A Church Built On This
Matthew 16:13-20
First Presbyterian Church of Wheaton, Illinois
Sermon by Rev. Dr. Trygve Johnson
Listen to Trygve’s sermon or read below.
I’m grateful to be with you. I’m Trygve (sounds like Tryg as in Trigger or Trigonometry).
I have enjoyed being in Chicago—coming in from Toronto—where my family and I just moved this past August, for Kristen, my wife started as the President of Wycliffe College in the University of Toronto. So I’m still learning my Canadian! Eh.
It’s been great to be in the U.S. Kellen and I may or may not have prayed for you all by name at Wrigley on Friday. I wouldn’t say and you shouldn’t quote me. And I’ve also been enjoying staying with the Smith Family at their home at the Residence Inn. We had breakfast yesterday in their living room—and it was amazing—how many people they welcome and entertain each day!
All this to say…I am so grateful to be with you! Thank you.
I
Today is Mission Fest.
A day set apart—to remember, to pray, to re-center ourselves in the work of the Church in the world. It is also—if we’re honest—a dangerous kind of day. Because it asks something of us.
And… it just so happens…it’s also Sunday at the Masters. So I promised your pastor—I would not take long. [We’ll see if I keep that promise.]
Now…hear the Word of the Lord from Matthew 16:13-20…from the book that we love—the bush that burns and is never consumed…
3 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist but others Elijah and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. 18 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. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
II.
Jesus takes his disciples north. To Caesarea Philippi.
Historical Context: C.P. was a city given to Herod the Great by the Roman Emperor Augustus Caesar. Herod’s son Philip rebuilt the city and changed its name from Panion to “The Caesar-City of Phillip, to honor both Caesar and himself.
And you need to feel this place. This is not neutral ground. This is not a retreat center. This is not a holy site. This is the edge of the Word. The boundary between the people of God—and everything opposed to God.
C.P. is the center of pagan worship—Worship Baal, the Greek God Pan, AND the Roman God head of Caesar. It’s a place of cult practices, prostitution, a kind of Roman Nationalism—where they worship Caesar—worship Baal (includes human sacrifice), and fertility worship.
It’s the Red Light District—filled with prostitution—religions of the world—Roman Nationalism. It’s a place filled with idols. Power. Pleasure. Religion turned inside out.
If you were a faithful Jew—you didn’t go there. And yet—Jesus goes there. Interesting. He takes his disciples there. Even more interesting.
Why? We’re not told. But here’s what we do know:
Here—in this place—Jesus deliberately sets himself against the background of the world’s religions in all their history and splendor, and he compares himself against them.
At the very place where the world is most confused about God—Jesus asks the most important question.
“Who do people say that I am?”
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It’s a question of identity.
Identity…this is where mission begins. For if you know who you are, then you know what to do!
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“Who do people say that I am?” asks Jesus. And the disciples respond the way people always do. They give respectable answers. Well…Jesus…people think you're pretty great! Some say…“John the Baptist.” “Elijah.” “Jeremiah.” “A prophet.”
In other words—You’re great, Jesus. You’re in the GOAT conversation. It’s like asking—who’s the GOAT in the NBA? Michael? LeBron? Bird? Magic? (I mean we ARE in Chicagoland—There is, of course, a correct answer.)
There is no debate for Jesus either. But Jesus is not interested in being compared. He presses deeper. “But who do you say that I am?” (It’s the Question all of us have to answer) Not the crowd. Not the culture. Not the headlines. You.
And Peter—steps forward. As he so often does. “You are the Messiah. The Son of the living God.” Not one of the greats. The One. The One who sets the world right. The One we’ve been waiting for.
III.
And Jesus says—yes. Bless you Simon Peter! Yes.
But…now… listen carefully.
“Flesh and blood did not reveal this to you… but my Father in heaven.”
…Pause here for a moment – this is interesting (to me)
This moment points to a deep debate in the Church. How do we know God? I’m going to simplify some complexity down to two teams.
Team Reason. Team reason says we can look around and figure out who God is. It says God has given us reason and we can deduce our way to God. If we have the right information we can figure out who God is. This is the team of the apologists—or what some call the evidentialists.
There is another team. I’ll call it… Team Revelation. This is the team that says we can’t know God unless God reveals who God is to us. No amount of reasoning alone is going to get us to the truth. The deep mystery of God requires God to show God’s self to us. In some debates—this is the team of what they call the presumptionalists.
Now—our tradition—is on Team Revelation. And it seems—at least in this story—that is also where Jesus lands.
“Flesh and blood did not reveal this to you… but my Father in heaven.”
What is this important? It means that faith then is not something you figure out on your own. You didn’t reason your way here. You didn’t assemble the right data set.
This… is revelation. Revelation is a gift. When you get a gift, the proper response is to be grateful. It keeps us from pride.
Which means—to know Jesus truly—is not an achievement. It’s grace. And what is revealed?Not just information.
A person. Jesus is the revelation of God. God made known.
