Thread by @Bezner

About to crash into post-church nap, BUT if you care, here’s my take on the Matthew 16 “you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church” after all the great discussion earlier this week. 🧵

As has been well-documented, Jesus refers Peter as “petros,” the Greek word for stone or rock. In John 1 Jesus calls him Cephas, the Aramaic word for rock. But let’s be honest: Peter ain’t a rock. Not by a long shot. He’s erratic.

He denies Jesus three times. He cuts off an ear of the servant of the high priest. He makes Jesus so made that he gets called Satan. He has great moments of promise and great moments of disappointment.

But Peter is still called a rock. Why?

Because he still confesses Jesus as the Messiah. Even though Peter is an absolute mess, Jesus can use him because he sees who Jesus actually is. This is what Jesus wants to use in building the church: people who know their weakness yet still confess Jesus as Lord.

This is why Bonhoeffer says Peter is a rock—bc he weeps when he betrays Jesus. He *knows* he needs grace. THAT is what God wants—people who know their flaws. In my weakness, You are made strong. So God builds using those kinds of rocks. Not just Peter, but any who call on Jesus.

Jesus then says he will build his church on this Petra—or bedrock. What is this bedrock?

Jesus was teaching this in Caesarea Phillipi—a center of pagan worship in the ancient world. Jesus says he will build a church on THIS rock—right in the middle of idol worshippers.

Point being: People who know their weakness and cry out to Jesus are more powerful than any pagan god. So Jesus will build a church on the likes of people like Peter (and you and me) and if we confess our weakness and need for Jesus, it will be strong. How strong?

It will defeat the Gates of Hades—a very real place of pagan worship that could be seen right from where Jesus was standing. Orgies, should sacrifice, and the like probably took place here. But the church would be stronger than this.

So Jesus builds his church using rocks (this of us who confess him as Messiah and our need for his grace), on this rock (the bedrock of a pagan society), and it will beat back even the Gates of Hades (pagan idol worship). My two cents. Nap time. Grace and peace.