I Will Build My Church

Matthew 16:18
By Harold Dinsmore
© 2006 Harold Dinsmore

            I suppose you may be wondering why there is a large rock and a few stones on the communion table this morning?  It has to do with the words of Jesus and his conversation with the Peter in Matthew 16.  I would like for us to pick up the narrative at verse 13 this morning and read through verse 20.  (Read).  We have here in the first few verses of our passage what is called Peter’s great confession.  Jesus and his disciples had crossed the Sea of Galilee, the lake as it is often called and traveled north to the region of Caesarea Philippi.  It was there that Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do people think I am?”  “What are they saying about me?”  They reported back to him some thought he was John the Baptist, others Elijah…while some thought he was Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.  Now, it should be noted here that they are talking about the Jewish populace believing in some sort of reincarnation.  I was intrigued by that, and just recently I have read in a modern day book, Judaism for Dummies, by Ted Falcon on page 190 that “even reincarnation - actually were taught in Judaism for hundreds or thousands of years, and later ..."  In the Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Judaism, 2E (The Complete Idiot's Guide) when Rabbi Blech discusses death and Judaism, he plainly admits that Judaism does leave the door open to reincarnation on pages 215-224.  So even today this concept is acceptable.  Thus during Jesus day, it was not that unusual to hear what the disciples where reporting.