The whole point of the passage is that Peter had confessed that Christ was the Son of the Living God.
It was upon that confession that Christ would build the church.
Do people come to faith in Peter or in Christ?
If you do a study of the word Rock you will find it refers to Christ or God in both OT and NT....not Peter as much as catholic "tradition" says.
Which illustrates my point about letting the Bible interpret the Bible and not man-made tradition.
What about the cave paintings in Spain that are estmated to be ove 40,000 years old? Who painted those?
The point of this passage is that BECAUSE Peter confessed Christ as the Son of God, Christ was asserting the God the Father had chosen Peter to make this revelation to.
YOU are the one who refuses to “study” the meaning of “Rock” in this passage.
Peter is the principal Subject of each of these 3 assertions made by Christ:
17 “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona!
18 And I tell you, you are Peter,
You have NEVER aster my question as to the meaning of Mt. 19.
What is the purpose of this statement by Christ?
19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven,