Rock and Roll!

Much is said when we talk about this passage in Matthew 16 about the interpretation of who or what the rock is. Catholics would have you say that the rock is Peter himself, and that this establishes the papacy. Others say that although it refers to Peter, his confession is the rock—the confession that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Let’s take away, for a moment, that discussion and focus on that confession. When Jesus asks who people say that He is, and then asks the disciples specifically who they say that He is, the response that comes back from Peter is not one that was arrived at naturally. It was not something that Peter or the others were going to figure out for themselves. God had to reveal Himself to Peter. God had to show Peter Jesus’ identity. And that revelation is going to be foundational to the Church, to its mission, to its fight against the devil and hell itself.

“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). Jesus was not just some rabbi or teacher or good man or someone with a new, interesting philosophy to live by. He was not someone who might have had special gifts and abilities to heal, or speak, or feed thousands from what seemed like magic tricks. He was the one promised from of old, all the way back in Genesis—the Christ, the Anointed, the Messiah, the chosen one of God! This is who Jesus is: the Son of the living God, God and man, the One who came to fulfill what God promised, the One who was speaking to them as the fulfillment of God’s plan.

And this fulfillment—this Jesus—is going to storm the gates of hell, and they will not be able to withstand it. Through suffering and death on a cross, the death of God’s plan and the destruction of all that God loves seemed imminent. But God changed that. He reversed it. He used it instead to display His power, His glory, His victory over sin, death, and the devil on our behalf, forever.

And we are blessed, because this was not revealed just to Simon Peter but has also been revealed to us. By His word, we also now know, through the Spirit, who Jesus is, what he has done, and who we are now as his children—redeemed, forgiven, and granted salvation.

Let everything else come what may. Let the gates of hell and the Devil himself come against us—they will not prevail. Christ has already prevailed against them, for us, forever.

Praise God for that!

“Gracious God, thank you for the truth of who Jesus is: Your Chosen One, Your Son, the One who conquered all for us. Help us to build our foundation, in all aspects of our lives, on Him—our Rock, our fortress, our Savior. In His precious name we pray; amen.”

Scripture

• Matthew 16:13-20
• Psalm 138 (responsory)