I have always found the way Jesus relates to Peter in Matthew 16:13-24 interesting. In the first part of this passage, Jesus asks His disciples what the people were saying about Him: “Who do people say (think) the Son of Man is?” They came up with some safe answers: "Some say John the Baptist, others, Elijah; still others, Jeremiah or one of the other prophets."
Then Jesus went deeper with His disciples. "Who do you say I am?" I can almost see them standing around, afraid to say what they were really thinking and hoping. As a former schoolteacher, I used to see this all the time: Kids who knew the answer but were afraid to say it out loud. What if they were wrong? What if someone laughed? What if they were disappointed?
None of these things seemed to bother the impulsive Peter. Without hesitation, he simply stated the truth: "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!" That was the first time anyone said out loud what they suspected from the beginning. Jesus was God!
Jesus responded like the good Teacher He was. He reinforced Peter: "You are right. And upon this Truth I will build My Church." Wow, Jesus had just used Peter as a good example in front of the rest of the "students." I can just see Peter's self-confidence grow.
In the next part of the passage, we find Jesus telling His disciples He must suffer at the hands of the Jewish elders and be killed. Peter with his new found confidence felt the need to speak out again. I can almost see him motioning to Jesus. "Psst. Hey, Jesus, come over here for a minute. I have something important to tell you. Don't die!" Can you believe it? Peter was giving advice to God!!
We might expect Jesus to have a little more patience with Peter's arrogance, explaining and comforting him with something like, "You don't understand. Three days after they crucify Me, I’ll rise from the dead! So don't worry." But He didn't. He said, "Get behind Me, Satan!" Why would Jesus call Peter, Satan? Especially after He had just praised Peter for identifying him as the Son of God. After all, Peter was only looking out for Jesus’ best interests! Right?
Was Peter really looking out for Jesus, or was he actually looking out for himself? Think about it. Try to imagine what was going through his mind at the time. He knew there were twelve tribes of Israel. He looked around and saw twelve disciples. He believed Jesus was going to set up the Kingdom of God in Jerusalem, and then the disciples would become the leaders of the Twelve Tribes. If Jesus died, Peter would lose all he had hoped for these past three years. He didn't understand Jesus' Kingdom was a heavenly kingdom. All Peter knew was Jesus was going to be king. Kings rule. Friends of kings would rule with the king. If the king dies, all is lost.
Jesus had no patience with Peter because Peter wasn't really looking out for Jesus or the Kingdom of God. He was only thinking of himself. After calling Peter, Satan, one can almost see Jesus whirl around and point at the rest of the disciples and tell them at full volume, "If anyone wants to be my disciple, he must deny himself, take up his cross [implying that they must also die on it] and follow Me!"
This is our calling today, as well. If we truly want to be a disciple of Jesus, we must be honest about who we really serve and be willing to die to our selfish desires. When He died, we died with Him (Romans 6:2-3), and our rights died as well.
Reflection: Are you ready to deny yourself, take up your cross and die with Jesus? What does that mean in the context of your current lifestyle? What would you change today that you would not have been able or willing to change before you started The Full Tilt Media Challenge? Think about it....
Response: Is there a favorite TV program, movie, or entertainment activity that you need to “sacrifice” in order to spend the time with God? Is this something you are ready/willing to do every day?
Verse of the Day: Psalm 9:11
"Sing praises to the Lord, enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what He has done." (NIV)
This is just one of dozens of verses that specifically command us to sing praises to the Creator. Don’t forget this is a direct command from God. Do you sing praises to the Lord other than the worship service at church? Why not? Christian music can help us fulfill His command to sing praises to the Lord.
It would be good to understand the writer of this verse, King David, was called a man after God’s own heart by Jesus Himself. Don’t get David confused with other patriarchs from the Old Testament. This guy was a murderer, an adulterer, a liar, a rotten father, and even a “crybaby.” It seems he didn’t have anything going for himself. Then why was David the line of Christ, and why would God call him “a man a man after My heart?”
I believe it is because David understood the purpose of singing in his heart to the Lord. It didn’t make David perfect and deserving of God’s love, but David's songs constantly brought him to the throne of God and helped him see life as it really is – from God’s viewpoint. How do you see life?