This week’s reading: Matthew 16:21–17:27
Hi Friends,
The way we view life is so very different from the way that God does. As a result, the things we desire, the things we would expect, the way we would do things and our method for meeting needs is totally different than God’s way. And because it is so different, sometimes we have a hard time believing in what God is doing. This week we will finish chapter 16 of the Gospel of Matthew and go all the way through chapter 17. We will talk about some of these extremely different viewpoints as we focus on some very powerful verses. We will experience the unexpected as we hear about the marvelous Transfiguration. We will see the Humanity of Jesus as He continues to deal with our unbelief. And we will end with an amazing miracle that should teach us to trust God with every need. Here we catch a glimpse of the contrast between what God knows is best, and what mankind would quickly dispute:
“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.” Mt 16:24-25 NIV
Not what His disciples wanted. We open up this week’s reading with Jesus predicting His inevitable death. Of course, because they love Jesus, and maybe even because they thought they knew God’s Plan better than Jesus did, His disciples did not want to hear that Jesus was going to die. Peter, as usual, is the first to speak, displaying this disparity between God’s Plan and what man would do instead. As Jesus sadly explains He must suffer much at the hands of the religious, be killed, then rise again on the third day, Peter pulls Him aside and rebukes Jesus. I have to pause here and shake my head at Peter. Not because I think he was being wrong, although he was, but at his courage to actually tell Jesus, “No, that is not what is going to happen. We just won’t allow it.” Even though he was missing the entire point to the Presence of Jesus in this world, Peter had guts. Which one of us would come face to face with Jesus and rebuke Him, for crying out loud!?! Only impetuous and bold Peter. Peter thought he knew better, but this is what children do. We always think we know better than the Father, then we come up with our own “good” plans. I mean, we see life through our tiny perspective and we assume to understand what is best for us and everyone else. Jesus sees right through Peter’s words though, and puts the blame where it belongs. It is one of Satan’s personal missions to confuse and mislead us humans, so much so that we convince ourselves, our way is not only the best way, but the only way. I am so sure Jesus the Human was struggling with His God-given mission and the last thing He needed was someone telling Him, “No, that’s not going to happen. I am sure God has another, better plan in store for You and us.” Imagine for a second, you know you are commanded by God to do something that is going to be horrific, then someone tries to talk you out of it. Yet you are determined to be obedient to God, even though you know it will be hard. See the struggle here? Never forget Jesus was living in this world as a Human. He did not rely on His Deity, but was teaching you and me how to only, and fully, rely on the leading of the Holy Spirit. Again the last thing Jesus needed to hear is, “Nope. You are wrong. You are not going to die.” And so Jesus turns to the source of the lie that was trying to get Him off God’s track, “Get behind Me, Satan” Jesus says. (Mt 16:23) He is not calling Peter Satan, but instead naming the root of all the problems of this world. When we choose to listen to the enemy instead of God, which way too many “church going” people are doing these days by the way, then we are headed for dangerous territory. My Friends, God says what He means and means what He says. We must stop trying to come up with our own plans, trying to justify our own agendas, and simply trust and obey God instead. This is what Jesus is clearly displaying here in this dialogue. Satan is a stumbling block because he does not have the things of God in mind, and he, sadly, teaches us humans to follow in his wicked steps too. Don’t let him. Even if you must face something that hurts, something you do not want to deal with, something that might require you to deny yourself, choose to trust and obey God instead.
Not what His disciples would have thought. Jesus goes on to make some of the most profound statements that explain the difference between the way God sees this life and the way man does. First He says, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Mt 16:24) Sadly, I think way too often we humans misinterpret this powerful verse to say, “If anyone would come after Me, he must indulge himself and forget the cross and follow his own ideas”! But can we see that this is not following Jesus AT ALL! We still think life is all about MMI, even after we surrender our lives to Jesus as Savior and Lord! Deny yourself is completely the opposite! So when temptation comes a-calling, because it will, instead of entertaining the thought of it, we must quickly turn to Jesus and follow Him. We learn to say, “NO!” to sin the moment it presents itself. This means we do not think about it. This means we do not ask ourselves how we feel about it. This means we choose, on purpose, to desire the opposite of that thing that is trying to bring us down. We can do this only “If we would come after Jesus.” That means following Him. That means living life fully dependent on the Holy Spirit. That means wanting the Father’s Will over ours, more and more…and it starts with being more and more aware of the thoughts we allow into our minds. You see above, Satan introduced that thought to Peter, who truly loves Jesus and does not want Him to suffer and be killed, but then Peter does not filter the thought and just let’s it flow from his mind through his lips. Have you ever just said the first thing that came to your mind, then lived to regret it? This is what we do when we are not denying ourselves and just going with our animal instincts. But in Christ, that is no longer WHO we are. Only IN Christ, united with the Holy Spirit, following His lead, can we say “NO!” to our old, self-centered nature. Only IN Christ, united with the Holy Spirit, following His lead, can we take up our cross. Only IN Christ, united with the Holy Spirit, following His lead, can we follow the Immaculate example of Jesus. Taking up our cross is suffering for righteousness sake. It hurts us to do the right thing when our old self doesn’t want to do it, but it is what is truly best for us, and those around us. This is what Jesus did with His Cross, right? He suffered for all humanity’s sake…and He suffered for the glory of God the Father also. To point us to Him. To true Love. To Grace and Mercy. To Forgiveness and Redemption. To Everlasting Life. And my Friends, this is what you and I are supposed to do too. Every time we choose to lean on the power of the Holy Spirit within us, we too can deny our old self, we too can suffer for righteousness sake, we too can live the way Jesus lived, pure and holy, for God’s glory and the good of all humanity. Sounds like a lot I know, but we are never to do this alone. IN Christ it is not only achievable, but inevitable.
