Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John; you are to be called Cephas” - which means Rock.

PETER’S PROFESSION OF FAITH; HIS PRE-EMINENCE (Matthew 16:13-20; Mark 8:27-30; Luke 9:18-21)

Jesus and his disciples left for the villages around Caesar Philippi. Now it happened that when Jesus came to the region he was praying alone, and his disciples came to him and he put this question to them, “Who do people say I am?” They said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the ancient prophets come back to life.” “But you,” he asked them, “who do you say I am?” Then Simon Peter spoke up and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, Simon son of Jonah, you are a blessed man because it was no human agency that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. So now, I say to you, you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my community. In addition, the gates of the underworld can never overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” He gave them strict orders and charged them not to say to anyone about him that he was the Christ.