A Craggy Pebble Becomes a Smooth Rock

We see growth in Peter when Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” In verse 15, the conversation shifts to Peter, who said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” I love Jesus’s reply: “Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jona [Simon son of John] because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:13, 15, 17–19 NASB). This, my friends, is a huge turning point for Peter, but it is also very debatable. Let’s break it down as best we can:

• Peter now acknowledges Jesus’s deity.
• Peter (Petros: masculine) was strong like a rock, but here Jesus changed the meaning when He said, “on this rock” (petra, feminine). You see He is using Greek words, which say that Jesus is now going to build His church on Peter’s confession: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16 NASB). Looking at 1 Corinthians 3:11, Paul confirms that only Christ can lay the church’s foundation.
• Jesus commended him for speaking the truth, blessed him, and affirmed to him that this declaration was revealed to him by God, the Father in heaven.
• Peter is showing that more crags have been smoothed out of the rock.
• Jesus Christ would be the builder and head of this church (Ephesians 1:22; Colossians 1:18; 1 Peter 2:6). Note that this is the first use of the word church (vs. 18) in the New Testament. It comes from the Greek word ekklesia (ek-klay-see-uh), from which the word ecclesiastical is derived, which means “pertaining to the church.” Jesus was introducing something new.
• His church would unite both Jew and gentile to form a new body (Ephesians 2:11–3:12; Galatians 3:28).
• Christ would be the chief cornerstone, as spoken of in Isaiah 28:16.
• The believers would be “living stones” (1 Peter 2:4–5).
• There would be a “oneness” of God (Ephesians 4:1–6) that would reveal love and unity to the world (John 17:20–26).
• Peter would be given the keys, which represent opening the door of salvation to all (Jew, Samaritan, and gentile) who believe in Him. These would be the people of the church.
• Some Christian groups declare that this Bible passage points to Peter as the Rock. Therefore, they insist that Peter is the foundation of the church. Peter’s affirmation; however, certifies that the church is built on Christ alone.

We next see Peter with Jesus and the other disciples on their way to Caesarea Philippi (Mark 8:27–33). Jesus asked them the question again of who people say He was, but this time, He uses the pronoun “I.” Answers from the disciples varied from John the Baptist, Elijah, and maybe even another prophet. Not accepting their answers, He repeats the question, but this time, note His wording: “‘But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say that I am?’” (Mark 8:29 NIV). Peter spoke up. Was it because Jesus was directing the question to him, or was he speaking up for the other disciples? Peter answered, “You are the Christ.” Jesus then continued the conversation with a preview of His rejection by His people, the Crucifixion, and His resurrection. At this point, Peter took Jesus aside and rebuked Him. I find this remarkably interesting. Dr. G. Campbell Morgan said, “The man who loves Jesus, but shuns God’s method, is a stumbling block to himself.” Peter was still a bit craggy here, as he still did not understand the relationship of suffering for glory that Jesus was foreseeing.