An Offense to God?

Matthew 16: Turning Point (5)

Pray Psalm 77.1-3.
I cried out to God with my voice—
To God with my voice;
And He gave ear to me.
In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord;
My hand was stretched out in the night without ceasing;
My soul refused to be comforted.
I remembered God, and was troubled;
I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed.

Sing Psalm 77.1-3.
Leoni: The God of Abraham Praise
My voice to God shall rise; I seek Him on His throne. 
In days and nights of trouble I seek God alone! 
When I remember Him, then am I sore distressed! 
My spirit faints and longs to find in Him its rest.

Read Matthew 16.1-23; meditate on verses 21-23.
Meditate on the phrase, “Get behind Me…”

Prepare.
1. What did Jesus explain to His disciples?

2. How did Peter respond to this Word and plan of Christ?

Meditate.
What we don’t like to think about is our salvation being a struggle. Or a fight. Or an inconvenience of any kind to our normal experience in the world. In that respect, we’re a bit like Peter, who, all proud and beaming about his confident confession that Jesus is the Son of God and the Messiah of Israel, was unwilling to entertain any idea of suffering or hardship on Jesus’ part (vv. 21, 22). Or his.

Jesus had just announced His agenda: He was going to build His Church as the agent whereby His Kingdom would come on earth as it is in heaven. Since He was not yet ready to make this widely known, He instructed His disciples not to declare this agenda just yet (v. 20). He needed time to lay the foundation on which that holy spiritual temple would be erected. That foundation involved His suffering, death, and resurrection. For there can be no Church where sins are not paid for and forgiven, repentance is not a way of life, and the new life of resurrection in the Kingdom has not begun to flourish. 

Salvation is a cross-marked way of life, as we shall see (vv. 24ff). But that was not Peter’s idea. Peter wanted a salvation that led from victory to victory, without ever having to engage the struggle required to increase in Christlikeness. Jesus rebuked him as thinking like a mere man would think about such matters: Salvation should be all fun and excitement and an easy, or at least, not inconvenient road. Thinking this way about our salvation makes us an offense to God (v. 23). The things of God—the things of Jesus—are the things of self-denial, cross-bearing, suffering, and loving our unlovable neighbors enough to lay down our lives for them. 

If Peter was going to be a true follower of Jesus, he’d have to “get behind” Him and let Jesus lead the way, rather than jump ahead of Jesus and try to lead Him in the path that he thought was best. The same holds true for us.

Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
Oh, Peter, dear Peter. How thankful we all are for you, and your impetuous verbiage.
We don’t feel alone in our constant missteps and overreaches. 
We can be forgiven, just as he was; mindful, though, that we have the benefit of the Holy Spirit now, 
so probably should not be having as many notable outbursts as he.

Before being filled with the Holy Spirit, he was blustery and often befuddled.
However, after being filled with the Holy Spirit, he understood deeply and truly about humility of heart:
“…be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’ Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time…” (1 Pet. 5.5, 6).

Now, back to his infamous monologue. 
Can you picture this scene? Peter is still riding high on his good retort to Jesus about Who He is; and then Jesus spells out some very hard, frightening, and troublesome truths to His disciples, whereupon Peter takes Him aside and rebukes Him. Rebukes The Son of The Living God? Yup. Indeed, he did. 

Peter was suffering from a mighty bad case of believing his own press clippings, 
which led him to an audaciousness beyond the pale.
Do you suppose he was finger-wagging? Speaking sotto voce, or maybe too loud? 
Did he put his arm around the Savior, take Him aside, then lecture Him?
It was no doubt a scene that his fellow disciples could never unsee.

“There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword…”
“In the multitude of words sin is not lacking…”
“Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly…” (Prov. 12.18; 10.19; 16.19).
“For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, Whose Name is Holy:
I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, 
to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones” (Is. 57.15).
All the things Peter should have considered before opening his mouth.

Jesus had proclaimed and shown them that He was gentle and lowly in heart (Matt. 11.29).
Jesus was wise with His adversaries—strong, forceful, truthful—
yet always mindful of the things of God (Matt. 16.23).

Peter could not have understood the horrendous ramifications of what he was suggesting.
For without the horrible suffering and death of the Lamb of God, there would be no forgiveness of sins.

If we had been there with Jesus and the disciples, we too, might have cried out, “Peter, get behind Him!”
Truly, without Him suffering “many things” (Matt. 16.21) all mankind would suffer much eternally.

But Peter did get behind Jesus. 
And Jesus did suffer and die, rising victoriously on the third day. Just as He said He would (Matt. 28.6).

Peter’s team designation changed from offense to defense, from prideful to humble, growing sturdier 
and rockier with each passing day—this our boisterous, blustery, brother in the faith! 

Now we, like Peter, are filled with the Holy Spirit for the purpose of Kingdom work:
“For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: 
that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, 
that those who live should live no longer for themselves, 
but for Him Who died for them and rose again” (2 Cor. 5.14, 15).

Reflect.
1. What does it mean for you and me to “get behind” Jesus?

2. Why should we never think that we know better than Jesus how His plan for our lives should unfold?

3. How can we help one another stay on the right path with Jesus?

In rebuking Peter, Christ brings to light His own righteous judgment. When Peter confessed Christ, Christ praised him. But when he was irrationally terrified, Christ rebuked him, acting without respect of persons. Theodore of Heraclea (died, 355), Fragment 102

Pray Psalm 77.7-15, 19, 20.
Does it seem as though the Lord has cast off His Church? Is He leaving us to languish in our refusal to submit to His Word and plans? Is there anything in you keeping you from following Jesus more fully? Use the verses of this psalm to listen for the Spirit’s convicting and renewing voice.

Sing Psalm 77.7-15, 19, 20.
Leoni: The God of Abraham Praise
O LORD, will You reject Your people without end? 
Has favor ceased, are You no more our heav’nly Friend?
Your promise and Your love in anger are obscured; 
my sin has turned Your hand away, Your beauty blurred. 

Now let us call to mind Your deeds and wonders, LORD, 
and meditate on all Your works and praise Your Word. 
Full holy is Your way, great God of earth and heav’n;
to You, O God of strength and pow’r all praise be giv’n! 

Your way leads through the sea; Your path the water parts. 
Your footprints are to us deep mysteries in our hearts. 
As then by Moses’ hand and Aaron’s law-filled voice, 
You led Your sheep, lead us that we may all rejoice!

T. M. and Susie Moore

If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).

Other columns of interest: This week: Our Read Moore podcast continues our readings from the book, The Joy and Rejoicing of My Heart. Our Crosfigell teaching letter is pursuing a series on the spiritual poetry of the Celtic Revival. The ReVision column begins a study of the role of reason in the life of faith. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.