn grave without any way of escape. You’ll remember that this is what happens to Daniel when King Darius throws him into a cave. The open is closed by a rolling stone—the gate of death secures his fate as he is surrounded by deadly lions who will have him for breakfast.

You’ll remember Jonah who was swallowed alive by the great fish which he called Sheol or the grave. His tomb was the stomach of a beast and its teeth the bars he was locked behind. You’ll remember Ester who was forced to marry a foreign king; she felt trapped—locked into a relationship for the remainder of her life. You’ll remember that this is what happens to Jesus when he is buried in a newly hewn tomb and the stone is rolled over the mouth and set with a Roman seal. And this may be how we feel at times or perhaps at some point in our lives.

We humans fear death. There is so much about it that can strike terror in our hearts. And it is a formidable adversary. You have probably heard the same cliché as I have many times that “the only thing inevitable in life is death.” And so we may find ourselves overwhelmed—like we are buried alive with no way of escape. The darkness deepens and it seems like the cloud will never go away. The gates of death are locked. Death seems to have the upper hand. It may be the weight of physical illness pressing us down, emotional or psychological stress, or the agony of a spiritual struggle—or all three. We may feel alone, abandoned, defeated, with no way out and no way of escape.

Who do you say Jesus is? What does he mean to you? What difference does he make in your life? Peter says he is true Messiah, the Son of the Living God! And Jesus says, “You’re right, Peter. And even better than that, I will completely change the rules of the game. There will be a paradigm shift that you can hardly imagine. No longer will death be on the offense but the defense. I will build my church. I will advance the Kingdom of God. Light will overcome darkness. Life will defeat death. The gates of Hades will not prevail! Life charges forward and death braces itself.” The defensive barricade will not be able to hold back and stop those who have new life in the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Joseph will escape his living grave and lifted up as governor of Egypt whose leadership will save nations from a deadly famine. The Angel of the Lord will close the mouths of the lions and Daniel’s testimony will change the heart of Darius, King over all Babylon. The great fish will spit Jonah out so that he has a second chance to deliver mercy and forgiveness to a violent people. God will use Ester to change the heart of her husband the king and deliver thousands from genocide. The angel will roll away the stone so the world can see Jesus is not overcome by death; he is risen. Death has not prevailed. Eternal life has the victory.

Remember Job and Hezekiah’s shared nightmare of the Gates of Sheol? After feeling locked in the dungeon of death behind the gates of Hades, King Hezekiah will say, “The Lord will save me, and we will play my music on stringed instruments all the days of our lives at the house of the Lord.” Job will say, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God.”  We too have been set free from the fear and captivity of death. The gates of Hades have been unhinged and knocked down. The gates of life, grace, and peace in the Kingdom of God are wide open and invite us in.