DAY #26: January 26, 2009 - Matthew 16:5-23

It was great to be in worship yesterday with so may of you. Several people indicated they prayed to receive Christ. I am so grateful for Pastor Dave and his leadership. For those of you with us Friday night to see FIREPROOF, how great was it to be together? The movie touched many hearts. Please join me in thanking Steve Luster and Matt Scanlon for making the night happen. I am also grateful for the folks who served by caring for the kids. I am humbled by the sacrifice of so many of you.

Now to the passage this morning - Jesus had left his confrontation with the Pharisees abruptly, and the disciples had gone with him. Apparently, at some point out on the sea, they realized that they had forgotten to bring any food. The disciples were worrying about bread, so Jesus used the opportunity to teach of the danger of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Jesus was teaching that just as only a small amount of yeast was needed to make a batch of bread rise, so the evil teachings and hypocrisy of the religious and political leaders could permeate and contaminate the entire society. The wrong teachings of the Pharisees were leading the entire nation astray.

After hearing Jesus’ warning against wrong teaching, the disciples quietly talked among themselves. They didn’t understand the warning. They interpreted Jesus so literally that they missed his point entirely. Jesus’ rebuke, “You have so little faith!” refers both to their lack of faith in realizing that he could supply bread as needed (as he had already done miraculously two separate times) and to their lack of understanding regarding his teachings. These men, closest to Jesus, would carry a huge responsibility after He was gone. Jesus wanted to be sure that they were getting the message.

Jesus’ question, “Won’t you ever understand?” emphasized that, at this point in his ministry, the disciples should have begun to understand and perceive who Jesus was. After all they had seen and heard, they should have understood. Jesus had shown compassion on people and had performed miracles to meet their needs. Thus, the disciples should have understood that Jesus would meet their needs as well—whether for bread or for spiritual insight regarding the religious leaders. Jesus wanted the disciples to think about what they had seen, especially in the two feeding miracles. If they considered what had happened, they would have to conclude that Jesus was their Messiah, the Son of God.

As Jesus and the disciples walked toward the city, Jesus asked his disciples what they had heard from the people regarding his identity: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” The disciples answered Jesus’ question with the common view that Jesus was one of the great prophets who had come back to life. This belief may have stemmed from Deuteronomy 18:18, where God said he would raise up a prophet from among the people. Herod had thought that Jesus was John the Baptist come back to life, so apparently this rumor was widespread. The people considered Jesus to be Elijah because Elijah had been a great prophet, and one like him was expected to come before the Messiah arrived (Malachi 4:5). 

The people may have had various opinions and ideas about Jesus’ identity, but Jesus was concerned about what his chosen twelve believed about him. So he asked them, “Who do you say I am?” Peter, often the one to speak up when the others might be silent, declared what he had come to understand, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” In his declaration, Peter proclaimed Jesus to be the promised King and Deliverer. This is the core of the gospel message.

The disciples, however, still needed further understanding. Although it certainly had already crossed all of their minds that Jesus might be the Messiah, they still needed to learn about their role as agents of the promised Messiah and their role in his Kingdom. They did not yet fully understand the kind of king Jesus would be. Peter, and indeed all Israel, expected the Messiah to be a conqueror-liberator who would free the nation from Rome. Jesus would be a totally different kind of liberator, for he would conquer sin and death and free people from sin’s grasp.

All of the disciples may have had glimmers of understanding about who Jesus was, but Jesus perceived the depth of Peter’s confession of faith. Thus Jesus called him blessed, meaning especially favored by God’s gracious approval. Peter is pictured as the focus of divine revelation. No human being had showed Peter the truth he had just spoken; instead, Jesus’ Father in heaven had revealed it to him. Then, as now, true understanding of who Jesus is and the ability to confess that fact come not from our human nature or will, but from God alone.

