City Life Starter

Written by Scott Fiddler

The Word

13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”

15 He *said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

17 And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

18 “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.

Matthew 16:13-18

Commentary

But who do you say that I am?

It is the most important question ever asked of any person in history. It is the question every person will be asked, and it is the question every person will eventually have to answer.

Peter answered correctly. In response, Jesus said, “…you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church…” The name, Peter, in Greek is “Petros,” and the Greek word Jesus uses for “rock” is “petra.” “Petros” is the masculine form for rock and “petra” the feminine. Jesus is engaging in a play on words.  There are at least two interpretations.

Catholic doctrine asserts Peter is the rock upon which Jesus was promising to build his Church because the name Peter and “petra” both mean rock. Catholic theologians rely on this scripture to bolster their argument for papal succession, which they allege began with Peter.

There are, however, problems with this interpretation. The first is textual. If Jesus was referring to Peter as the rock, why didn’t he use the masculine form “petros” when referring to the foundation on which he would build his Church? When Jesus taught about the foundation on which the wise man built his house, Jesus used the word “petra” not “petros” (Matthews 7:24).

The second problem with this interpretation is that a flawed man is no foundation for the Church, the bride of Christ. And no surprise here, but Peter, like all men, was flawed, even though he was a true Kingdom hero.

The better interpretation is that Jesus is indeed using a play on the word “rock,” but He is emphasizing that while Peter (“petros”) gets credit for recognizing the revelation, it is a different rock (“petra”), the rock of revelation of who Jesus is, that is the foundation on which God will build his Church. It is the foundation every Christian must first lay in their life before building anything that will last.

Application

It is this revelation that Jesus is the Son of God, not just a man, or a good teacher, or inspirational preacher, that is the foundation for the Church. If Jesus was just a good teacher or inspirational preacher, he was in no position to demand we follow His advice. But if Jesus is the Son of God, He is right to demand our full obedience (Luke 6:46), and we must love Him more than any of our possessions (Luke 14:33), more than our spouses, children, parents, brothers, and sisters (Luke 14:26), and more than ourselves (Luke 14:26-27).

That is a foundation one can build upon.

Prayer

Lord, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Amen.