The Rock and the Church

Friday, March 29 | by Dr. Jay Harley

A Note About the Video

Video Transcript:

Today, Good Friday, the global Christian church commemorates, remembers, and reflects upon Jesus’ death on the cross. I pose a question to you - Does it really matter? The Romans crucified thousands of men and murdered millions of others. What is so special about this Jesus? I am standing at Caesarea Philippi. It is one of the locations in the Holy Land where the physical site can illuminate the Scriptures in profound ways. Matthew 16:13 records Jesus coming to this area by saying, "Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi." Behind me are the ruins of the city of Caesarea Philippi which was actually originally known as Paneas and then Banias and is today located in the Golan Heights and is part a large and beautiful nature reserve. It sits at the foot of Mt. Hermon, and the Hermon stream here in the city is one of the source waters for the Jordan River.

A quick history lesson on this site goes back to the Old Testament, where this region is referred to by the name Baal-gad, which is described in the northernmost conquest of Joshua as being "in the Valley of Lebanon at the foot of Mount Hermon" in Joshua 11, 12, and 13. Archaeologists have discovered ruins of 14 temples for the worship of Baal in the area. In 198 BC, Antiochus III conquered Palestine in a victory that was nearby. Later, the city belonged to the Itureans, and then was transferred by Ceasar Augustus to Herod the Great, who named it Caesarea in honor of Augustus and built a temple to Augustus here. Philip the Tetrarch, known as Herod Philip, was Herod the Great’s son. He developed the city further and lived here. The city became known as Caesarea Philippi to distinguish it from the better-known Caesarea-by the-Sea and to honor Ceasar Agustus and Herod Phillip. As such, it is mentioned in the New Testament (Matthew 16:13; Mark 8:27) in connection with Jesus' visit to the area. In 61 C.E. *Agrippa II renamed it Neronias in honor of the emperor Nero, but it kept this name only until 68. In 70, the Romans held games there to celebrate their victory over the Jewish revolt, and many Jewish captives were put to death. At the time of Christ, Caesarea Philippi was located on the main road to Damascus.

So many travelers came through the area, and while an impressive and bustling city, it was not a place that honored the true God. It was a place of multi-faceted, pagan, and even personalized worship. The huge rock-face that dominates the landscape is filled with small altars where people could worship different gods. The temple to Caesar Augustus was here, so the imperial cult was strong, and another temple existed in front of the giant cave. It was a temple to the Greek god Pan, and the legend was that the cave was the birthplace of Pan. If you are knowledgeable of Greek mythology, you may know that other mythology says the birth of Pan was somewhere else. Regardless, Pan was worshiped here. He was known as god of nature, fields, forests, mountains, flocks, and shepherds, which fits with the landscape of this area. The pagan worshipers would make sacrifices to Pan in the temple and at the mouth of the cave. The cave was also important to the pagan worship of the area. Local lore believed that the cave at Caesarea Philippi created a gate to the underworld (Hades), where fertility gods took up residence during the winter. People committed detestable acts to worship these false gods. Caesarea Philippi's location was especially unique because it stood at the base of a cliff where spring water flowed. At one time, the water ran directly from the mouth of a cave set in the bottom of the cliff.

Are you getting a glimpse of the profound symbolism of this place? It was here that Matthew records Jesus is asking his disciples in Matthew 16:13, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" Here, in the midst of pagan worship at a place where the emperor is worshiped, at a place where travelers stop to pay homage to a false god for good luck, and at a place where the underworld is believed to connect to earth. It is here where Jesus poses the question of who do people say He is. They respond with a tame answer - "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He then makes it personal - "But who do you say that I am?" In the midst of all this competition for worship – is He just another one of the gods along the way? Where does he rank in relation to Pan, Caesar, or someone else?

It is Peter who speaks up and answers - "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Jesus pronounces blessing on Peter for his answer. In the midst of all of this cultural and spiritual craziness, Jesus stands out. He is the promised Messiah.He is the son of the living God – not a dead emperor or a made up story.

So what about you? Who do you say Jesus is? Is he another good luck charm along the way? Is He different than the other things that demand your attention and worship? The week when the global church commemorates the death of Jesus and celebrates His resurrection is a great time for us to confirm Jesus’ place in our lives. He is not just another god along the way. The apostle Paul says it well in Colossians 1 when writing about Jesus: "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross." So I ask you again, who do you say Jesus is?

Dr. Jay Harley serves as Vice President for Student Affairs at Dallas Baptist University.