The gates of Hades

 

It was a pivotal moment in time when, in Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked His disciples,

“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” – Matthew 16:13 (NLT)

They replied, John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the prophets. Then Jesus asked,

“But who do you say I am?” – Matthew 16:15 (NLT)

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” (v 16)

Jesus, responding to Peter said,

“You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being.” (v 17)

Where this conversation was held is not without significance. Caesarea Philippi lay on the southern slopes of Mount Hebron; an ancient city which was the epicentre of worship of Pan, the heathen god of fertility. Herod the Great’s son Philip enlarged the city and gave it its name in honour of the Caesar, the so-called son of god.

This location was the place where persons came to make sacrifices to Pan and perform all sorts of diabolical fertility rituals and, it was the site of a unique feature – a large, cavernous grotto, believed to be the entrance to the underworld called the gates of Hades.

 It was at this secluded spot, where the four sources of the Jordan and nearby streams united, that Jesus chose to begin preparing His disciples for His approaching suffering, death and resurrection.

This was not a place that any God-fearing Jewish man or woman would voluntarily visit but this is where Jesus purposely took His disciples.

The gates of Hades represented an evil stronghold, so why did Jesus choose this location? Jesus wanted His disciples to have a visual point of reference for what He was about to tell them.

Jesus had started a conversation; He asked two pertinent questions. The first was answered by all the disciples but the answer to the second, and more important, was divinely revealed to Peter.

In this place, where people came to worship a false god and the Caesar, as the son of god, Peter, through divine revelation correctly identifies Jesus as, the Son of the living God.

In the midst of falsehood, truth prevailed. Then Jesus says to Peter,

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. – Matthew 16:18 (NRSVUE)

Jesus renames Peter, calling him Petros which means rock or bedrock and indeed this was an important time for Peter, but it held even greater significance.

You see, we have always been led to believe that this pivotal moment was purely about Peter being the rock or foundation of the church but looking at this entire passage in Matthew 16:13-20, there is more to be observed.

Taking a closer look at the specific location; the gates of Hades was a grotto carved deep into an enormous mountainous rock. Jesus was telling His disciples then and us now that the gates of evil are not strong enough to hold His Church back, the gates shall never be victorious over His Church.

The Kingdom of God is above all evil strongholds!

In the first century, people were placing their hopes in the gates of Hades, and even today, some people still place their hopes in all sorts of things other than Jesus, and they are being torn apart.

That day, Jesus didn’t only give Peter a new name, He gave Him the keys of the Kingdom of heaven, putting power in Peter’s hands and charging him with taking the mission to the ends of the earth and we, as Christians, are gifted and charged with the same.

”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.” (v 19)

Beloved, where are there gates of Hades around you or in your own life? Places of sin and suffering, pain and sickness, hardships and challenges, distress and hopelessness, situations that are tearing individuals and families apart.

We, the Church, have been given the keys, authority and power to overcome the gates of Hades but it seems that we don’t realize that. Our focus has shifted; we have become too fixated on the what and not on Who and the why. It’s all about the brick and mortar and the manmade traditions and the mission has been almost aborted.

Jesus has built His Church on the foundation, the bedrock of Who He is, the Son of the Living God and as long as we remember that, then the gates of Hades shall not prevail against His Church.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “The gates of Hades” ©2026 May 15, 2026