Built on the Anointed Rock: Christ, the Church, and the Gates of Death

In this episode of Made to be a Kingdom, Fathers Harry Linsenbigler and Anthony Perkins return to Christ’s words in Matthew 16–18 to explore what Scripture reveals about the nature of the Church. Reading the Gospel through its original biblical and Septuagint context, they reflect on Christ as the anointed Petra, the gathering of the scattered people of Israel, and the Church as the place where God restores His flock from among the nations. Drawing on Micah’s prophecy (2:6-13), the language of gates and mountains, and the Paschal victory over death, the conversation shows how Orthodox ecclesiology is rooted not in abstract authority, but in Christ Himself—the Anointed Rock who leads His people through the gates of hell into life. Along the way, they highlight how Scripture interprets Scripture, why the Church understands herself as the restored Israel, and how Pascha stands at the heart of what it means for the Church to be built, gathered, and led by Christ.