“The Rock” Orange Congregational Church UCC, August 23, 2026, (Matthew 16:13-20) Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Our Gospel text today has the disciple Peter front and center.  For the Roman Catholic Church this is often the scripture passage used to uphold the tradition of apostolic authority and succession.  The idea is that Jesus gave Peter the keys to the kingdom (apostolic authority) and that authority was passed on from generation to generation (apostolic succession) going all the way back to this moment.  After all, the emblem for the papacy is the crossed keys of St. Peter beneath the papal tiara.  Jesus says, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.  I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.”[1] Now there was that tricky period (the Avignon Papacy) where there were two popes in the Roman Catholic Church.  It is hard to understand how apostolic succession was totally reconciled.  Yet it was, and this is why some Roman Catholics may even refer to St. Peter as the first pope.  This is the scripture passage on which that tradition is based—Matthew 16:13-20.

Now Protestants may have a different view of this passage.  Because we often have different ideas about hierarchy and authority depending on one’s denomination.  Although born and raised in the United Church of Christ, my home church—Trinity United Church of Christ in Wadsworth, Ohio (where I was baptized, confirmed, and ordained and where my parents are still members)—is historically a German Reformed Church.  At Trinity with that German Reformed heritage there is a formality to worship and an emphasis on the sacraments and Midwestern charm and friendliness to boot.  Though I have now been among you beloved New England Congregationalists in both Massachusetts and Connecticut for many years.  I often reflect that a more intelligent, curious, and loyal group of Christians you may never meet who also have a very strong streak of “you’re not the boss of me” and “don’t tell me what to do!”  The point being, in the United Church of Christ, we have various reactions to power and authority.

Now Jesus does give Peter authority by symbolically giving him the keys to the kingdom.  Though perhaps we can ask about the nature of that authority.  Was it because of who Peter was as a human being—his character traits?  Was it because of Peter’s declaration of faith?  Was authority meant to be passed on from just one person to another?  Or is that authority meant for all of us to share as Christians? 

The Protestant idea of the Priesthood of All Believers can come to mind here.  For we are all empowered to do ministries in the Church.  God is equally accessible to all.  In our view, ordination may set a minister apart, but it certainly does not set a minister above anyone else.  Because all of us are the hands and feet of Jesus Christ.  In the end, our answers to those questions about authority reflect a different mindset within Christianity.

So we are still left with this question of the nature of church authority.  There’s something very endearing about Peter in this text.  Peter is earnest and tries so hard.  We could go on and on with all the times he messes up or just doesn’t get what Jesus is about at all throughout the Gospels.  But Peter keeps trying.  Remember that story we heard this summer when Peter wanted so badly to walk on the water with Jesus and then became afraid and begins to sink.  Peter cried out, “Lord, save me!”[2]  Or there’s that time when Peter sets his mind on human things and Jesus tells him in that episode, “Get behind me, Satan.”[3]  Of course we remember that especially painful moment when Peter will deny that he even knew Jesus three times. 

Yet thinking that Jesus declared that the church would be built on a person like Peter—that’s such a comforting thought for the rest of us.  Because apparently Jesus sees the potential in Peter that Peter may not even be able to see in himself.  Jesus knows his heart just like our hearts are known by God. 

It seems that God sees in us what we may not yet see in ourselves. 

Embracing Peter’s flaws and his potential is perhaps what happened when Jesus encouraged Peter to claim his own inheritance by giving him the keys to the kingdom.  Peter was a humble fisherman by profession.  Yes sometimes he just didn’t get what Jesus was trying to convey.  He sank in the Sea of Galilee.  He tried to dissuade Jesus from the cross.  He denied even knowing Jesus three times.  Though if we think ahead to the Book of Acts, we find Peter declaring for all to hear that Jesus is the Messiah and taking people in droves to be baptized and working with Paul to spread the Gospel despite the consequences.  Peter is redeemed.  Jesus saw potential and Jesus had trust in Peter to carry on his teachings after he was no longer physically here on earth.  Peter is flawed and Peter is faithful—just like the rest of us. 

Another way to contemplate this passage besides just focusing on Peter as one person Jesus conveyed authority to is by thinking of Peter’s testimony.  Because Jesus asks his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is.”  He hears answers like John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.  “But who do you say that I am?”[4] 

Still a pertinent question two thousand years later.  Who do we say that Jesus is?  We’ll have different names.  We’ll use different terms.  Our theologies are not all the same.  That’s a good thing as we are on our individual journeys of faith.  In my mind, this question is meant to have a diversity of answers to capture the fullness of Jesus. 

One can imagine that the disciples begin to think about this question their teacher posed.  Though it’s Peter who blurts out, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”[5]  After hearing this response, Jesus asks for all of them to help him keep a low profile.  Then blesses Peter and acknowledges that God revealed Jesus’ identity to him.  On this rock the church will be built.  You will receive the keys to the kingdom, Peter.

This is a significant moment.  It establishes Peter as a leader among Jesus’ disciples which we can see today with churches bearing the name of St. Peter.  There was even a church our group visited on the shores of the Sea of Galilee called the Church of the Primacy of St. Peter venerated as the place where Jesus offered breakfast to the disciples and entrusted Peter to feed his lamps and tend his sheep after his resurrection.

In our story, establishing Peter’s leadership happens after Peter’s testimony.  The order of events matters and this may just be one of those both/and moments.  Presbyterian Pastor Jin S. Kim contends that “The rock is not Peter, but Peter’s testimony.  Therefore, while this passage has been interpreted to give the church empirical power and permanence, the underlying lesson is that the church is as resilient or fragile as each of us in our own faith.  The church exists daily in this tension of power and powerlessness.”[6]  Which is such an interesting interpretation.  It takes the focus away from Peter and his endearing qualities (and flaws) and puts the focus on Peter’s testimony.  Not just on Peter’s identity and human characteristics, but on what Peter says and does.  It puts the focus on this moment where everyone else is speechless and Peter is brave and bold, speaking from his heart the truth about how he saw his teacher and friend Jesus of Nazareth.  One can imagine that Jesus knew Peter had it in him all along.

In the end, here’s why this all matters.  Maybe the church (our church) is as resilient or fragile as each of us in our own faith.  And our testimony can make a real difference.  It matters that we are a church of hospitality and welcome.  It matters that we respect where each other may be on our individual journeys of faith while also covenanting to walk beside one another.  It matters that there’s a diversity of beliefs and that we can talk to one another respectfully even if we do not agree on everything.  It matters that we care for one another, and that we care about the youngest among us all the way to those who have been part of OCC for decades. 

If the church is as resilient or fragile as each of us in our own faith, it really matters that we have one another.  Because there will be times when we are overflowing with the love of God and have the utmost trust in God’s ways.  And there will be times when we are trudging through the wilderness.  When we are overflowing with God’s love—we can reach out to the floundering.  When we are floundering—we can accept the hand of those overflowing with God’s love.  This is the kind of authority that Jesus gave to every single one of his followers, to love one another as God has always loved us.  May it be so.  Amen.

[1] Matthew 16:18-19, NRSVUE.
[2] Matthew 14:30.
[3] Matthew 16:23.
[4] Matthew 16:15.
[5] Matthew 16:16.
[6] Jin S. Kim, Pastoral Perspective of Matthew 16:13-20 in Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary, Year A, Volume 3, 384.

Photos by Rev. Lauren Ostrout.