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Good Monday to you my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
We’ve all heard the question, ‘what’s in a name’? So, I wonder what you know about your name? Why was that name chosen for you? What does your name mean to you and others?
Yesterday I left you in Caesarea Philippi with Jesus and His disciples and they were wrestling with the significance of NAMES! Jesus had asked them who people thought He was, and then Jesus asked them who THEY, His disciples, thought He was. You may recall that both Joseph and Mary had been given very specific angelic instructions to name Mary’s miraculous baby “Jesus” (Luke 1:31 & Matt. 1:21) because “He will save His people from their sins.” ‘Jesus’ means “Savior” or “Deliverer”, but you probably knew that already, didn’t you?
Peter had responded to Jesus’ question with that very famous declaration: “You are the Christ [Messiah] the Son of the living God.” (Matt. 16:16) and Jesus had responded with a remarkable declaration to Peter: “Blessed are you Simon, son of John, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood but by My Father in heaven.” (Matt. 16:17) Yesterday I explained to you how Jesus’ response to Peter gave validity to his original name ‘Simon‘, because Simon meant “he who hears God”.
But Jesus was not yet finished, and His next statement to His disciples has been interpreted in very diverse and significant ways over the centuries. Those various interpretations have resulted in major religious decisions, divisions and developments, including the establishment of the Roman Catholic Papacy and perhaps even Vatican City!
The words Jesus said, as recorded in the English language and NIV version of our Bible are these: “I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” (Matt. 16:18) What did Jesus mean and how does it relate to you and me and our world today 2000 years later?
John gives us the story of the first time Simon Peter & Jesus met and when Jesus gave Simon the ‘nickname’ “Peter”. John writes: “Jesus looked at him and said: You are Simon son of John, you will be called ‘Cephas’ (which when translated is Peter).” (John 1:41,42) Names can be very important can’t they, my friends? We’ve already discussed that the name “Simon” means “he who hears God”. The name “Cephas” which Jesus gave Simon, is in the Aramaic dialect, the ancient language spoken in the northern Israel region of Galilee. It was the language Jesus and his disciples and most everyone in the Galilee spoke. “Cephas” means ‘stone’. The name “Peter” is the English version of that name and “Petros” is the Greek language version of that name.
Greek was the official language spoken across most of the Roman empire in those days, and the language which Matthew and other writers of the New Testament used. So why would Jesus give Simon the nickname ‘Cephas’ or “Petros” in Greek?
As you may know God several times in the Bible changed people’s names and each time it was significant. Do you remember? Abram became “Abraham” the father of many nations. (Gen. 17:1-7) His wife Sarai was given the name “Sarah”. (Gen. 17:15-19) And their grandson Jacob was renamed “Israel”, remember? (Gen. 35:9-12) So why the name change for Simon?
Sculpting was a major industry in the first century. As you know some of those great sculptures are very famous and still stand in many parts of Europe and the Middle East! At Caesarea Philippi many niches had been cut out of the cliff and statue idols had been sculpted and put in those niches for worship.
The name “Peter” or “Petros” means ‘stone’ or ‘small rock’ or better yet, ‘chip off the block’, as a chip is chiseled away from the big block of stone or marble by a sculptor! Could it mean Jesus was challenging Simon Peter to yes, be a man who hears God, but also be a man who resolves and is refined by God to be a man like Jesus his master? Is that what Jesus had in mind by inviting Peter and the other 11 men to follow Him as disciples, learning from Him and being ‘sculpted’ or changed by His Holy Spirit to be more and more like Jesus? Now ponder that a moment and consider what God wants to do in your life and mine as we trust Jesus to be our Savior and invite the transforming work of the Holy Spirit in our refinement, our sanctification!
So what did Jesus mean by including Peter in this famous statement: “I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” (Matt. 16:18) For Peter and the disciples that day at Caesarea Philippi I believe it was very clear, but for many others of us, over the centuries, far from that place, it may be confusing. The key is the word ROCK, do you see it in the middle of Jesus’ statement?
Remember ‘Petros’ means ‘stone’ or ‘little rock’ and some have therefore explained that Jesus was declaring PETER himself to be the rock-like person upon whom Jesus would build His church. But that could not be true!
I’m sure you agree that God did not send Jesus, God the Son, to earth to live a sinless life; and proclaim God’s truth; and die an atonement death on the cross and raise Him from the dead; and ascend risen Jesus back to heaven; so that the future of Christianity would all be built on one, frail human being, Peter!
A human being that actually DENIED that he was a disciple of Jesus three times (Matt. 26:69-75) only a few hours after they had been together in the upper room where Peter had promised he’d be willing to die for Jesus! (John 13:34-38)
No, in this statement Jesus is affirming both of Simon Peter’s names, urging him to keep hearing God and keep pursuing becoming a ‘chip of the block’, a man like Jesus in character and courage. But the rock upon which Jesus would build His church was not Peter, rather it was the STATEMENT of great TRUTH which Peter had proclaimed about Jesus’ IDENTITY, for ONLY Jesus can save sin condemned people! The word ROCK which Jesus used in this verse is “PETRA” in the Greek, just as “Petros” is the Greek for Peter. Do you see the difference? ‘Petra’ means boulder or the large slab of marble out of which a sculptor cuts a great statue. And those chips falling as he sculpts are the ‘petros’ (chips) off the ‘petra’! Do you see it now my friends?
The unchanging IDENTITY of Jesus, the Messiah, God the Son, is the “PETRA” rock upon which Jesus can build His Church for Jesus alone is the Savior of our world, and as people trust Jesus to be their Savior, they are united by Jesus into His church. (Col. 1:15-22) Here Jesus introduced a new word ‘church’ for the first time. That word ‘church’ is the Greek word “ekklesia” and it means people who are ‘called out’.
People called out from the darkness and evil of our world to be a people forgiven by God of their sin because of Jesus’ atonement death; and then adopted into God’s family, indwelt by the Holy Spirit and joined together by Jesus as His indestructible, victorious Church!
And that’s why Jesus said, “I will build My church…”. It’s all a miraculous, God glorifying, work of Jesus which is rooted in what Jesus accomplished that Passover/Easter weekend in His death and resurrection.
We need to pause right here, and I urge you to re-read those few key verses several times and then talk to the risen Jesus Christ thanking Him for the lifesaving truth of those statements and praising Him for all He has done in your life. Tomorrow, we have much more to understand for Jesus had much more to say that day! Here’s a song to help us celebrate these great truths!
Today’s Scripture: Matt. 16:13-18.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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