“Matthew 16:13-28”

Thursday, June 04, 2020

“Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.’ Then He warned the disciples that they should tell no one that He was the Christ. From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, ‘God forbid it, Lord! This shall 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 not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.’ Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds. ‘Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”

---End of Scripture Verses---

Jesus had been preaching and working wonders for about three years, and opposition had steadily escalated all the while. He and His disciples were in the area of Caesarea Philippi. They had traveled about as far north as they could possibly go and still be in the Holy Land. The time had come for Jesus to make His way back to Jerusalem to face His enemies head on, and to drink of the cup that was awaiting Him there (Matthew 26:39). Jesus took this opportunity to teach His true disciples some difficult realities.

He asked them the question, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” (verse 13). There were varied and diverse opinions among the Jewish population at large about the true nature of Jesus’ identity. But Jesus’ greatest concern was that His loyal followers perceived Him to be who He truly was, not who the crowds appraised Him to be. Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (verse 16). That was the “blessed” answer Jesus was looking for (verse 17). And now it was time to show them what it really meant for Jesus to be the Messiah.

“From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day” (verse 21). Peter knew who Jesus was, but he was completely unaware of what He had actually come to this earth to do (verse 22). Reader, who do you say that Jesus is? A good Man? A prophet? A rejected King? Jesus is the Christ, the Chosen One of God. The very reason He came to this earth was to be abused and crucified for the sins of the world. The execution of Jesus was not a manmade deviation from the plan of God (verse 23). With the crucifixion of Jesus, God executed His perfect plan for the redemption of man, and the gates of Hades did not prevail against it (verse 18). When Jesus arose from the grave, He established His church through the authority that He later invested in these very apostles (verse 19).

Peter was not the rock that Jesus built His church upon (verses 17-18). Jesus is the only Rock from which all spiritual blessings flow (1 Corinthians 10:4; Deuteronomy 32:4, 15, 18, 30, 31). Peter himself would later write of Jesus, “For this is contained in Scripture: ‘Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone, and he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.’ This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve, ‘The stone which the builders rejected, this became the very corner stone,’ and, ‘A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.’” No other foundation can be laid than Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11).

Please read Matthew 17:1-12 for tomorrow – Jesus is transfigured.

Have a blessed Day!

-Louie Taylor

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