Think of Moses who in Deuteronomy[1], speaks of the Lord as a Rock, whose work is perfect whilst also remembering the fact that many scoff at the Rock of Salvation.
David, in the Psalms, speaks of the Lord Jehovah as the Rock too. In Psalm 18, for example, he points to the Lord as his Rock, his fortress, his deliverer— ‘my God, my Rock, in whom I take refuge.’[2]
And Isaiah then begins to show us more of what Moses had referred to in terms of the scoffing that takes place towards this Rock. He goes so far as to say that, even though the Lord is someone who will become a sanctuary, he is also ‘a stone of offence and a Rock of stumbling.’[3]
Daniel takes this prophecy even further by interpreting the dream of Nebuchadnezzar and identifying the Rock that Nebuchadnezzar saw—cut out by no human hand—which looked like a tiny pebble but ended up striking all the idols of this world, all the empires of this world, and breaking them into pieces. For Daniel this Rock is the Lord too.
My understanding is—and again, not everyone sees it this way, but my understanding is—that this explains the Lord Jesus’s approach to the Apostle Peter—Jesus calls him Rock in order to remind him that Peter is who he is because he was someone who saw Christ the Rock and trusted Christ: “You’re a rock guy, you’re Rocky” Jesus was saying to Peter.
And then that’s taken further when Peter finally confesses that Jesus is the Christ. And once Peter sees that key truth, Jesus says, “On this Rock, I will build my Church.” Seeing that Jesus is the Christ is the key. And anyone who is a Rock-like person is the kind of person worth leading the Church—which Peter went on to do.[4]
[1] 32:1-43
[2] Verse 2
[3] 8:14.
[4] Which is why all the Apostles, being “Rocky” people, are suitable foundations for the Church because they are leaning on Christ, the one foundation (Ephesians 2:20).
