Subject: Mathew 16:18--what is the "rock"? |
Bible Note: Greetings Emmaus! I'm sure you have heard this before, but Christ uses two different Greek words in this verse. Jesus uses the masculine 'Petros', which is Peter's name. And, He uses the feminine 'Petra', which is the Greek word for 'rock'. Thus, the question arises: Why the change in words? If Jesus meant to say that He would build His church upon Peter, why did't He simply say, "And upon Petros, I will build my church'? This word change has resulted in several possible understandings. 1) That Peter is the rock! The problem here is that this view doesn't explain the word change in anyway and it isn't even accurate historically. Peter wasn't the leader of even the disciples - James was! 2) That Peter's confession would be the rock! This has the advantage of explaining the word change and being in harmony with Mt. 7:24-25, where words are considered a foundation of 'petra'. 3) That Jesus Himself is the rock! Again, this would explain the word change. It would also fit well with 1 Cor. 3:11, where Jesus Himself is the foundation upon which we build. This seems to me to be the best choice since this very word is used 3 times in the New Testament in reference to Christ (Rom. 9:33, 1 Cor. 10:4, and 1 Peter 2:8. The last reference is especially interesting, since it is Peter himself who uses this term in reference to Christ, but not in reference to himself. Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |