Jesus said to Peter in Matthew 16:18, “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”
Based on Jesus’ declaration, many people believe He built His Church upon Peter, since “Peter” means “rock.” However, many biblical facts disprove this interpretation, including the two below.
The first fact that disproves this interpretation is the contrast between the definitions of the words “Peter” and “rock” in Matthew 16:18 and throughout the New Testament. In the original Greek text, Peter is the word “Petros,” which means “a piece of a rock or a stone.” This word appears 162 times in the New Testament and, in each instance, refers to Peter as an individual.
However, the Greek word for the “rock” that Jesus said He would build His Church upon is “Petra,” which means “a rock mass, a cliff, a ledge, or a large boulder or stone.” This word is used only 14 times in the New Testament and, in each instance, conveys something far more substantial than a small rock or pebble, even referring to Jesus Christ Himself.
Consider some of the other passages that contain the Greek word “Petra” and the substantial, immovable rock they convey, versus a small rock or pebble:
Mark 15:46 says. “Then he bought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock (“Petra”), and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.”
Revelation 6:15-16 says, “And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks (“Petra”) of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks (“Petra”), ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!’”
Matthew 7:24-25 says, “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock (“Petra”): and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock (“Petra”).
1 Corinthians 10:1-4 says, “Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock (“Petra”) that followed them, and that Rock (“Petra”) was Christ.
Considering the fact that Jesus used the word “Petra” (not “Petros”) for the “rock” upon which He would build His Church, He overtly conveyed that the foundation of His Church would be something far more substantial, immovable, momentous, and noteworthy than that of any sinful-natured human. Furthermore, if Jesus meant that Peter would be that rock, He would have used the word “Petros” twice in Matthew 16:18—once for “Peter” and again for “rock.”
The second fact that disproves the claim that Peter was the “rock” upon which Jesus would build His Church is the context surrounding His declaration. Matthew 16:13-18 reads, “When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, ‘Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?’ So they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter (“Petros”), and on this rock (“Petra”) I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.’”
Given the context surrounding Jesus’ declaration, His statement to Peter about building His Church was not about Peter, the person, but about Peter’s declaration that Jesus was the Son of God and the promised Messiah of the Old Testament, as revealed to him by God the Father moments earlier.
Therefore, Jesus’ use of a different word for “rock” than “Petros” (to signify a rock mass, a cliff, a ledge, or a large boulder or stone, versus a small pebble or stone), combined with the fact that His declaration about building His Church immediately followed Peter’s confession that He was the Christ, makes the meaning of Matthew 16:18 clear:
The Church would be built upon Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Savior of the world, and would be comprised of those who profess faith in Him as the promised Messiah of the Old Testament, who would save His people from their sins. Or to put it another way, Jesus’ pronouncement about building His Church was in reference to Peter’s declaration, not his person.
The above interpretation and conclusion are consistent with the rest of Scripture, which also affirms that Jesus is the foundation and the chief cornerstone of the Church, upon which everything must be aligned.
Consider what the Bible says regarding these facts:
1 Corinthians 3:10-11 says, “According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
Colossians 1:18 says, “He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.”
Ephesians 2:19-22 says, “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”
1 Peter 2:6-8 says, “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 (“Petra”) of offense.’”
Romans 12:4-5 says, “For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”
I hope this brief synopsis of Matthew 16:18 helps you understand why Peter was not the “rock” upon which Jesus built His Church.
