"A Rock's Impact"

(or, What Makes Jesus So Special?)

Mt.16:13-21 Sept.22/02

"I am a Rock...and a Rock feels no Pain"

Something really freaky happened this summer. I discovered that my oldest daughter, who'd been away at college for 4 years, somewhere along the way had acquired a CD of the very same album that was my very favourite one during my own teen years. So I'd be working away around the house and suddenly be snapped back by nostalgia through the strains of a cut from Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge over Troubled Water" album. Don't ask me how that happened, it's one of life's mysteries that my offspring should have a preference for the same music as me!

             One of the songs in particular I resonated very strongly with, yet looking back I would warn others against. Its words are engraved on my memory to this day, yet it's probably the most detrimental song that's ever impacted me. Its chorus states, "I am a rock...and a rock feels no pain." The writer talks about being alone, gazing at the world around as a distanced observer. His books protect him, he's shielded in armour safe within his room, touching no one and allowing no one to touch him. "Don't talk of love", he pleads; those feelings have died within him; "if I'd never loved I never would have cried." The song suits anyone who's ever had romantic stirrings crushed or been disappointed and hurt by a relationship that didn't work out. Our tendency then is to recoil, to protect ourself from further hurt. Guys have role models like John Wayne or Clint Eastwood that play right into this attitude: "Don't mess with me or I'll take you out with my trusty six-shooter."

             When life has been hard on us, our natural reaction to the hurting is to toughen up, resist with rock-hardness the pain others might cause us, intentionally or otherwise. We all long for significance and security, to be loved by someone -- yet we're cautious about getting hurt in the process, because others aren't perfect. The good news about Jesus is that we can come to experience true love and protection by trusting in Him, rather than by withdrawing or becoming petrified like a rock.

Jesus Towers Over Other Prophets

The setting for Jesus' questioning of His disciples in Matthew 16 is a set-up. We're told in verse 13 they were in the region of Caesarea Philippi. This was on the southern slopes of Mount Hermon, a huge 9000' high mountain with a ridge 20 miles long; its snowy peaks dominate the landscape even from the Sea of Galilee, nearly 50 miles away. When Andrew, Simon, James and John had been out fishing, many mornings they would have seen the sun's rays first striking this majestic monolith. Such a high location made Caesarea Philippi a natural site for religious rituals. Baal was worshipped here in Old Testament times. The Greek name for this town was "Paneas" in honour of the Greek god "Pan" (from which word we get "pantheism" - the worship of God as existing in all things, an earlier hint of what today is called "New Age" religion). The area was especially pagan, with a variety of shrines and idols. In Palestine in Jesus' day, this was about as far away as you could get from Jerusalem.

             Blyth (or any town in this pluralistic society) isn't that far from Caesarea Philippi. As each year passes, the influence of the Christian beliefs of our pioneer ancestors is waning and other belief systems are becoming more prominent. Paganism is increasingly popular, and it doesn't have to be the outright worship of Satan or his claw-holds of drugs, alcohol, lust etc. Heathenism can come to us very respectably dressed. Take for example the recent addition to our community of pop can recycling bins to support Shriners' Children's Hospitals. The newspaper article tells us the local club is currently assisting six local children to receive needed medical assistance - that's good. We're told 192,000 children overall are currently receiving care, with a budget close to $600 million dollars. Sounds like a wonderful program, and I would want to contribute my few aluminum cans to such a worthy cause. But Biblically-oriented Christians would not approve of some of the teachings of freemasonry that forbid mention of Jesus in the lodge, or like pantheism roll the God of the Bible in with the gods of the Canaanites and Egyptians. If our neighbours say that there are many paths but they all lead to the "top of the mountain" spiritually speaking, that just goes to show we do live in Caesarea Philippi. (At this point in my sermon writing, as if on cue, two Jehovah's witnesses came to the door, eager to share with me their scrambled views on getting right with God through works.) As Charles Moore states in ChristianWeek newspaper: "Christianity is no less offensive to the modern and postmodern liberal pluralist mindset that dominates Canada today than it was to the ancient pagan Romans. Our era's relativism and positivism can't stomach real Christianity's uncompromising claim to being the absolute and final truth for everyone, everywhere, for all time."

