THE great confession of Peter, as the representative Apostle, had laid the foundations

of the Church as such. In contradistinction to the varying opinions of even those best

disposed towards Christ, it openly declared that Jesus was the Very Christ of God, the

fulfilment of all Old Testament prophecy, the heir of Old Testament promise, the

realisation of the Old Testament hope for Israel, and, in Israel, for all mankind. Without

this confession, Christians might have been a Jewish sect, a religious party, or a school

of thought, and Jesus a Teacher, Rabbi, Reformer, or Leader of men. But the

confession which marked Jesus as the Christ, also constituted His followers the Church.

It separated them, as it separated Him, from all around; it gathered them into one, even

Christ; and it marked out the foundation on which the building made without hands was

to rise. Never was illustrative answer so exact as this: 'On this Rock' - bold, outstanding,

well-defined, immovable - 'will I build My Church.'

Without doubt this confession also marked the high-point of the Apostles' faith. Never

afterwards, till His Resurrection, did it reach so high. Nay, what followed seems rather a

retrogression from it: beginning with their unwillingness to receive the announcement of

His decease, and ending with their unreadiness to share His sufferings or to believe in

His Resurrection. And if we realise the circumstances, we shall understand at least,

their initial difficulties. Their highest faith had been followed by the most crus hing

disappointment; the confession that He was the Christ, by the announcement of His

approaching Sufferings and Death at Jerusalem. The proclamation that He was the

Divine Messiah had not been met by promises of the near glory of the Messianic

Kingdom, b ut by announcements of certain, public rejection and seeming terrible defeat.

Such possibilities had never seriously entered into their thoughts of the Messiah; and

the declaration of the very worst, and that in the near future, made at such a moment,

must have been a staggering blow to all their hopes. It was as if they had reached the

topmost height, only to be cast thence into the lowest depth.

On the other hand, it was necessary that at this stage in the History of the Christ, and

immediately after Hi s proclamation, the sufferings and the rejection of the Messiah

should be prominently brought forward. It was needful for the Apostles, as the

remonstrance of Peter showed; and, with reverence be it added, it was needful for the