The Rock

A rock is sturdy and good to build upon but it's also hard to get through.  Once you get through it, it's solid.  That thing you thrust into it is not moving.  But what about a man who is like a rock?

Matthew 16:15 He said to them, " But who do you say that I am?"
16 Simon Peter answered and said, " You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
17 Jesus answered and said to him, " Blessed are you, Simon Bar- Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter [The Rock], and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

Wow.  Strong statement coming from the Son of God.  Jesus is revealing two things to us here.

1. Peter has been chosen to lead.
2. Peter is comparable to a rock.

Now, we are all familiar with the ways in which Peter served as the foundation or rock of the church.  But God revealed to me something further about Peter and why He chose to nick name him "The Rock".  God wanted to point out to Peter that he is sturdy and steadfast but also that he is hard-headed and, at times, dense.  Understanding did not come easily to Peter.

Matthew 16:21 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.
22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, " Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!"
23 But He turned and said to Peter, " Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."

Ouch!  Jesus had said many times throughout his time with his disciples "have I been with you guys so long and you still don't understand?"  Peter was chief among the misunderstanders.  Even after Jesus was resurrected, the day of pentecost had come, and the apostles were all baptised in the Holy Spirit, again Peter has trouble understanding or accepting the truth about what Jesus had accomplished:

Acts 10:10 Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance 11 and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. 12 In it were all kinds of four- footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. 13 And a voice came to him, " Rise, Peter; kill and eat."
14 But Peter said, "Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean."
15 And a voice spoke to him again the second time, " What God has cleansed you must not call common." 16 This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again.

Three times, dude.  Three times God had to illustrate to Peter that the new covenant freed all men, especially Jews, from eating restrictions.  In fact, Peter knew the law and the prophets had been fulfilled.  Jesus said so Himself.  But poor Peter was so hard-headed....  The man actually is on record in scripture attempting to correct Jesus several times.  And this is "The Rock" on which Jesus would build His church?  Are you kidding me?

Well, here comes the part where Peter serves as the perfect illustration for the difference between how men think and how God thinks.  Remember what God said in Isaiah:

55:8 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord.

You see, just as it was hard for anything Jesus said or did to penetrate Peter's thick skull, once it got in there it never left.  The harder it was for understanding to break through Peter's hard head, the more secure the understanding was once he had it.

So the very attribute of Peter that makes many people wonder why Jesus chose him is the same attribute that caused him to stand before all Jerusalem and preach reconciliation to the very people he had watched murder Jesus only months before.

A hard-headed man alone is dangerous.  A hard-headed man for The Kingdom of God is glorious.  God bless all of us hard heads.