             So it was in this setting, far removed from synagogue and Temple and other Jewish religious signs, that Jesus quizzed His followers about His true significance. "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" In other words, "What's the word on the street? What are the common folk saying about Me?" (They were only too aware that the religious authorities viewed Jesus as a heretic, if not a blasphemer.) They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." The Baptizer had insisted he was only a forerunner preparing the way for the Messiah. According to Malachi 4(5f), Jews expected Elijah to return before Messiah came. So there were people who figured Jesus was in this "forerunner" category - someone getting things ready for the coming of the Messiah who would deliver Israel from the tyranny and taxes of the hated Romans. Other people lumped Jesus in with prophets like Jeremiah, someone who spoke God's truth, warned of consequences for sin, and perhaps performed miracles to back up the importance of the message. But Jesus zeroed in on the disciples by asking, "What about you? Who do you say I am?" These were the men who'd known him day after day for 3 years. They'd seen His miracles, heard His teaching, noticed His heart for the hurting, and been shocked by His warnings against the religious stuffed-shirts. Would they draw conclusions any different than what everybody else was saying? Jesus' sermon in Capernaum in John 6 on being the "Bread of Life" had resulted in many of the crowd He'd attracted turning away, shaking their heads. Would His own band of 12 desert Him, too?

             (Verse 16) Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Kazzam! A light had gone on in the fisherman's head - with help from above he put it all together and realized this was God's Anointed One, the long-awaited Deliverer of Israel. In the emotional fever-pitch of the gale on the lake they had worshiped Jesus as someone divine; now here, in the broad light of day, without excitement from any miracle and while flies buzzed lazily by in the mid-east heat, Simon calmly avowed what most Jews would find shocking blasphemy: that this man standing before him was God-in-the-flesh.

             That's what sets Jesus apart from the other human sages and prophets down through the centuries: His claim to be God as well as man. Rulers have declared themselves divine, even accepted worship as gods, but they all died. The founders of other world religions did not claim to be God, only messengers; they all died as ordinary people do. Jesus' resurrection causes Him to tower over the "holy men" of other religions. He was seen by many, over several occasions (1Cor.15); this sealed His claim to actually be God's Son in a very unique sense. Other prophets proclaimed ways to supposedly get right with God; but Jesus became the Way by which we sinners can be put right with a Holy Almighty God. Someone has written:

             'Buddha never claimed to be God. Moses never claimed to be Jehovah. Mohammed never claimed to be Allah. Yet Jesus Christ claimed to be the true and living God. Buddah simply said, "I am a teacher in search of the truth." Jesus said, "I am the Truth." Confucius said, "I never claimed to be holy." Jesus said, "Who convicts me of sin?" Mohammed said, "Unless God throws his cloak of mercy over me, I have no hope." Jesus said, "Unless you believe in me, you will die in your sins."'

             AT Pierson says of Jesus, "He stands absolutely alone in history; in teaching, in example, in character, an exception, a marvel, and He is Himself the evidence of Christianity." The snowy slopes of Mount Hermon make it particularly eye-catching, even from a distance. That snow-white purity is what makes Jesus stand out. Church historian Philip Schaff says, 'A catalog of virtues and graces, however complete, would merely give us a mechanical view. It's the spotless purity and the sinlessness of Jesus as acknowledged by friend and foe that raises His character high above the reach of all others. In Him we see the even harmony and symmetry of all graces: His love for God and man, His dignity and humility, His strength and tenderness, his greatness and simplicity, and His self-control and submission. It's the absolute perfection of Christ's character that makes Him a moral miracle in History. It's futile to compare Him with saints and sages, ancient or modern. Even the skeptic Jean Jacques Rousseau was compelled to remark, "If Socrates lived and died like a sage, Jesus lived and died like a God."'

Recognizing Christ makes Impulsive Peter a Stable Rock

Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven." (16:17) God had brought Simon to this conclusion; it was more than a deduction of his natural reasoning, or from the opinions of others. So we need to read the gospels through or watch the Jesus video and pray and settle in our own hearts who Jesus is, rather than rely on the convictions of other people. Faith is a gift of God; only God's Spirit can "make the light come on" for us, who were once in darkness. And when that happens, it is a blessing: Jesus is real to you; you know that you know, and nobody's going to take that away from you.

