Next you mention Matthew 16:18, where we see Jesus telling Peter that he will provide the true foundation for those who become Followers of the Way of Christ.  This is an intriguing verse for a few reasons – first, because the Bible clearly shows an ongoing feud between Peter & Paul as to which one of them should spread the Gospel to the Gentiles (and ultimately which Gospel would be spread – see Galatians 1:18 to 2:21 et al), with Paul ultimately usurping Peter’s role, leading to the birth of the modern-day Paulinist (i.e. “Christian”) church … and second, that the Gospel of Mark (that many scholars believe was written by John Mark – a companion of Peter, and a tome upon which Matthew & Luke both drew when writing their own Gospels) originally contained no mention of Jesus’ physical resurrection whatsoever (with all the oldest manuscripts of Mark’s Gospel ending at verse 16:8) … And so, upon this rock Jesus built his “church”; not to obtain a place in Heaven for one’s self in the Hereafter, but rather to serve others in this life – and thereby make this world into Heaven on Earth (see Luke 17:20-21 + Mattthew 10:7 + Jesus’ parables, all of which speak of Heaven in the present tense)!

 

“He is God not of the dead, but of the Living; for to him all of them are Alive … And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself.” ~ Jesus Christ (Luke 20:38 + John 12.32)

Filed under: Burnishing Bigotry by Scaughdt