Building on Faith (Matt 16:13-180
- This scene starts in verse 13 when Jesus asks his disciples who the crowds say that he is.
- Verse 18 This statement is part of How Jesus then responds to Peter’s correct answer.
- It starts with a play on words in the original language, Petros and Petra
- The Name peter means rock or Rocky in the original language.
- Jesus is commending Simon for answering the question about who Jesus is correctly.
- Simon showed both great faith and an ability to hear from God the Father in his answer and Jesus commends him for that by calling him a rock.
- But as for what Jesus means by, “I will build my church upon this rock”
- Some traditions have taken this to mean that Peter was the first Pope of the catholic church.
- But honestly that is probably beyond the scope of what Jesus had in mind.
- The Message bible: “You are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put together my church,”
- Remember Jesus is commending Simon for his great faith and discernment.
- The rock on which Jesus will build or put together his church is faith.
- So when Jesus says, “and on this rock I will build my church” he is talking less about Simon Peter and his authority, and more about faith.
- The Basis of the church is faith.
- This then applies to all of us then, and not just Simon Peter.
- Jesus finishes here by saying and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
- To understand what this means we need to identify what the pronoun “it” refers back to.
- Most bible scholars today believe that the “it” refers to the faith that Jesus is commending Simon Peter for.
- Even the powers of hell will not be able to overcome the faith of the true believer.
- But now remember it is this faith that Jesus is going to build His church on.
- So when the church is operating in faith and from a place of faith, the church too then cannot be overcome by the forces of hell.
- So it is the faith of the believers in the church that makes the church to stand strong.
- We must also not loss sight of this faith being in Jesus Christ as the Messiah and living God as Simon Peter confessed in verse 16.
- Jesus is telling all of us to have faith in Him as the Messiah and living God.
- The Message bible: “a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out.”
- The term gates refers to a place of power!
- Remember hell or hades is for the dead.
- We are to focus on the Living God Jesus.
- We the church focused, on the living God, are the hope of the world.