             Jesus continued (16:18), "And I tell you that you are Peter [petros], and on this rock [petra] I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it." In coming to know Jesus as He truly was, God empowered Simon to come to know himself in a new way, as Peter, the rock. Did the other disciples snigger under their breath when they heard this? "Simon - a rock? Hot-headed, impulsive, jump-in-the-water-with-clothes-on Simon? you've got to be kidding!" Is this the man you'd really choose to head an organization if you were departing the planet? At the last supper he boasted he'd stick beside his Master to death, even if nobody else did. He cut off a servant's ear when Jesus was arrested, though that wasn't Jesus' style. Then at the crucial moment, when the trial was on, Peter flat-out denied he even knew Jesus - not once, not twice, but three times. Even after the resurrection, in John 21 Peter is a little too quick to return to the old livelihood of fishing. Hardly a candidate for the title of "rock"!

             But hold on a minute. Who is this in Acts 2 at Pentecost, boldly declaring Jesus to be the Christ in plain view of those who killed Him barely a couple of months before? Naming them as the perpetrators of the crime? Calling all to make an about-turn and be baptized in Jesus' name for their forgiveness? Jesus did change Peter's character from impulsiveness to faithfulness, from fleeing to save his skin to standing resolutely for what he knew to be true even if he'd have to die as a result. Similarly for us, recognizing and committing to Jesus is a gift that transforms our life with an everlasting rock-like quality. Finally we know the truth about the universe - and can rest in the Fact of One who transcends death!

             Some Protestant commentators on this passage have been reluctant to identify Peter as the "rock" on which Jesus says He'll build His church. Leery of papal claims, such commentators suggest Jesus must have been referring to Peter's faith or his confession, because for each Christian it is confessing Jesus as Lord and believing God raised Him from the dead that saves us (Rom.10:9f) and makes us part of the church. But a fair reading of the text implies Peter himself is the rock. Consider the setting: Mount Hermon dominates the landscape, towering over the group's heads. It's the highest chunk of rock in all Palestine. Roads don't go over it but around it; it's the geographical "rock" that determines travel and business in that area of the world. Now here's Jesus, I imagine with His hand on Peter's shoulder, saying in effect, "You the man! What a blessing that God helped you realize this! Simon, my name for you is 'Rock', and on this rock I'll build my church." The Lord is plainly commending Simon for having the insight and saying it aloud. And thus commissioning Simon to be the one to kick off the new organization when the time comes. For that's precisely what being a spokesperson involves: being aware of what God's telling you, and immediately passing it on to others. Regardless of others' opinions, not being afraid to declare the radical truth that may not be popular or "politically correct".

             A few verses later, when Peter rebukes Jesus for predicting his suffering and death, Jesus calls Peter a "stumbling block" - a rock that makes someone trip - because now he's thinking man's way, not God's. It's the opposite of when Peter had the revelation about Jesus being the Christ; but Peter is the rock in both cases. And we certainly can't argue that Peter was the rock on which the church was built: in Acts 2, opening the door for Jews at Pentecost; in Acts 10, seeing the vision of the cleansed animals and taking the gospel to Cornelius and other Gentiles; in Acts 15 at the Jerusalem council, insisting that Gentile believers shouldn't be saddled with the yoke of the Jewish laws because their hearts had been purified by faith and they like the Jews had been saved by grace. So in the church's history Peter did play out this essential role of "rock" to be built upon as Jesus commissioned him. Why try to deny it?

             So should we get back under the authority of the present Pope and become Roman Catholics? Jesus does say in verse 19, "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." But the Lord was just describing the part Peter would play in the church's early decades, not authorizing centuries of papal succession. In Mt.18:18 and Jn.20:23 the Lord says much the same thing to all the apostles, not just Peter. The Holy Spirit would be active within them, showing them God's truth about things, pronouncing God's permitting or forbidding on matters in accord with Jesus' teaching. From this promise of guidance comes the apostolic authority that undergirds what we call the "canon" or yardstick of Scripture - the holy deposit of truth that the church's founders deemed important to write down and pass on to the whole church in future generations. On this basis, believers use the "keys of the kingdom" today, declaring the terms on which repentant sinners may know they're forgiven and born over into God's family. Hearing the rock-solid truth of Christ's word, handed on down from the apostles, we today like Peter are transformed from shifty Simons to rock-like stability against the Destroyer's onslaughts.

