The Rock
“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.”
Matthew 16:18
Today, we hear Jesus telling Peter that he is the rock on which His church will be built. Jesus is saying that though He will be rejected by the people, arrested, tried and found innocent and then crucified anyway, it would not stop Him from building His church. Peter and the Apostles are to be the leaders that will build the future community of followers.
I have pondered this idea for a couple of weeks. What does this mean for us? What is the church built on today? Who is the rock? Who are the builders? Recently, several surveys have reported that there are not as many people attending church today. What can we do about it?
Peter was an ordinary fisherman who was called to be a disciple of Jesus. Aren’t we the ordinary people who Jesus calls and wants the church to be built on today? Isn’t He calling us, you and me, to provide a foundation and to invite others to join us, and to provide for those in need and for those whose hearts are ready to hear the word of God?
Aesop tells the story of a thirsty crow that drops rocks into a pitcher of water to raise the water level enough so that he can reach it to drink from it. Research shows that real crows do the same thing. You take a container with some water in it and, as you add rocks, the water level rises.
That is His blueprint for the church. Jesus Christ is our Cornerstone. We are to keep adding believers and seekers so that we build up the church, and let it overflow with people who will then go into the world proclaiming God’s Word.
