Sunday of October 28, 2001
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea, Philippi,
he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied,
“Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or
one of the prophets” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I
am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living
God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not
revealed to you by man, but by my father in heaven. 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. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you
bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be
loosed in heaven.” Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was
the Christ. Matthew 16:13-20
This passage is considered to be one of the most misunderstood passages by today’s Roman Catholics. It is their belief that the bones and flesh of Apostle Peter are the very foundation of the Roman Catholic Church in Rome, Italy. [I would like to make a personal note that I do not recognize today’s Roman Catholic Church as a church, but a semi-cult in terms of its teachings]. Although Christ promised that He will build the church on this rock (Matthew 16:18) and that the “rock” seems to point to Apostle Peter, Christ accused Apostle Peter as a stumbling block and a demon in Matthew 16:23. Christ rebuked Apostle Peter because Apostle Peter did not want Jesus to die on the cross. It is true that Peter’s name is a play for the Greek word for “rock.” It is Apostle Peter’s confession in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior to be the “rock” and foundation of the church.
We can learn to apply what we have heard from Reverend Ryan Kim’s message by staying with a church where the very foundation of the church is Jesus Christ. A good church should not be man-centered, but God-centered. Sunday worship should remind believers that Christ was crucified, resurrected, and ascended into heaven. Thus, the role of the church is not to please people, but to bring them to repentance