On this Rock

Passage: Matthew 16:13-20; John 21:15-19

As usual, Peter has no idea what he’s getting himself into. He is a simple man from a small town in a backwater of the Roman Empire. He’s never been the kind of guy to think things through. He tends to jump first, ask questions later. His brain is often playing catchup with his mouth. Peter’s impulsivity has always gotten him into trouble. But he’s not always wrong.
Peter signed on with Jesus without really thinking about it. It just felt like the right thing to do. Peter’s had this feeling about Jesus right from the start. There’s something about Jesus that makes Peter immediately willing to give everything up to follow him. And the more time he spends with Jesus, the more he’s convinced.

One day Jesus is walking with the disciples, and he asks one of his questions. A seemingly innocent question that opens the door to an infinite conversation. “Who,” he asks, “do people say I am?” The other disciples offer up the theories they’ve heard murmured through the crowds and in the coffee shops of the towns they’ve passed through. Elijah; Moses; Jeremiah; John the Baptist. Prophet. With a twinkle in his eye Jesus says, “That’s what everyone else is saying. What about you?” Peter can’t contain himself. “You’re the Christ! Messiah! Son of the living God!” He doesn’t know why, but he’s never been more certain anything else his whole life. Jesus turns to him. “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. You didn’t figure this out on your own, did you? It’s actually been revealed to you by my Father – by God himself. I think I’ll start calling you Peter – the Rock! On this rock I will build my church!” The other disciples laugh. Peter himself doesn’t know what to make of this.

Jesus smiles, but he’s not joking. As he says it, his eyes glisten and there’s a hint of sadness in his voice. Jesus knows the structural flaws in this foundation he’s chosen. He knows the ways this rock will shift and buckle before the building even begins. Jesus also knows what it will cost his friend to become the foundation of his church.Everything.

And what was Jesus thinking? Didn’t he know that when you build on a lopsided and shaky foundation you get a lopsided and shaky building? Why Peter? And what does it say about the church Jesus built that Peter was the first stone?
The church is infused with the character of the Rock. We aren’t always much to look at. We’re rough around the edges. We speak and act without always thinking everything through, and it gets us into trouble. But the Spirit has spoken to depths of our hearts and testifies again and again: He is the Christ, the Son of God. Follow him because no matter the cost, it's worth it!

We follow, never knowing where he will lead. We follow because we know that it’s true and that he is the hope of the world. Like Peter we are set in place side by side with a Rock that will not move and that cannot be shaken. The church is such a beautiful thing. Imperfect building materials somehow set perfectly in place by a master builder. Designed to stand for eternity and withstand the very powers of death and hell. Let yourself be shaped and molded and set in place by its builder and Lord.