Knowing the Son of God Suffered for Sinners Frees Me from a Stony Heart

Before Peter gets tempted to pat himself on the back, Jesus quickly adds a warning to all the disciples "not to tell anyone that He was the Christ". Why? Now that Peter's finally clued in, why not broadcast the discovery to everyone? Because nobody - not even the disciples, not even Peter - really understood what being God's "Son" and "Anointed One" would mean for Jesus. This little episode is the turning point in Jesus' ministry. Up to now His focus has been showing people God's love and power available to heal them when they turn to God. Now He must begin the painful descent from the slopes of Mount Hermon to the little hill outside Jerusalem called Golgotha. Verse 21 reads: "From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life." Being Son of God was not a power trip, but a passion play. Jesus was the Sinless One, not to be enthroned and honoured in earthly glory, but to sacrifice His perfect life as an offering for all we who'd blown it and fallen into sin. Peter and company were probably very disappointed when they started to realize Jesus wasn't inaugurating a political kingdom but a spiritual dynasty. More than living high on the hog for a few decades like a Roman Senator or King such as Herod was at stake here. Jesus operated in the realm of spiritual victory, talking about "the gates of Hades" (the forces of death) not prevailing before His church's advances.

             Jesus was not about building castles and coliseums. He's about building people, sons and daughters of His Heavenly Father. Mount Hermon towered in the background as Jesus broke the news of the cross to His disciples. He was making Simon Peter a "rock"; He was building a church that would last to the end of time. But it would be personal, not political. God seeks to become the "mountain", the primary influence, in our life. The Son of God understood God's plan to mean that He would give up His life on behalf of many. He would become nothing (a molehill) so through faith we might become really something. When we receive Christ - allow Him to be the "Rock" in our lives, our mountain or hill giving strength, all our own defensiveness or self-protectiveness against life's pain can fall away because He becomes our shield, our armour, our Healer. Listen to our first-hand witness, Peter himself, as he writes in 1 Peter 2(4-10): "As you come to him, the living Stone— rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame." Now to you who believe, this stone is precious...you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."

             Jesus (not Peter, as he himself admits) is the "living Stone", rejected by men, but precious to God and precious to us who believe. His offering of Himself spells mercy for us. So we can be included in God's family, "chips off the old block", having the hateful hard side of our personalities changed to be loving and holy and giving like Christ. We realize we are chosen, we belong to God, He's melting our hardness to declare His praise and so we can be ready to help others by offering "spiritual sacrifices" ourselves.

             During the Exodus wanderings, on more than one occasion (eg Num.20) the people were miraculously provided with water from a rock. Paul sees Christ in a spiritual sense as the rock in that story, from which the people drank. Today for us His Holy Spirit becomes the well within which satisfies us and provides us with something to offer others. Mount Hermon, though huge, is actually made of limestone so porous that water from snow melting at the top seeps all the way down to the base. So God can make us secure and significant while still "porous" enough to pass on His care and tenderness to others.

God's Peace in a Mother's Heart Unshaken by Confusion

Earlier this year the Pregnancy Counselling Centre of Regina named Alice Williams of Saskatoon as the 2002 Mother of the Year. Alice has raised 12 children: 6 born to her and her pastor-husband Jim; 6 adopted; and upwards of 50 (count 'em!) foster children. At one time she was caring for 17 children at once. Alice attends the Saskatoon Church of Christ and tells parents, "Most of the children I fostered were hungry for love, affection and approval. I always found the best way to deal with them was to show love, affection and approval...Everybody has to have somebody who loves them more than anything -- whether they're good or whether they're bad." That's where Christ's unconditional love can be released through us!

             Alice Williams says, "I always felt that God was in control of my life and if He brought these children to me, He would give me the strength [to handle it]." She allowed God to be her "mountain", her "rock" - He was in charge.

             Listen to what she says about the challenging situations. "When you have a child exasperating you and into all sorts of trouble, and you feel terrible despair and frustration, you go to God and cry." She found comfort there and notes, "God's presence with us was the only thing that enabled us to [foster children]."

             One neighbour asked how Alice could look so happy amid the chaos of raising so many children. Alice replied, "Because I am happy.I have peace in my heart that isn't influenced by the confusion that reigns around me."

             What a witness to the strength and bolstering Christ gives! He is our mountain in times of trouble. What He did for Peter He can do for each of us, building us as "living stones" into His spiritual house. There may well be pain, but He'll give us a song to deal with it. Let's pray.