Matthew 16:1-28
As a teacher, I know that students can be the source of both great joy and great frustration. At times, they have moments of great understanding and it is wonderful to see "lights" come on in their minds and then glow in their eyes. Then there are other times, when after going over the same material for the fifth time, it is still very obvious that they just don't "get it." This passage gives me the feel of a classroom and I can imagine how Christ must have felt as He responds to His "students" who, for the most part, seem to still be in the dark. Let's examine and learn from the various interactions between the Master and His pupils.
There was CONFLICT between Jesus and the Pharisees. This, of course, is nothing new. This time they come to Him asking for a sign from heaven. I think that it is obvious by His response that he was "fed up" with these stubborn men. What more did they want Him to do? God has already audibly declared that Jesus was His Son. Jesus has healed the sick, raised the dead, cast out demons, calmed the seas, taught the truth, multiplied both food and wine, and plainly stated that He was Messiah. Will they ever learn? The answer is no. They never did learn, and their pride was so great that they nailed Him to a cross in a failed attempt to be rid of Him. Before we get too hard on these students, I think we must examine our own learning habits. How often do we ask God to "show us His will," when we already know just exactly what He wants us to do?
There was CONFUSION between Jesus and the Disciples. This was not too rare either. When Jesus warns them to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, they start thinking about bread. Jesus wants them to know that the teachings of the religious leaders are extremely dangerous and have a tendency to permeate the hearts of even the most diligent students. Do's and Don'ts are attractive to the carnal heart that is blinded by pride. Unfortunately, most of our hearts have pride and carnality to spare, so we must be very astute to make sure this false religion does not permeate our lives. The disciples can see that their teacher is upset about something and they think that He is worried about where His next meal will come from. He had just fed thousands of people with a sack lunch and the disciples think that He is worried about the lack of food. They just didn't "get it." Unfortunately, I too get so caught up in the physical world that I don't pay nearly enough attention to the condition of my heart.
There was a CONFESSION of Jesus by Peter. This is the moment of brilliance for which every teacher lives. It is always dangerous to ask questions, because hearing wrong answers time and time again can be very discouraging. But, in this case, Peter gets a big gold star. When asked about the opinions of others concerning Christ's identify, the disciples correctly related the facts of public opinion. But when He asked for their opinion, Peter eloquently declares that He is the Son of the living God. "HE GOT IT!!!!!" What a relief! It is one thing to know the correct answer. It is entirely different to live in light of that truth. More than likely, all of us would echo Peter's answer to Jesus's question. However, I wonder if we think about and apply that truth to our lives each day, all day? A life that reflects this truth would not disobey, doubt, worry, fear, complain, squabble, gossip, lust, lie, cheat, steal, hate..... you get the picture.
There was a CONFRONTATION of Peter by Jesus. Peter's answer was so good that Jesus decides to move on to the next lesson. He reveals to the disciples that He will suffer, be killed and then rise from the dead. Peter, conveniently, forgets that He is talking to God and places his foot squarely in his mouth. I think he must have (like a typical student) stopped listening before the end of the lesson. He is so shocked by the revelation that Jesus will suffer and die, that the promise of His resurrection does not seem to compute. Peter confronts Jesus, saying that this was not right. Then Jesus confronts Peter right back. Peter has given words to the mind of Satan, and Jesus lets him know it. Peter's problem is that he is focused on the immediate and not the eternal. Boy, is it a good thing that none of us ever struggle with that! : ) When God calls us, or allows us to suffer, we are so quick to live as if that moment were the apex of life. We must not fall for this fallacy. In the face of suffering we must focus our minds, emotions and bodies on eternity and fix our hope on the fact that God is GOD!
There was CONFIRMATION of the Disciples by Jesus. It is now time for the final exam. This is the lesson that Jesus has been teaching since the very beginning. A disciple must follow his Master. The first day they met Jesus they left their nets on the beach and followed Jesus. When God called Abraham, it was the same deal; get up, get out and get going. Where? Wherever I lead you! Only now, Jesus has made it very clear that He is about to carry a cross, so, those who would call themselves disciples, must do the same. The good news is that the path of the cross that Christ has blazed ends up in unfathomable glory. There is self-denial, blood sweat and tears all along the way, but WOW, the end of the road is HEAVEN, literally. We must not allow the distress of the cross to disappoint us, discourage us or cause us to doubt and deny our Master. Let us fix our eyes on Him, follow His every step, carry our cross in faith and focus our hope on the glorious future that He has prepared for all who follow Him.
