Did The Catholic Church Give Us The Bible + Doctrine? - Part Two Series

PART 2

NAME CHANGES

There are many times in the Bible when a person's name is changed or a nickname is given. Peter was one of them, and so was Lucifer, whose name was changed to satan (= Adversary). Not all these names came from God, but all name changes marked a transformation in the people who were renamed. A person's name could be chosen based on several things, such as how God had played a role in their birth, character, future life, birth order, physical traits, where they were born, and more. When God gave a name, it reflected something that had to do with Him and NOT them.

Biblical names were highly significant and extremely important because they almost always signify an important spiritual truth about a person or a place that relates to God's plan of Salvation and for His Glory. A name change shows us that God has more than one purpose in life. He never stops moving and changing us because He has everything under control and will help us achieve our new and intimidating purpose.

UPON THIS ROCK

Jesus changed Simon's name, meaning "God had heard," to "Cephas/Peter," meaning "smaller rock" or "stone," The word for "Peter" (Gk: 'petros') means "a small detached stone" (John 1:42 NIV).*** It is also worth noting that "barjona" actually means son of Jonah. Peter and the prophet Jonah were both Galileans.

Jesus used a play on words here with "ON this rock" (Gk: 'petra'), which means "a huge attached boulder" when He described the rock upon which the wise man builds his house (Matthew 7:24-25). Peter uses the same imagery in his first epistle: the church is built of numerous small 'petros,' "living stones" (1 Peter 2:5) who, like Peter, confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and those confessions of faith are the bedrock of the church. Jesus used Peter extensively to help build the foundation of the universal Church, as he was the first to proclaim the Gospel on the day of Pentecost and the first to take the Gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 2:14-47,10:1-48).

Jesus was referring to Peter's confession of faith that Jesus is "the Christ, the son of the living God." Prior to this point, Jesus had never explicitly taught Peter or any of the Disciples about the fullness of His identity as the Creator God of the Universe and Savior of the world, so when Peter made his proclamation, Jesus knew that the Holy Spirit had sovereignly opened Peter's eyes and revealed to him who Jesus was. Peter's confession that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah who was prophesied to come, poured out from him as a heartfelt declaration of his personal trusting faith in Jesus, which is the seal of a true Born-Again Christian, as well as those who have placed their faith in Jesus are the true church, His Bride. Peter expressed this when he addressed the Believers who had been dispersed around the ancient world:

"As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 2:4-5 ESV)

PETER THE LITTLE ROCK

‘In that day, I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and I will clothe him with your robe, and will bind your sash on him, and will commit your authority to his hand. And he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.” (Isaiah 22:20-22 ESV)

Jesus asked the disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter and ON this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.” (Matthew 16:13-30 ESV - emphasis mine)