Sunday, July 19, 2020

Satan or Saint?

 
Peter is the consummate enigma; he is one of the most confusing personalities in Scripture.  With this big fisherman it’s always good news/bad news, hero to zero, feast or famine when it comes to what comes out of his mouth. 
·       He was the great apostle, making the declaration, Thou art the Christ, but outside Pilate's gate he was a wimp, denying he'd ever seen Jesus. 
·       Peter thundered on Pentecost day, seeing thousands added to the church, but he trembled with fear for his reputation when the delegation from Jerusalem found out he'd been eating with Gentiles.             
Why such a roller-coaster spiritual ride?  It's hard to say; perhaps Jesus may have just been revealing something about Peter’s character and future.  Jesus called Peter son of Jonah.  We don’t know if Peter’s father was named Jonah, but Jesus may have been playing on the name, unmasking the character of Peter.  Just like Jonah, Peter was to have a career of incredible failures and unbelievable mountaintops.
Peter became the spokesman for the disciples.  His leadership was not attributed to brains, but heart!  Jesus declared that Peter had a heart in tune with God (verse 17).  The other apostles observed what some people thought about Jesus (16:14)...but Jesus needed a leader who wasn't a follower when it counted most.
This text displays great spirituality, human dullness, and God's mercy...all in the same lovable, bumbling, and magnificent apostle, Peter.  And that which makes this incident so truly relevant for you and me is that we see ourselves in the humanity of Peter.  First, we see…

Saint Peter         Matthew 16:13-20 

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”  “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”  Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”  Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”  Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you.  You did not learn this from any human being.  Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.  And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven.  Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.”

Jesus searched the hearts of the disciples.  They gave Him an answer about what people were saying, but Jesus probed deeper, who do YOU say I am?  It didn't take Peter long to make his announcement.  Although this was not the first time the subject of Jesus' divinity had come up, this response was the most definitive ever.  Peter said, YOU are THE Christ, THE SON of THE living God.  Friends, that leaves little to the imagination.  There you have the Bible’s main message!
Jesus was not referring to Peter’s character as the foundation for the church; that character was fickle or short-sighted at best!  Rather, Jesus was referring to Peter’s confession – the truth that Jesus was indeed Messiah – THAT would be the bedrock upon which the church would be built and stand!
Now, Peter wasn't always a saint, sometimes he came "crossways" with Jesus' plan, and he was then:

Satan Peter                 Matthew 16:21-23

From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.  And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord!  This must never happen to you.”  But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan!  You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”  

The name "Satan" literally means "the adversary."  Peter spoke from the heart, but sometimes the Lord just wants us to sit, and listen to Him, and keep our mouths shut.  That was never Peter's strong suit.  Jesus said, "I'm going to be killed, and then raised."  Peter reacted; Jesus rebuked him. 
The why of Jesus’ rebuke of Peter has to do with the mindset of many Jews, who were severely oppressed by the Roman Empire.  Messiah meant political freedom, economic boon.  Jesus did not want anyone getting the idea that His mission was to put a chicken in every pot.  His was not a political mission, but a prison mission.  Jesus came to set the captives free!
The disciples were subject to the same misunderstanding.  Jesus wanted them to clearly see that this mission was to be accomplished by a cross, not a sword.  Peter was no different than James and John.  The “sons of thunder” were already divvying-up the choice positions of authority in the Kingdom.  Peter didn’t want anything to mess-up his calculation of just how much reward was coming his way for leaving the fishing business back home.  This cross thing was a could have severe economic implications!  Peter couldn’t see beyond his own possible losses, and the horror and degradation of a cross, so he wanted to change Jesus’ mind. 
Jesus told Peter to get behind
There's an interesting lesson in this exchange.  Peter was interested in keeping Jesus healthy.  He'd left a fishing business and family behind to stake it all on following this carpenter from Galilee.  It just didn't sound like a good thing for the leader to die.  What would happen to the movement then?  What Jesus said to Peter unmasked the fact that Peter was more interested in his own agenda, and what would happen to him, than following Jesus.  Hence the lesson: 

When we leave revealed heavenly truth for the comfort of human reasoning, we become a stumbling block for the kingdom.