There was CONFLICT between Jesus and the Pharisees. This, of course, is nothing new. This time they come to Him asking for a sign from heaven. I think that it is obvious by His response that he was "fed up" with these stubborn men. What more did they want Him to do? God has already audibly declared that Jesus was His Son. Jesus has healed the sick, raised the dead, cast out demons, calmed the seas, taught the truth, multiplied both food and wine, and plainly stated that He was Messiah. Will they ever learn? The answer is no. They never did learn, and their pride was so great that they nailed Him to a cross in a failed attempt to be rid of Him. Before we get too hard on these students, I think we must examine our own learning habits. How often do we ask God to "show us His will," when we already know just exactly what He wants us to do?
There was CONFUSION between Jesus and the Disciples. This was not too rare either. When Jesus warns them to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, they start thinking about bread. Jesus wants them to know that the teachings of the religious leaders are extremely dangerous and have a tendency to permeate the hearts of even the most diligent students. Do's and Don'ts are attractive to the carnal heart that is blinded by pride. Unfortunately, most of our hearts have pride and carnality to spare, so we must be very astute to make sure this false religion does not permeate our lives. The disciples can see that their teacher is upset about something and they think that He is worried about where His next meal will come from. He had just fed thousands of people with a sack lunch and the disciples think that He is worried about the lack of food. They just didn't "get it." Unfortunately, I too get so caught up in the physical world that I don't pay nearly enough attention to the condition of my heart.
There was a CONFESSION of Jesus by Peter. This is the moment of brilliance for which every teacher lives. It is always dangerous to ask questions, because hearing wrong answers time and time again can be very discouraging. But, in this case, Peter gets a big gold star. When asked about the opinions of others concerning Christ's identify, the disciples correctly related the facts of public opinion. But when He asked for their opinion, Peter eloquently declares that He is the Son of the living God. "HE GOT IT!!!!!" What a relief! It is one thing to know the correct answer. It is entirely different to live in light of that truth. More than likely, all of us would echo Peter's answer to Jesus's question. However, I wonder if we think about and apply that truth to our lives each day, all day? A life that reflects this truth would not disobey, doubt, worry, fear, complain, squabble, gossip, lust, lie, cheat, steal, hate..... you get the picture.
There was a CONFRONTATION of Peter by Jesus. Peter's answer was so good that Jesus decides to move on to the next lesson. He reveals to the disciples that He will suffer, be killed and then rise from the dead. Peter, conveniently, forgets that He is talking to God and places his foot squarely in his mouth. I think he must have (like a typical student) stopped listening before the end of the lesson. He is so shocked by the revelation that Jesus will suffer and die, that the promise of His resurrection does not seem to compute. Peter confronts Jesus, saying that this was not right. Then Jesus confronts Peter right back. Peter has given words to the mind of Satan, and Jesus lets him know it. Peter's problem is that he is focused on the immediate and not the eternal. Boy, is it a good thing that none of us ever struggle with that! : ) When God calls us, or allows us to suffer, we are so quick to live as if that moment were the apex of life. We must not fall for this fallacy. In the face of suffering we must focus our minds, emotions and bodies on eternity and fix our hope on the fact that God is GOD!
There was CONFIRMATION of the Disciples by Jesus. It is now time for the final exam. This is the lesson that Jesus has been teaching since the very beginning. A disciple must follow his Master. The first day they met Jesus they left their nets on the beach and followed Jesus. When God called Abraham, it was the same deal; get up, get out and get going. Where? Wherever I lead you! Only now, Jesus has made it very clear that He is about to carry a cross, so, those who would call themselves disciples, must do the same. The good news is that the path of the cross that Christ has blazed ends up in unfathomable glory. There is self-denial, blood sweat and tears all along the way, but WOW, the end of the road is HEAVEN, literally. We must not allow the distress of the cross to disappoint us, discourage us or cause us to doubt and deny our Master. Let us fix our eyes on Him, follow His every step, carry our cross in faith and focus our hope on the glorious future that He has prepared for all who follow Him.
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