In Matthew 16 Jesus took his disciples to the district of Caesarea Philippi, there he posed two questions to his disciples. First, he asked, who the people said he was, to which they replied, John the Baptist, or one of the prophets, such as Elijah or Jeremiah. Then Jesus asked them the more important question; who they said he was. Simon responded and declared Jesus to be the Christ, Son of the Living God. At that response, Jesus told Simon that God had revealed that information to him; from then on he would be called Peter and prophesied that on this rock he, Jesus, would build his church against which the Gates of Hades would not prevail.
To us, Jesus’ reference to the Gates of Hades and the connection with their being in Caesarea Philippi might not be clear. The Gates of Hades was a cave located at Caesarea Philippi, which was thought to be the entrance to the underworld. In that cave sprang two springs which formed part of the headwaters of the Jordan River. It was believed that the gods of fertility dwelled there and into those springs, the ancient Romans would cast infants to secure a bountiful harvest. If the child disappeared, then it was believed that the sacrifice had been accepted, but if blood appeared in the water, then the sacrifice had been rejected and another child would need to be sacrificed. When Jesus declared his church would overwhelm the Gates of Hades, in effect he was saying that his church would overcome the pagan religion of the Romans and Greeks. With the preaching of the apostles, the Gospel of Jesus began to do just that.
The Emperor Julian, nephew of the Emperor Constantine, was just one illustration of the power of Jesus to transform the Roman Empire and the world. Julian had been raised a Christian, but as an adult returned to the ancient pagan religion of Rome. Traveling through Asia Minor he came upon a city in which the pagan temple was in disrepair and the priests spent their time getting drunk. Appalled, Julian chastised them for the condition of the temple, their behavior and for not taking care of the poor. He urged them to care for the poor as the Christians did. However, Julian’s response revealed how much Jesus’ message had changed him and the Roman world. The priests were acting as pagan priests had always acted; they got drunk and thought little of the poor who were despised in the ancient Greek and Roman world. Julian wanted the priests to act as if they were Christians. In other words, Jesus message had impacted not only those who believed in him, but had changed the standard of behavior for everyone, demonstrating a fulfillment of what he had declared back at Caesarea Philippi!
David Freitag 