And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.
Matthew 16:18
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On this rock
Peter had just said who Jesus is. Now Jesus says who Peter is. In Greek it is a play on words: Petros and petra. Petra means rock. Christians have disagreed for centuries about who or what the rock is: Peter himself, his confession, or Christ.
A few verses later the same Peter is sharply rebuked. Jesus calls him the rock, yet he is a man with faults. But it is Jesus' own church, and he builds it himself.
Question for today
What can Jesus build with someone like me, faults and all?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you build your church with ordinary people. Thank you for giving me a place in it too. Let me build on you. Amen.
One of the 325 words of Jesus on this site, from the temple to Revelation. See all the words in order →