Not what His disciples would have imagined. The next thing Jesus says seems opposite to us, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.” (Mt 16:25) There is an eternal difference between true, everlasting Life and this temporary existence that is passing away. No one will live on this earth forever. That is the simple truth of this world. So we must seek a life that is above and beyond this one. Many of us call this life Heaven, and that is one of the greatest promises from our Lord. But to only be able to have that life if we give up this one? Which one of us would imagine such a thing? Yet this is the promise. John 3:16 clearly states this conditional gift. Yes, the gift comes with a condition. What is unconditional is God’s Love. For God so loved the world…not because we did something to deserve it, but because God is Love and has chosen to love His Creation, in spite of us. Because He so loved the world, He gave His one and only Begotten Son, to make it possible for us to be with Him in Heaven, forevermore. So here comes the condition: for whosoever would believe. That is our part. God has done it all, now we just have to choose to take Him at His Word. To believe He sent Jesus to pay the penalty for the sin of all humanity. Yes, ALL humanity. Jesus did not just die for those who would one day enter Heaven, but for the whole world…do we see why it is so evil not to believe? He already paid the price for every single sin we humans would ever commit…to not believe is calling the Father a liar, saying the Son did nothing, refusing to receive the Holy Spirit, and that is unforgivable. (see Mt 12:31-32; Mk 3:28-29; and Lk 12:10) There is an Old Testament event that symbolizes the seriousness of this unpardonable sin. When the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness and became thirsty, God told Moses to strike the rock, and life-giving water came flowing from it. (see Ex 17:1-7) Later on, they are faced with the same problem and God tells Moses to speak to the rock…sadly, Moses is angered by the unfaithfulness of God’s people, and in his outrage, he strikes the rock again instead. Because of his disobedience, Moses is not permitted to enter into the Promised Land. (see Nu 20:2-13) My friends, Jesus, The Rock, has already been struck. Now we only need to speak to The Rock, to confess we are sinners in need of His Salvation, and Eternal Life will overflow from Him to us. We cannot reject Him. We cannot belittle Him. We cannot ignore or deny Him. This would be like trying to strike The Rock again, and as a result, we will not be permitted into the Eternal Promised Land. Least we feel sorry for the struggling Moses, understand that, even though he does not get to travel into the earthly Promised Land, God does show him the whole territory then He takes him Home so he could be done with all the trials of this world. Attempting to live this life, on our own, our way, trying to save the “who” we used to be and continuing to live that way, is striking The Rock again. It is being disrespectful towards the Love of the Father, the sacrifice of the Son and it’s cursing the Holy Spirit Who is trying to lead us into this Truth. And we will end up losing true life because of this disobedience. But when we begin to grow in Christ, when we begin to put God’s Plan ahead of our own, when we seek the help of the Holy Spirit, then we find true Life. So if we really want to live, we must give up our life for the sake of Jesus. After all, as Jesus says, “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mt 16:26) The Rock has already poured out His life for us, pouring out ours is the least we can do for Him in return.