God stepping into the world to undo what is broken—To reverse the curse, to confront powers and principalities—to release what is bound—to loose the chained, to awaken hope.
And when this revelation is seen—when it is believed—it does something.
It opens the door. It unlocks the cage. It calls us out—into what I can only describe as the wide, expansive geography of the Kingdom of God.
Where life is deeper. Clearer. More real.
Which is why—there is no room for cynicism in the Christian life. No room for resignation. Because Jesus is still revealing. Still moving. Still changing the world.
IV.
And then—Jesus turns the question. Peter, you’ve said who I am. Now let me tell you who you are.
“You are Peter… and on this rock I will build my church.”
Now—this is where theologians get busy. I’m a Theo-Nerd so I need to pause.
THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST DEBATED VERSES NOT ONLY IN MATTHEW BUT THE BIBLE.
Pivots around the question—What does the rock mean? Is it Peter himself? Let’s call this Team Bones.
Or is it Peter’s confession—his faith? Let’s call this Team Confession (to be fair Orthodox as well!) Roman Catholic tradition says—Peter. Apostolic succession flows from here.
Years ago I was in Rome. We were at St. Peters Cathedral. Magnificent. The Vatican. Its treasures. Its history. Its architecture—the columns in front like the arms of the church welcoming the world. When I was there, I had an opportunity to take a tour. We went deep into the basement. There—it is said—that they have the bones of St. Peter. I saw them. The very bones of the very man who Jesus is talking to in this text. Are they? Who knows. I have my doubts. But It’s why they call it St. Peter’s—because they believe he is the origin of the Church—and this cathedral is literally built on his bones.
And there is beauty in this. Continuity. History. A living thread through time.
Others—Team Reformers—say, it’s the confession.
The Rock is Peter’s faith. His confession—“You are the Messiah.” That this—this faith—is what builds the Church. And if I had to place my weight—I stand there. I’m on team faith.
Because while Peter’s bones may rest beneath a cathedral—his confession has never stopped echoing. Across continents. Across centuries. Across languages.
And here’s the point: The Church is not built on charisma. Not on strategy. Not on institutional strength.
It is built—on faith in Jesus Christ. Who he is. And what he has done.
V.
And then Jesus says something astonishing. “I will build my Church.” Not—you will. Not—they will. I will. Note: This is the only thing Jesus promises to build in this world. Ever. Not an empire. Not a brand. Not a movement. A Church.
An ekklesia. Comes from two Greek components:
ek = “out of”
kaleō = “to call”
So, at a basic level, it means “those who are called out.”
But this etymology, while helpful, is not sufficient on its own. In actual usage—both in Greek culture and Scripture—ekklesia does not primarily mean “called-out individuals,” but rather “an assembly” or “a gathered people.”
In the Greek world, it referred to:
A civic assembly of citizens (e.g., in Athens)
A deliberative gathering with purpose and identity
So from the beginning, ekklesia is not abstract or purely spiritual—it is concrete, communal, and gathered WITH A MISSION. You cannot be an ekklesia—or a Church—on your own!
To be a Church— is to be a people called out—a community—an assembly gathered around the confession that Jesus is the Messiah.
Jesus says on this I will build my Church!
And here’s what that means: The Church does not ultimately depend on us. It depends on him – ON GOD. We participate. We steward. We serve. But Jesus builds. And he is still building.
Right now.
Here!
VI.
And one more thing. Most every scholar I’ve read misses this fact.
Don’t miss this.
Peter—is young. Probably late teens. Maybe early twenties. Still becoming. Still forming. Still… rough around the edges.
And Jesus looks at him—(I love this) and sees not just who he is—but who he is becoming. And says—I’m going to build something through you. (A young adult)
Pause – You who are here – young in age and young in heart – that you are here matters! Christ is calling you to be his Church! Your faith matters!
Which raises a question for us—on Mission Fest. Where do we invest? Where do we place our energy?
If Jesus begins here—with a young adult—with emerging faith—then perhaps…our mission should reflect that. Not exclusively. But intentionally. Because the future of the Church—is being formed right now. In the lives of young men and women whose faith is just beginning to take root.
This is why we do what we do. At the PreachFor Foundation, we identify, nurture, empower leaders for the church.
This is why the work matters.
Because when faith is formed—the Church is built. When it is healthy it has a ripple effect that reaches far shores.
VII.
T.S. Eliot once wrote—“The Church is always dying… and always being reborn.”
It dies—when we forget who Jesus is.
It is reborn—every time that confession is made again.
“You are the Messiah.The Son of the living God.”
And that confession—is not just something we say. It becomes the center of gravity. The thing that holds everything together.
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And here is the good news. Jesus is alive. Risen. At the right hand of the Father. Interceding. Even now. For you. For us.
And by the Spirit—we are drawn into his life. His body. His Church.
Which means—this question still stands. Not just for Peter. For us.
Who do you say that I am?
And may we have the courage—the clarity—and the faith to say:
You are the Messiah. The Son of the living God.
Amen.
