If you’ve never actually read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the four accounts of the life of Jesus – or even if you’ve never read them carefully – it can be easy to believe in a one-dimensional Jesus who fails to resemble the complex individual found in the gospels.  Some believe in the “just love and accept everybody” Jesus, others in the “fight for justice and speak against ungodly authority” Jesus, and still others for a human Jesus who never claimed to be divine.  But the truth is way more complex, and, rest assured, will offend everyone (including you) at some point.  One person will find Jesus too forgiving, seemingly letting people off the hook who deserve punishment.  Others will find him too narrow, demanding that people come to God through Him and treat His words as truth instead of allowing people to believe whatever they want.  In short, Jesus just isn’t like us, and often does not behave the way we wish He would.

One of the best examples comes in Matthew 16:13-23.  Jesus asks his disciples what people are saying about Him.  They tell Jesus that some think he is John the Baptist, others Elijah, and still others that He is one of the prophets.  Then Jesus asks them who they think He is, and Peter answers, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  And Jesus praises him for this and goes into a lengthy proclamation of how important Peter will be to the future of the church.

But immediately after that, the mood radically shifts.  Jesus begins to tell them that he is heading to Jerusalem, where he is going to suffer and be murdered before rising again.  And Peter takes him aside to rebuke him, saying “Never, Lord!  This shall never happen to you!”  And Jesus responds with a sentiment that is completely the opposite of the previous one:  “Get behind me, Satan!  You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

In one breath, Jesus praises Peter for his accurate perception, and in the next one he actually calls him Satan for trying to convince Jesus that being the Son of God means that He does not have to suffer and die.  In this passage we see a Jesus who speaks the truth at all times, first building Peter up and then putting him in his place.  He is quick to point out sin when it clouds the judgment of his dear friend, but he also sees him with the eyes of grace, proclaiming over him wonderful realities that have yet to occur and which he does not deserve.

But let’s look at Peter for a minute.  The reason I wanted to share this passage is that I believe we are at a critical point as a church, with some exciting possibilities before us that have the potential to either propel us to a new level of faith with God or destroy us completely.  And I am convinced that there is an enemy, Satan, who along with his principalities and powers want to do everything they can to make sure we are divided and destroyed.  With that in mind, I find the Matthew 16 passage incredibly sobering, for it is Peter, one of the greatest disciples and leaders in the early church, who Jesus does not hesitate to call “Satan.”  Why?  Because, as Jesus puts it, “You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”  We would be wise to meditate on that admonishment as we seek to resist the devil and his schemes and follow God wherever He may lead.  Here are a few brief things we need to understand from these challenging words of Jesus:

1) Well-meaning believers can unintentionally be a mouthpiece for Satan – Peter loved Jesus, and did not want him to suffer and die.  Of course, he did not know that Jesus’ death and resurrection was the reason he had come, and the only way to save a humanity enslaved by sin.  By trying to protect Jesus, Peter unwittingly became a mouthpiece for Satan, voicing something that was entirely contrary to the Word of God.  My brothers and sisters, who are you to believe that you are immune to this possibility?  Might you, in your desire to do good, make the same mistake by giving voice to the desires of Satan?  If that does not drive you to your knees, so that you might have the mind and heart of Christ, I don’t know what will.

2) The problem is having in mind the things of men – Again and again during this season, the question arises:  what is GOD’S will?  What does HE want?  Not what seems best to us, what makes sense, or even what makes the most financial or rational sense.  What is GOD saying?  If your words and decisions are based on the things of men and not the things of God, you may join Peter in becoming a stumbling block to the cause of Christ.  If your speech and actions are informed more by the changing culture or circumstances than the unchanging truth of God, then you will end up standing in the way of God’s kingdom.  Once again the answer is simple but not easy – get on your knees and ask Him to transform your mind and your heart until you want the things He wants.

3) The solution is having in mind the things of God – Jesus follows these words to Peter by saying that his disciples will be the ones who deny themselves, pick up their crosses, and follow him.  His disciples will be the ones who lose their lives in order to find true life in Him.  In other words, their concern will not be primarily about food and shelter and employment and romantic love and worldly success and all the things we are taught will give us life.  Their solitary focus will be on bringing glory to God by loving Him with all of their heart, soul, strength, and mind, and loving their neighbor as themselves.  Their concern will be that God is honored, no matter what the cost to themselves, because He alone deserves it.

I plan on writing the next few posts on issues regarding spiritual warfare, so that we might resist the devil and honor God in this season.  Let us again commit ourselves to prayer, to spending time with our God, so that we might have the mind and heart of Christ and be a part of His kingdom work instead of becoming a stumbling block in the way of what He is doing.  All glory to God.

Write a comment