You and I do it all the time.  We pray, God, I don't like this thing that is happening to me.  Please change it.  Like Peter, we tend to instruct God rather than listen for the instructions He is trying to give.  Sometimes we just need to hush-up!
There is redemption in this, however.  Jesus said to Peter, get behind.  Like Peter, we need to learn the lesson that Satan has always tried to push God towards HIS planned agenda.  God has always said, NO…following is done from behind; I do the leading here
We have a choice in the church.  When we are demanding our rights, our way, our plan, we are not following, we're out front.  Jesus said to Peter, Get behind, get in line; I will lead, you follow.  If we follow as God's children, God will bless.  When we insist on getting our own way, we pay the price, lost spiritual power - lost blessings.
I have become convinced that this mindset is the main reason churches split, preachers get fired, and all human-run organizations shrivel and die…people want what they want; they really don’t want to follow anyone!  Even the Son of God.
We've seen the great spirituality of Peter, as well as his spiritual dullness, but note the mercy of God as Jesus shares the great principle of following...

Changing devils into saints Matthew 16:23-28

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.  If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it.  But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.  And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?  Is anything worth more than your soul?  For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds.  And I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”

One of the principles of the kingdom is that everything works the opposite of the way the world sees things.  If you want to be first, serve.  If you want life, die to self.  If you wish to receive, give.  We have a God who turns everything on its’ ear!
Peter had made an important connection with heaven in recognizing the divinity of Jesus.  He'd made the incredible blunder of thinking he would change Jesus' mind about the cross.  Now Jesus laid-out for them the one consistent demand of discipleship:

IF YOU WANT TO FOLLOW JESUSYOU HAVE TO FOLLOW JESUS!

There is no such thing as serving two masters.  If you will be a follower of Jesus, you must give up your own life…not necessarily physically, but the emotional, rational, and willful part of self-determination in favor of God’s calling the shots.
The disciples knew what Jesus was saying.  Twenty years before there was a rebellion against Roman authority in a little town called Sepphoris.  It was only about 4 miles from where Jesus lived.  A man named Varus, a farmer of Galilee, organized the farmers of the area into a rebellion army.  They attacked and killed all the Roman soldiers of the garrison at Sepphoris.  Rome sent in the armies, and disbursed the armies of Varus, about 10,000 men.  Most of them went back to farming.  But the Romans captured about 2,000 of them. 
The historian, Josephus, records that they were going to teach the rebels of Galilee a lesson not to be rebels.  They took them, one by one, along the road out of Sepphoris, and crucified them.  They would put one on a cross, and then walk down the road until almost out of sight, and then crucify another.  They went in every direction out of Sepphoris, all over Galilee, until they had each of the 2,000 rebels on crosses. 
As you walked the roads of Galilee you were never out of sight of a crucified rebel.  None could be taken down; they were to rot there on the crosses.  If anyone took one down, another Galilean citizen would take his place.  Jesus was about 10 years old when this happened.  He knew the cost of carrying crosses and still He says it to you and me today:

“If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me…”

What does it take to change an adversary to a saint? 
Everything you've got. 
Are you willing for this? 
Are you really willing to step up and offer your life in exchange for His?  That's Jesus’ plan; that’s Jesus’ demand if you would be His follower.
He is coming back.  I pray that you have answered Jesus' question, a most personal question:  Who do YOU say that I am? 
If you haven't answered that question yet in your life, DON'T BE AFRAID...DO IT!      

Our Prayer

Father God, this is indeed a most personal question.  Who do I say YOU are?  It was easier and safer to read how Jesus asked that question to a small band of men back 2,000 years ago.  It’s discomforting and downright scary to hear the words ringing in our ears right here…now…requiring a ‘yes’ or ‘no’.  There’s no room for maybe, or we’ll see, or perhaps tomorrow.  Lord, when You speak to our hearts, there’s an urgency that won’t let this decision be put off; we want time to think about this, and we would rather not be pushed into a corner.  Father, teach us that there is no corner of the earth (or universe) where You’re not asking that question.  Help us to not make Peter’s blunder, when he thought he could change your mind with his better plan.  Help us know beyond doubt that there are only two answers – yes or no.  Help us to make the yes choice…to follow…to leave all the Adversary attitudes behind, all those plans that make us a stumbling block to the kingdom.  Help us to GET BEHIND…and FOLLOW.

For the glory, honor, and praise to which You alone are worthy, o Lord, we pray in the Name of the Son, cooperating with the Spirit, to honor and lift up the Majesty of the Father. 
Let it be so in each of our lives…Amen!

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Title Image:  Pixabay.com  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation  Matthew 10:24-39©

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