Not what His disciples expected. The next event takes us to the Mountain of Transfiguration. (read about this also in Mk 9:2-13 and Lk 9:28-36) Several days later, Jesus takes along Peter, James and John and goes off to experience something you and I would never have anticipated. Not only is Jesus transfigured into His Pure, Brilliant Holy Image, not only do Moses and Elijah come to talk with Him, but then God the Father speaks from Heaven too. It gives me goosebumps to envision this heavenly scene, but which one of us would have seen that coming? Like I mentioned above, Moses is alright and he comes with the great prophet Elijah to talk to Jesus “about His departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem.” (Lk 9:31) Peter, again as usual, doesn’t think before he speaks and tries to cement the event by making a worldly home for each one of them. We don’t know how these disciples knew it was Moses (representing the Law) and Elijah (representing the Prophets), but I would venture to guess that it was only by the Holy Spirit’s insight. Instead of understanding Jesus was going to leave this world, Satan, through Peter again, tries to get us to focus on this world. Thinking, “Yeah let’s bring Moses and Elijah down here, and You stay too Jesus,” vs “Praise God this vision shows we will all be in Heaven with Moses, Elijah and Jesus too.” See? We talked about this last week We are so focused on this world, we do not consider the next world. We focus on the earthly picture instead of on God’s bigger picture. But to seal the deal, the Father speaks, “‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!’ When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. But Jesus came and touched them. ‘Get up,’ he said. ‘Don’t be afraid.’” (Mt 17:5-7) Goosebumps! What a gracious God we have that He would allow mere man to witness such incredible phenomenon. I wonder, would you and I be open to such out-of-this-world events? These three disciples, His inner circle as they are known, must have been stunned. I am sure it was the last thing they expected that morning…but how about us? Do we think experiencing God’s miracles is not part of our story? Could we be missing some because of any unbelief? Praise God today that He does not require our permission, understanding, or expectation to still do the unexpected in our lives. When these blessings come, because they will, let’s allow the goosebumps to take over!
Not what His disciples could do. The next story is about healing a boy that was demon possessed. (also in Mk 9:14-29 and Lk 9:37-42) His dad had tried to get the disciples of Jesus to help, but they could not heal the child, and instead, an argument broke out. Jesus comes down from the mountain, hears all the arguing and is immediately bombarded by this grieving father. Jesus proceeds to heal the child, but asks an interesting question first, “O unbelieving and perverse generation… how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you?” (Mt 17:17) Could He have been recalling His recent conversation with Moses and Elijah? Could He be hinting that His time on earth was coming to an end? Or could He have been expressing His frustration at the little faith in His disciples, and the lack thereof in the scribes? As I did research in “Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers” it shed some light into what is going on. The commentary says that both the scribes and the disciples were acting like they were “perverse” in that they chose to use this serious occasion to start a fight, instead of focusing on healing the boy. It mentions that Jesus is showing us a glimpse of how, “our Lord’s whole life was one long tolerance of the waywardness and perversity of men.” Let’s pause a moment on this thought. We all should be extremely familiar with the suffering of Jesus during His Passion. The arrest. The mock trials. The hitting Him, spitting at Him and ridiculing Him. Then the horrific scourging, the painful crown of thorns, the torment of carrying His own Cross. And finally the nailing to that Cross and unimaginable suffering He endured on that Cross, and ultimately laying down His Life upon that Cross. But have we ever thought about the rest of His earthly life? Putting up with humans? As I said above, Moses got so angry at the lack of Faith of God’s people, why would Jesus not feel that too, right? Unlike Moses though, Jesus remains obedient to every single part of God’s Plan…and because He does, you and I get to go to Heaven when our time here is done. What we cannot do, God has already done. Like the father of this sick boy, all we need is a mustard seed of Faith. Listen to the conversation between him and Jesus, found in the Gospel of Mark: “‘It has thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.’ ‘If you can?’ Jesus said. ‘Everything is possible for him who believes.’ Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!’” (Mk 9:22-24) Lord, help me to overcome my disbelief. This is one of the most powerful prayers you and I can pray, my Friends. Then like this father, let’s trust God to do that which we could never do, heal our unbelieving and perverse hearts.
Not what His disciples could pay. Let’s end with a humorous miracle. Peter is approached by the tax collectors. This was not the normal Roman taxes, but a Temple tax of two-drachma that every Jewish male over 20 was expected to pay. They basically demand the payment by questioning whether Jesus intends to pay His due or not. Peter says, “Of course he does,” but then goes to Jesus to make sure. Jesus in essence asks Peter, “Who do kings of this world expect taxes to come from, their citizens or their own sons?” Peter rightly answers, “The citizens.” Then hear what Jesus does: “‘Then the sons are exempt,’ Jesus said to him. ‘But so that we may not offend them, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.” (Mt 17:26-27) In the mouth of a fish! How funny is that!?! My Friends, money is not a problem for Jesus, and neither are any other seemingly big issues of this world either. He has already done the greater thing, paid our sin debt. And He will continue to provide for our deepest needs, Salvation and the Sanctification that can come from it. If we choose to believe and grow in Him, even when we encounter things we do not want, even when we experience things we would not have thought, imagined or expected, even when we come across that which we cannot do, let’s cry out like the father above, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” We must do what we can, then trust God for the rest. The more I mature in Christ, the more I see this is the way to live the Abundant Life, and the more my life gets, well, abundant. Would you like that too? Then won’t you join me?
Until we meet again, keep lifting your eyes to God, He’s closer than you think.
<>< Peace, Diane
