atthew 16:13-19:
13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”
14 So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
19 And 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.”

I think people tend to not give God credit for having a sense of humor. The naming of Peter in this passage (Petra = Rock) and proceeding to speak about how the church will be founded on "this rock" persists in interpretation, whether Catholic or otherwise, as meaning the Church is built upon Peter, or even on sharing in Peter's profession of faith.

Maybe Jesus was using a pun. It would not be the first time He used linguistical sleight of hand or spoke in riddles. We can use Scripture to interpret Scripture, even looking at Jesus's other references to rocks in the gospel of Matthew, to make the case that Jesus was not building His Church on the foundation of one of His disciples, who is not greater than His master (Matthew 10:24).

The Bible frequently refers to God as a Rock (the Psalms especially). Jesus Himself uses another rock analogy in Matthew 7:24-27 when speaking about the wisdom and endurance of the house built upon a rock. Jesus would not build His house, His new temple, His bride - the Church - on some other rock.

The Church is not built on one non-divine man or even on a profession or creed, but on Christ alone. He is our Rock, our nearest kinsman, our redeemer. He is the foundation, the chief corner-stone (Ephesians 2:19-22), and those (including Peter) who believe in Him are like living stones fitly joined together into a building (1 Peter 2:5). Jesus is the stumbling-stone, the rock of offense (1 Peter 2:8): the Jews and the Greeks could not accept His Church and His claims to be the Messiah or (to the Greeks in particular, who loved to rationalize and philosophize) the source of all truth and eternal life: after all, He was crucified (1 Corinthians 1:23). In Matthew 21:44, Jesus refers to Himself saying: "Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed". This can be understood as those who hear and receive Christ as God and Savior are humbled, broken, and re-made; while those who oppose Christ and His Church will not prevail (Matthew 16:18).

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