KEYS TO THE KINGDOM

Jesus, help me to be respectful of places and things that have to be opened with keys! Amen.

Jesus asked His Apostles, "Who do people say I am?" "John the Baptist; or Elijah, Jeremiah or a prophet," they said. Jesus asked, "But who do you say I am?" "You're the Messiah, the Son of God," Peter said. Happy to hear the right answer, Jesus said, "Peter, your name means 'rock,' and on that rock I'll build my church. I'll give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven."

Keys mean a lot to adults. They're always losing their keys, rummaging through purses and drawers for the right key or worrying that they forgot to lock the house or the car. Even if you want to protect your stuff, too, the whole key issue can seem weird!

Jesus might agree with you. He didn't even have a home or car to lock up, so He only cared about one key: the "key to heaven," which he talks about in this week's Gospel (Matthew 16:13-19).

The point of having keys is to keep people from stealing things your family has worked hard to afford, and to keep people safe. Whoever has the keys has the power to get into your house or car.

When Jesus talked about "keys to heaven," He didn't mean real keys. Heaven isn't a house; it's something much bigger that we can't even imagine.

In giving Peter the "keys to heaven," Jesus was saying that He trusted Peter to lead the Apostles. Peter understood that Jesus was the Son of God, so Peter would be rewarded by being close to God -- and helping other people get closer, too.

Adults who have keys to a house or car are supposed to use them well. They're responsible for keeping the house in good shape and driving the car safely. Peter, who got "keys to heaven," was also supposed to use those keys well: to build up the kingdom of heaven, the number of people who will go there, by being the best leader he could.

(06/26/08)