"You are Peter," said Jesus Christ, "and on this rock I will build my church." (Matthew 16:18). Who exactly is the person the church is built on? This question can be answered by considering the context of Jesus' words and other scriptures that speak of the "rock mass."
The Son of God asked his disciples, "Who are the men who say that the Son of Man is?" His answer: "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, once again Jeremiah or one of the prophets." "But who do you say I am?" Jesus continued. Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." At that moment Jesus said: “Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah, for he did not reveal flesh and blood to you but my Father who is in heaven. So I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rocky mass I will build my church, and the gates of Hade will not dominate it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. "- Matt. 16: 13-19.
Notice what was at stake: the "Son of Man" identity. Peter correctly identified Jesus as "Christ, the Son of the living God." Since this had been revealed to Peter by the Father, apparently through the action of the Holy Ghost, the Son of God could speak of Simon Peter as "happy." Peter's happiness was spiritual and testified to his recognized position with his father.
The statement about the rocky mass follows, as Jesus preceded with the words, "I tell you that you are Peter." Does this mean that the Son of God has changed the subject with regard to his identity to Peter? This does not seem to have been the case. Why not? Because, according to biblical accounts, after directing his comments to Peter, Jesus strictly instructed his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ. The Son of Man ".
But what did Jesus mean when he said, "You are Peter"? The name Pietro was not originally borne by "Simon, the son of Jonas". it was given to him by the Son of God when he was called to be a disciple. John 1:42 reports: “When Jesus looked at him, he said, 'You are Simon, the son of John [Jonah]; you will be called Cephas "(translated by Peter)". Just as Simon correctly identified Jesus as "Christ, the Son of the living God," Jesus now identified Simon with the name he gave him: "Peter." Given Simon's creed about Jesus, the name "Peter" (meaning "stone" or "stone", meaning stone or separate stone) was the most appropriate. It revealed that the conviction expressed by Simon had solidity and solidity in stone and therefore could provide an excellent service to the Son of God. The name "Peter" identified Simon whose he was, just as the phrase "Christ, the Son of the living God" identified Jesus.
But the Son of God did not say, "And on you, Peter, I will build my church." No. He said, "On this rocky massif I will build my church." Since it was Jesus' identity, the "stone" would be what Peter recognized as "Christ, the Son of the living God." In other words, Jesus said, "On the stone you confess, Peter, I will build my church."
This understanding is also confirmed by Jesus' statement that "the gates of Hades will not conquer the church". In a revelation to the apostle John, the Son of God said: "I have the keys of death and of death". Because it is based on what can deliver its members from death and death, the church cannot be submerged or maintained in Hades permanently.
Obviously, the "keys to the kingdom" given to Peter could not be "the keys to death and hell." They must have been related to giving people the opportunity to enter the kingdom. Jesus' words at Luke 11:52 show what these "keys" are. He told Jewish religious leaders who refused to take advantage of the opportunities of the kingdom: “They have taken the key to knowledge; They themselves did not enter and those who entered were hampered. Based on the fact that the “keys” were given to Peter, this apostle was the one who gave the knowledge at the Pentecostal meeting in AD 33. Jews and Jewish proselytes entering the kingdom of heaven and in 36 it was he who passed on the knowledge of life to the first non-Jewish convert, Cornelius and his family, as well as to his close friends.
Other parts of the Bible provide further evidence that the rock is definitely Christ. The apostle Peter describes co-faith as “coming to [Jesus Christ] as a living stone that is rejected by people, but chosen by God, precious”. These Christians "build a spiritual house like living stones". (1 Peter 2: 4, 5.) The apostle Paul did the same when he wrote to the Christians of Ephesus: "They were built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, while Christ Jesus himself is the cornerstone. " Regarding the rock from which the Israelites received miraculous water in two different places, Paul wrote: "They drank of the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock signifies a prophetic type. of] Christ. "- 1 Cor. 10: 4;
The combined testimony of the scriptures clearly shows that Jesus, whom Peter recognized as “Christ, the Son of the living God,” is the rock. At the top is built the church in which the apostles, including Peter, serve as a secondary foundation.
