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Claud, Yes, there is a play on words here.

Look at the words (particularly the pronouns and adjectives) of the verse again:

Matthew 16:15-19

15He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

16And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

17And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

18And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

19And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Jesus says who do you (to the disciples) say that I am? Peter answers "thou art the Christ..." Jesus says "Blessed are you Simon son of Jonah... and I say to YOU, you are a Rock; and, upon this Rock (an it) I will build my church. He then goes back to directly referring to Peter.

As a side note, I was examining the Greek and had a thought. Some of this may hinge on a very small word, Kai (translated 'and') here and the vast majority of places but not always.

The lexicon says: 2532. kai kahee apparently, a primary particle, having a copulative and sometimes also a cumulative force; and, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in connection (or composition) with other particles or small words:--and, also, both, but, even, for, if, or, so, that, then, therefore, when, yet.

So, if I'm reading my lexicon right, The passage could legitimately be translated:

16Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ,the Son of the living God."

17And Jesus said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

18"I also say to you that you are Peter, even upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

Or... 16Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ,the Son of the living God."

17And Jesus said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

18"I also say to you that you are Peter, but upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

Or.... 16Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ,the Son of the living God."

17And Jesus said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

18"I also say to you that you are a Rock, therefore, upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

In all cases, the rock can legitimately (and I believe IS legitimately) be interpreted to be Peter's confession that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the Living God.

I do not claim to be a Greek Scholar, though I have taken Greek. I would be interested in seeing what others say about this possibility. I'm not saying that kai should be translated differently than it currently is; though I am raising the possibility. Thoughts anyone?

The position you have advanced is the position of the Orthodox Church. The Peter/rock wording is a play on the word for rock in Aramaic and Greek, petros/petra. Orthodoxy maintains that the rock Christ is referring to is +Peter's confession of Faith. The real foundation of course is Christ Himself.

The foregoing notwithstanding, that passage and 16:19 clearly demonstrate that +Peter was singled out for a sort of special authority, but not as a leader over the other apostles, which is pretty well demonstrated at the Council of Jerusalem, but rather among the apostles.

The interpretation of this passage by the medieval Church of Rome to imply, or better said, establish, that the Pope had universal immediate jurisdiction over all the bishops because he was the successor of +Peter was and remains likely the major reason for the enduring schism between Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism.