The Way - Day 248 (Matthew 16)

Pastor Tom's Journal on Today's Reading:
Matthew 16:1-12
I have no doubt that a major theme which is regularly ignored within the gospels is Jesus' hatred for the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Whenever the first four books of the New Testament are referenced, it is most likely to the ministry of Jesus Christ and rightly so. However, a natural reading of the NT would yield many thoughts of why Jesus constantly confronted the teachings of the so-called religious crowd. In verses 1-4 of this passage, Jesus condemns the Pharisees and Sadducees for their failure to read the signs He had already given about being the Messiah. He had performed countless miracles, but they desired Him to do something more spectacular than healing others. Because of this rejection Jesus calls them hypocrites, which means actors and implies that on the outside they were religious but on the inside they were wicked - they were not really what they appeared to be (16:4). After His encounter with the religious leaders, Jesus returns to the disciples and warns them about getting mixed up in the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Jesus was in essence warning them about the rapidly spreading (leaven) false doctrine purported by the religious people of the day, mainly that the external is all that matters. I know I've said it many times throughout our study of the book of Matthew, but Jesus is most interested in your heart! We should never think that we can carefully disguise the outward person and fool others (and God for that matter) into thinking we are spiritual. Spirituality comes from the heart and is never because of our best efforts. A pure heart is the gift of God and is never manufactured by anything we do. God so much wants out hearts to be surrendered to Him so that He can mold it into His image. Don't think you can impress God by your wardrobe, adherence to rituals, or good deeds. Start each day by giving God your heart and allow Him to change you into the person He wants you to be.

Matthew 16:13-17
There comes a time in all of our lives where we must decide who Jesus really is. Every person must choose whether or not Jesus is truly God and if He really died on the cross and rose again for the payment of our sins....either He is God or He is not. In these verses, Jesus first asks the disciples what other people are saying about Him (16:13). The disciples responded by telling Him that some said He was "John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets (16:14)." The people were saying that Jesus' message was similar to the ones spoken by these great prophets of the Old Testament and then Jesus turned the question personal - He asked them who they thought He was. Simon Peter speaks up for the group and declares that "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Peter was expressing that after observing His miracles and hearing His words that He was deity. Behind Peter's expression of faith he was wholeheartedly declaring that Jesus was the Messiah (Christ) and all Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled in Him. I believe each of us must answer the same question - who is Jesus Christ? Although we have never walked with Jesus (as the disciples) or listened to His message, God has provided His Word (the Bible) to enable us to see the same things the disciples experienced. Even though Jesus no longer physically walks on this earth, God has provided for mankind a perfect record of His life and ministry. Who do you say He is?

Matthew 16:18-23
When the disciples confessed their faith in Jesus as the Messiah and Savior, He gave them some instructions on the future church they would establish. Jesus turns to Peter and says "upon this rock I will build My church." There is a play on words in verse 18 - the name Peter (petros) means small rock and the word rock used here (petra) means foundational rock. It is very clear that Jesus is not declaring Peter as the foundation of the church because in relationship with other scripture (Acts 4:11-12) we understand that Christ is the head of the church (Ephesians 5:23) as well as the chief cornerstone (1 Peter 2:6-7) . All believers are living stones (1 Peter 2:5) which make up the the church. Jesus goes on to say that His church will never fall to the gates of hell (Hades)...the church will ultimately stand! Then Jesus declares power and authority upon all believers to forgive or retain the sins of those within the church (16:19). Jesus gave further instructions on dealing with wickedness within the body of Christ (Matthew 18:15-20). From this time on Jesus began to reveal to His disciples that He would suffer, die and be raised the third day (16:21) but Peter speaks up and rebukes Jesus for saying these things because he had a different idea of how things should be done. All the disciples expected Jesus to set up His kingdom during their lifetime; however, God the Father had a different plan (16:22-23). It is easy for us to envision a better way for things to be done, especially when our plans differ from the ways of God. Although the disciples did not completely grasp what Jesus was telling them they should have trusted Him. Jesus had never made a mistake and always did what was right; therefore, we also must accept God's plans over our own.

Matthew 16:24-28
After Peter had just rebuked Jesus for saying that He was going to die, Jesus took the chance to teach His disciples about the cost of following Him. I'm not sure that I firmly grasp all that Jesus is trying to communicate through these verses, but I'll give it my best shot. In verse 23 Jesus countered Peter's words by exposing that Peter's plan was contrary to what God wanted. I don't believe Jesus was angry at Peter but rather wanted him to understand his plans were not in line with the will of God. To make this point clear, Jesus had to be firm with Peter. Springboarding from this situation, Jesus teaches His disciples what it meant to follow after Him. First, the disciples must "deny" themselves. Denying self is probably much more complicated than I will define it here, but I believe it is the abandoning of your plans in order to follow God's ways. I don't think denying self is a one time thing, but a daily humbling of ourselves before God and submission to His authority in our life. Secondly, Jesus says that in order to follow Him a person must "take up his cross." The disciples were very familiar with the cross and it evoked pictures of suffering and hardship. When a criminal was sentenced to punishment by way of the cross he had to carry his cross to the place where he would be crucified. This was a public statement that he was now under the authority of the Roman empire whom he had once rebelled against. Jesus was trying to inform them that His followers would make a full commitment to Him regardless of any suffering which they would face as a result of following Him. Jesus then says something very profound in verses 25-26 - "whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." He goes on to ask "what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?" These were words of comfort. It is a statement of contrast in light of what He had just said about denial and suffering. He was telling His disciples that following Him is worth it even though the path may be tough. Not only are these words of comfort, but also words of promise. A person who chooses to follow Christ, although he has given up his own plans, will ultimately experience life to the fullest. Verse 27 also promises reward to those who faithfully serve God during their lifetime. To summarize what Jesus was saying (although it is not my place), I believe He wanted them to know following Him was worth it.

Dear God, help me to deny myself and pursue Your plans knowing that You will help me experience life to the fullest.