8. Jesus the Rock

Among His many significant sermons, Jesus told to the people also the parable of the house built upon the rock:

”24 ... whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.”

(Matthew 7.24-27)

The key words that will lead us to the better understanding of the above verses, as well as of Jesus’ Person, are: ”Rock” and ”Foundation”.

The reasonable man or the wise masterbuilder builds his house upon a solid ground, founded upon rock and not upon sand (the house symbolises here our life).
The wise man places his confidence in Jesus, who is his Lord and Saviour; but the unreasonable man rejects Jesus and overlooks the fact that He is his only salvation.

The parable of the house building has been repeatedly used throughout the Scripture (both in the New and in the Old Testament): by Jesus, the apostles, the evangelists and the prophets.

The apostle Paul refers to the parable of a house building, too:

”10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss ....”

(1 Corinthians 3. 10,11,14,15)

Paul refers here to his work of evangelisation, which has Jesus Christ in its centre.
The faith proclaimed by Paul and then by his disciples (”another buildeth thereon”) was that in Jesus Christ, who is the basis or the foundation of the Christian faith.
Verse 11 makes clear: ”For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid ...”

Referring to the past peregrinations of the people of Israel across te desert, Paul explains clearly understandable that all these could enjoy a permanent divine leading:

”3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat;
4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.”

(1 Corinthians 10.3,4)

The apostle Matthew tells:

”13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
18 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.”

(Matthew 16.13-18)

Jesus addresses himself to Simon Barjona with the words ”thou art Peter”, the name under which this disciple became thenceforth known.
In addition to that, Jesus tells him that he will build his church ”upon this rock”.

The words ”Peter” and ”rock” are in Greek – the language of the New Testament – synonymous, having yet different meanings:

The Greek word for ”Peter” is ”petros” and means little stone or a rock detached from a mountain.
The Greek word for ”rock” is ”petra” and means huge rock or a rocky mountainside.

Peter recognised Jesus as ”the Christ, the Son of the living God”.
Jesus revealed to Peter that this recognition was not his own awareness, but that this has been given to him by God the Father.

Jesus also refers to the building of His ”church”.
The Greek word for ”church” is ”ekklesia” and means an assemblage of people called together. In the New Testament this refers to those who have the faith in Jesus Christ.
Speaking to the faithful from Ephesus, the apostle Paul says: 

”19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”

(Ephesians 2.19-22)

Jesus reverts to the parable of the house building by referring to the House of God – a spiritual construction that includes the entirety of all believers, which is in a continual process of growth.
This house has as foundation the apostles and prophets, the ones who made known the knowledge of Jesus Christ, who is being allegorised here as „the chief corner stone” - the load-carrying portion that consolidates the entire building.

From this follows that Jesus revealed to the present listeners - to Peter and the other disciples - the fact that he will establish the assemblage of those who believe on Him (the entirety of the faithful: the people of God). He certified the trueness of Peter’s firm statement, of the one who became a part („petros”) of the house or the temple of God, built upon the rock („petra”) Jesus Christ.

The disciples, together with Peter - the one to whom Jesus addressed himself at that time - understood then that the rock, to which the Scriptures written by then many a time referred, was no other but himself: Jesus Christ.
After many years Peter wrote in the first of his books:

”4 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,
5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
9 But ye are a chosen generation, ..., a peculiar people; ...
10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God ...”

(1 Peter 2.4-10)

God has always been the rock on which also the ones from former times had put their entire trust and all their hope. After the Lord had released him from all his enemies, David addressed to the Lord the following words:

”2 And he said, The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;
3 The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.”

(2. Samuel 22.2,3)