THE GATES OF HELL
The Gospel of Matthew tells of Jesus and His disciples traveling to the district of Caesarea Philippi where a very important conversation took place.
It would have taken them 12 hours to walk there from their home base in Capernaum, but today, the incredibly scenic drive due north of the Sea of Galilee only takes an hour. Caesarea Philippi sits at the foot of snowcapped Mount Hermon looming majestically in the east, and its spring fed Banias River feeds the Jordan, flowing south toward the Galilee.
A bird’s-eye view of northern Israel
Caesarea Philippi at the base of Mt Hermon
The Banias River gets its name from the ancient site of a temple complex carved into the cliffs and dedicated to worshiping the Greek god Pan and the Nymph goddesses. Pan was depicted as half-man half-goat. Both were associated with fertility and were worshiped by vile means of debauchery, prostitution, and sacrifice, both animal and human. An annual festival was held here, potentially boasting over one million people. In the midst of all this vile worship, victims would be thrown into the gaping cave (believed to be bottomless) filled with turbulent water fed by an underground spring. If the body disappeared, ‘Pan was pleased.’ If the water turned red, he was not.
The name of the pagan festival was Pandemonium.
The name of the cave was The Gates of Hell.
It was to this city, as my friend Jesse Reeves says, that “Jesus decided to take His 12 teenaged disciples on a field trip.”
An artist depiction of the Temple of Pan
Now, I haven’t seen the latest season of The Chosen yet, so I have no clue how this scene will be portrayed. But, I’ve always pictured it taking place at night: a little outside the city. I imagine Jesus and His disciples sitting around a campfire, the sounds of drums and voices echoing in the distance. The conversation moves from recent miracles to the pagan rituals taking place nearby. Then Jesus poses a question…
“Who are people saying the Son of Man is?”
For a moment, no one speaks. Only the evening breeze and the crackle of burning wood can be heard. Finally, someone answers…
“Well, some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
Jesus raises His eyebrows and tosses a small twig into the fire. The silence lingers.
“But you,” He said to them, “who do you say I am?”
Simon turns his head toward his Rabbi. His face determined. He inhales, then speaks with steady confidence.
“You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.”
The story continues, but let’s pause here for a moment…
We know at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, John the Baptist had pointed Jesus out as the Lamb of God. Andrew, one of John’s disciples, not only began following Jesus, but immediately found his brother, Simon, and told him, “We found the Messiah!”
If Andrew told him, how could Jesus respond to Simon’s confession by saying, “No human being revealed this to you, no, it was My Father in Heaven?”
Recently, this enigma came up casually in conversation with my brother. He offered a profound perspective. Yes, Simon had been told by Andrew that Jesus was the Messiah. It would seem he even believed it…
But, there was a greater knowing to be had…
Simon had just witnessed the second miraculous feeding of thousands, he’d witnessed the blind receiving their sight, the dead being raised, the demons fleeing. He’d heard the Sermon on the Mount, potentially multiple times, and the truth of those words were changing the fabric of his being.
Now, Simon had seen the city of Pandemonium… and the Gates of Hell. The stark difference between these two kingdoms was shocking. The more he experienced the Kingdom of God, the more he understood Who Jesus was. The things of this world were paling in comparison. He was tasting the sweetness of God and all else was being revealed as bland or even bitter.
There was a greater knowing to be had.
I’ve been to the Gates of Hell. I brought my ten-year-old on that same field trip.
I put my arm around his little shoulder, pointed into that cave, told him that some puny gods used to be worshipped in this place, but Jesus said He would build His Church, His Community, His Assembly, and not even the chaotic, evil Gates of Hell could overpower it!
We sang songs of worship to the Messiah, the Son of the Living God, while standing by the Gates of Hell...
…and I can’t wait to worship Him there again.
My son Nicky in 2019, at the Banias River, Caesarea Philippi.
