Here is the next passage in my series on on the Secrets of the Kingdom. It is a complex passage, so I think I'll break it into a few parts.
Part 1: On What Rock
Part 2: I Will Build My Church
Part 3: Gates of Hades and Keys of the Kingdom
Matt 16:15-19 (NIV)
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”What rock is Jesus building His church on?
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 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.”
Jesus Gave Simon the nickname 'Peter' or Pétros which means a stone (pebble), such as a small rock found along a pathway. Something that can be thrown.
http://concordances.org/greek/4074.htm
There is a second term for rock here. The one which Jesus will build His church is Pétra which means a cliff or large immovable rock.
Jesus is playing with two different words for rock. He is referring to Simon Peter as his nickname 'pebble' (Pétros), and stating he will build His church on an immovable rock (Pétra).
Who is the rock, and who is the pebble?
1 Cor 10:4 uses the same term Pétra for rock to refer to Jesus.
A number of verses refer to Jesus as the cornerstone.
So I'm not sure. I'm not a Greek scholar, but Jesus may be saying here that the solid rock which He will build His church on is:
- Jesus himself
- (or) the previous statement Peter made which stated that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God.
How do you read this passage? Do you believe the church was built upon Simon Peter?
1 comment:
No, the church was built on the the rock of ages, Jesus Christ.
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