Upon This Rock I Will Build My Church

Dennis Edwards

Matthew 16:13-18

“When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood has not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

The Catholic Church uses these verses to show that Jesus built his church upon Peter. They claim Peter was the first Pope with divine authority to lead Christendom. Let us look at Scripture and see if we can decipher what Jesus was really saying.

First of all the name Peter comes from the Greek “petros” which means stone or rock. Jesus was either referring to Peter as the stone or rock upon which He would build His church, or He was referring to the statement Peter had just made, the proclamation that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. We like to use Scripture to interpret Scripture, so let us look at other areas where the imagery of the stone or rock are used in Scripture.

Matthew 21:33-42

“Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them. Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’ So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?” They said to Him, “He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.” Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes’?”

Jesus, quoting from Psalm 118:23-24, seems to be saying that He is the stone which they the religious leaders have rejected and that He will become the chief cornerstone, or the most important stone of God’s building.

The Book of Acts we find Peter himself making the same comparison. Acts 4:7-12.

“And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, “By what power or by what name have you done this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

We see Peter quoting from the Psalms and explicitly calling Jesus the stone which was rejected by the Jewish religious leaders, becoming the chief cornerstone, or most important stone in the God’s spiritual building. Let’s go to Peters first epistle and see what Peter writes there. 1 Peter 2:4-9.

”Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion, a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.” Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,” and “A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense.” They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

Peter continually calls Jesus the chief cornerstone of God’s building. God is building His church upon Jesus, not upon Peter. Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter, which means “a stone.” We who believe and follow Jesus are living stones. Apostle Peter is part of the temple of God, the church of living stones and so are we. Peter admits so much in his epistle.

Apostle Paul uses the same imagery of Jesus as the chief cornerstone in his epistles. 1 Corinthians 3: 11. “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” Paul is reminding us that the only foundation of the church is Jesus. Ephesians 2:20 "And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone."

In Jesus’ own parable about building our house upon the rock we see the word is the foundation we need to build our life upon. Matthew 7:24. ”Therefore whosoever hears these sayings of mine, and does them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock.” Jesus is that Rock. The word of God is the Rock.

Let’s go back to Matthew 21:42-44

”Jesus said unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.”

Here we see imagery of falling upon a stone or having the stone fall upon us. Before deciding what that means let’s look at Daniel 2 where we saw another stone. Daniel 2:34-35

”Thou saw till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing-floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.”

Jesus is the stone cut out without hands that will return and smash the empires of man and set up His Millennial Kingdom. So again we see Jesus as an image of stone.

In Psalm 18:1-2 we see David called God his rock. “I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.” Jesus is the rock.

Let’s reread Matthew 21:44, “And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.” Jesus is saying, fall upon Me and you will be broken, and I will lift you up. Or let me fall upon you in My anger and I will grind you to powder.

Psalm 51:17. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” God is able to live in us when we are broken. Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saves such as be of a contrite spirit.” Psalm 147:3 ”He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds.” Isaiah 61:1 “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.”

God wants to break our hard hearts through our suffering, save us and give us a heart that can love. Ezekiel 36:26 “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.” God is close to the broken-hearted. He can heal our broken hearts so we can be instruments of his love.

We need to add here, that yes, Apostle Peter was instrumental in the initial stages of the early Church. The word “church” signifies a called out group of believers, or a group of believers separated from the world. Peter was one of the key players that God used to help get Christianity moving. But Peter was not the stone upon which Jesus built His Church. The stone, the cornerstone or foundation stone was none other than Himself and the fact that He is the Messiah, the Son of the living God.

The Importance of Building on the Cornerstone[1] Isaiah 28:16

Therefore thus says the Lord God: "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; whoever believes will not act hastily."

Historically, the cornerstone was the most important part of any building. The total weight of an edifice rested on this particular stone, which, if removed, would collapse the whole structure. The cornerstone was also the key to keeping the walls straight. The builders would take sightings along the edges of this part of the building. If the cornerstone was set properly, the stonemasons could be assured that all the other corners of the building would be at the appropriate angles as well. Thus, the cornerstone became a symbol for that which held life together.

In the days of Isaiah, the leaders of Israel had chosen to rest their security on a different cornerstone. They chose to put their trust in their own political savvy. Through various military alliances, they thought they could hold their nation together. Ultimately, however, this shaky cornerstone failed and Israel was taken captive by the Babylonians.

Yet God declared through Isaiah that He would establish a cornerstone that would never fail--a stone that could be trusted because it had been tried and proven to be precious and sure.

The New Testament writers recognized that this stone was Jesus Christ. The Saviour said of Himself, "Did you never read in the Scriptures: 'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone'" (Matt. 21:42). The apostle Peter repeated Isaiah's prophecy and added, "And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame" (1 Pet. 2:6).

When the pressures of life bear down on you, there's only one cornerstone capable of handling the weight. When your need for guidance is urgent, there's only one cornerstone you can trust to keep your life straight. That cornerstone is Jesus. Trust Him with every aspect of your lives, and you will find that He never fails. He's not just a Rock; He's the Cornerstone.

[1] https://www.backtothebible.org/post/building-on-the-cornerstone