Delivered by Amy Higgins on August 27, 2023

Scripture: Matthew 16:13-20

St. Peter needed a break and asked Jesus to cover the Pearly Gates for him. The first person came up and Jesus asked, “Who do you say that I am?’ The man answered, “The Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Then Jesus asked, “And how do you know this?” The man replied, “My pastor told me.” Jesus told the man he would have to wait. A second person came up and Jesus asked, “Who do you say that I am?” And the man answered, “The Messiah, the Son of the living God,” Jesus then asked him, “And how do you know this?” That man answered saying, “The Bible says so.” Jesus told the second man he would have to wait. 

A third man arrived at the gate and Jesus asked, “Who do you say that I am?” The man answered, “The Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus again asked, “And how do you know this?” The third man answered, “Because my own heart and brain tell me this to be true.” Jesus replied, “Come with me.” Jesus led the man through the gate. As they began to walk through heaven the man said, “But, now on the other hand…”

“Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.” Peter, from the Greek name Petros which, means stone. Rock. Like a Rock. Strong. Tough. Hard. Hard-headed. Stubborn. Rocks in your head. Dumb as a box of rocks. Box. Rigid. Confined. Closed. Where did your mind go in my word association, just now? You may have even thought of things I did not mention. But, no matter what any of us thought, we did not finish where we started.

We believe Peter is the rock Jesus speaks of, after all, Jesus literally names him “Rock”. He is the foundation upon which the Church is built. We believe Jesus calls him the rock because of the strength of his faith. But we know Peter is human, he stumbles. Peter is not always an unfailing, unflinching disciple especially in stressful situations. Yet we still believe he is the rock upon which Jesus says he will build the Church. But let’s look at this again.

“…this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.” Matthew chapter 21 and 1 Peter chapter 2 both refer to Christ as the Cornerstone. If Jesus is the cornerstone how is Peter the foundation of the Church? Yes, Jesus blesses Peter for recognizing Jesus as the Messiah through God’s revelation but, Christ is the Cornerstone. “…by my Father in heaven…on this rock I will build my church.”  What if God is the rock?

In the Song of Moses in Deuteronomy 32:17-18, “They sacrificed to false gods, which are not God – gods they had not known, gods that recently appeared, gods your ancestors did not fear. You deserted the Rock, who fathered you; you forgot the God who gave you birth.” The Rock who fathered you. The God. And it is not just Moses who calls God the Rock but, also Isaiah. Chapter 51, verse one. “Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn.” God is not just a rock; He is the whole quarry. 

Aren’t stone buildings amazing? We have a beautiful example just next door. How is it possible that stones which are so different from one another can fit together to build a stable structure? We have created symmetrical, uniform bricks that perfectly fit together which should be better but, somehow the stone structures endure. We have constructed our buildings from the materials available to us. But no matter the physical structure seen on the outside, inside everyone should find stones hewn from the quarry. The quarry, the rock. The unchangeable rock. That is until it allows itself to be broken and cut into stones. 

Like Peter, the stone, we too are cut from the quarry of God. Pieces of the rock – different shapes and sizes, colors, and textures; each one broken, some with smooth places, others with jagged edges, some more changed by time and its environment than others but, all hewn from the Rock, the God who gave them birth. Every stone unique, seemingly unable to fit together yet are held together by the Cornerstone of Christ. 

We see the Rock as unchanging and immovable, and as the foundation of the Church we think the Church has to be as well. The Church is a sign and symbol in the world. Which one will we show the world? Man’s perfectly stacked uniform bricks? Or the Church that Jesus built?