The name Peter had already been given to Simon when Jesus first met him (John 1:42). Here Jesus gave the name new meaning. Jesus said, “You are Peter [Greek petros], and upon this rock [Greek petra] I will build my church.” The wordplay was evident. Jesus would use Peter, flaws and shortcomings all, to be the leader of leaders on which He would build his church.

Later, Peter reminded Christians that they were the church built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ as the cornerstone (1 Peter 2:4-8). All believers are joined into this church by faith in Jesus Christ as Savior, the same faith that Peter expressed here. The meaning of this verse has been a subject of debate for centuries. Some say the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven represents the authority to carry out church discipline, legislation, and administration; others say the keys give the authority to announce the forgiveness of sins. Most likely, the “keys” are the Kingdom authority given to the church, including the opportunity to bring people to the Kingdom of Heaven by presenting them with the message of salvation found in God’s word (Acts 15:7-9).

Jesus sternly warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah because at this point they didn’t fully understand the significance of Peter’s confession. Everyone still expected the Messiah to come as a conquering king. But even though Jesus was the Messiah, he still had to suffer, be rejected by the leaders, be killed, and rise from the dead. When the disciples saw all this happen to Jesus, they would understand what the Messiah had come to do. Only then would they be equipped to share the gospel around the world.

The phrase from then on marks a turning point. Jesus began teaching clearly and specifically what they could expect so that they would not be surprised when it happened. Contrary to what they thought, Jesus had not come to set up an earthly kingdom. He would not be the conquering Messiah because he first had to suffer and be killed. For any human king, death would be the end. Not so for Jesus. Death would only be the beginning, for he would be raised on the third day. Jesus knew from what quarters the rejection would come: the leaders and the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. These three groups made up the Jewish council, the Jewish supreme court that ultimately sentenced Jesus to be killed. Notice that opposition came not from the people at large, but from their leaders—the very people who should have been the first to recognize and rejoice in Messiah’s arrival.

This was too much for Peter. Having just confessed his heartfelt belief in Jesus, Peter certainly found it most unnerving that the king would soon be put to death. So he took Jesus aside and corrected him. Peter sought to protect Jesus from the suffering He prophesied. But if Jesus hadn’t suffered and died, Peter would have died in his sins. Great temptations can come from those who love us and seek to protect us. Be cautious of advice from a friend who says, “Surely God doesn’t want you to face this.” Often our most difficult temptations come from those who try to protect us from discomfort.

In his wilderness temptations, Jesus had been told that he could achieve greatness without dying. Peter, in his rebuke of Jesus’ words about dying, was saying the same thing. Trying to circumvent God’s plan had been one of Satan’s tools; Peter inadvertently used Satan’s tool in trying to protect his beloved Master. This would be a dangerous trap to Jesus, so Jesus rebuked Peter. God’s plan included suffering and death for the Messiah. Jesus would fulfill his mission exactly as planned.

SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)

Lord, thank you for Peter. Thank you for the insight You gave him. Thank you for the boldness and leadership of Peter. Yet, while I am thankful for this man of God, I am cognitive of his short sightedness. Lord, help me to know when I am to step in and intervene for our kids and give me wisdom when I need to stand back and let You take them through stormy waters. Give the people of our church this same wisdom and insight with their kids. 

Also, Today Lord, help me be about Your business and Your work. Lord, build Emily and shape Emily into a woman of God. In my desire to make disciples, don't let me neglect her. Lord, Give her a heart for You and increase that heart day by day. Protect her purity and heart. She has so many leadership gifts - Lord, help her be a ROCK on her school campus and in the lives of her friends. Lord, put it on the hearts of every parent this morning at COV to see their children as their disciples as well. Help these parents build their kids and protect their hearts. Give our parents the desire to teach your commands and decrees in their home.

PRAYER

For everyone of the folks who raise their hand yesterday to indicate that they asked You into their heart, protect and preserve that decision. Speak to their hearts about the need to read their Bible and continue in worship and join a LIFE group. Build a church at COV where lives are being changed every week because they receive You and let You have a greater part of their life and heart.