Matthew 16:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

NIV: And 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.

NASB: And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

CSB: And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

NLT: Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.

KJV: And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

NKJV: 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.

This verse is often misunderstood because it is often misused. As with other verses, this is partly due to translation. The words written in Greek show a relationship not so obvious in English. Here, Jesus is responding to Peter's declaration that He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. He declared Peter blessed for understanding this and insisted this understanding was given to Peter by God the Father (Matthew 16:13–17).

Roman Catholics point to what Jesus says here as evidence that Jesus established Peter as the first holder of a special office in the church on earth. They believe Peter to have been the first Pope, that Jesus gave him a spiritual authority over the other disciples and all believers in this moment. According to that claim, the "rock" Jesus will build on is Peter, himself.

However, there is an element of wordplay involved here. As written in Greek, Peter's name is Petros, meaning "a rock" or "a stone," and the word Jesus uses for the foundation is petra, which means "rock" in the sense of a substance or material. Jesus does not say "you are Petros, and on this Petros I will build…" nor does He say, "you are petra, and on this petra I will build." Rather, He says "you are Petros [a stone], and on this petra [rock] I will build my church." The rock on which God will establish His church is in the confession Peter has just made: that Jesus is "the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16).

Peter certainly becomes the leader of the disciples and first spokesman for Christ in the earliest days of the church. Under the power of the Holy Spirit, Peter preaches the initial sermon as the church is born and 3,000 people come to faith in Christ in a single day (Acts 2). Peter, though, is far from infallible and his faith falters on several occasions, both before Christ's death and resurrection (Matthew 16:23) and during the time of the apostles (Galatians 2:11–14).

However, the church—the collection of all people who come to faith in Christ as Savior––exists only because of the central truth that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God. That is the power that keeps the gates of hell from overcoming those who are in Christ, His people, the church. Peter plays a vital role for a time, but eventually disappears even from the story of the church's beginnings after Acts 16. Just as was promised, the foundation of God's new covenant is not centered around any fallible person or place, but in the hearts and minds of each individual person (Hebrews 8:6–13).

A group of Pharisees and Sadducees demand a miracle from Jesus, though He has already performed many. Jesus refuses and warns the disciples to beware of the teachings of these religious leaders. Jesus asks the disciples who the people say He is, as well as their own opinion. Peter says Jesus is the Christ, and is commended for that statement. Jesus begins to reveal that He must suffer and be killed before being raised on the third day. Peter's attempt to scold Jesus results in a devastating rebuke. Jesus then says all who would follow Him must take up crosses of self-denial.

Matthew 16 finds Jesus returned from the Gentile regions, only to be immediately confronted by another group of Jewish religious leaders. Yet again, these men prove they are insincere: no amount of evidence will ever be enough for them. After a dramatic discussion about Jesus' role as Messiah, Jesus indicates that those who would come after Him must take up their crosses and follow Him. His references to some seeing the Son of Man coming in His kingdom will be fulfilled at the beginning of chapter 17, in an event known as the transfiguration.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.