Recapitulation
In our last study, we saw that Peter had been given high
praise by Jesus for his spiritual observation into Jesus’ identity. Matthew points out that it was then that
Jesus began to discuss His upcoming trial and passion in Jerusalem. We pick up the pericope in Matthew 16:21.
Going to Jerusalem to Suffer
“He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the
elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be
raised.” Jesus had hinted at this before
with His mentions of the sign of Jonah but now He was preparing His disciples
for what might otherwise be viewed as a terrifying defeat. From the armchair, it might appear that He
hadn’t gotten through to His disciples because on that third day, they were
shocked that He was really alive. But
Peter’s words here reveal that he at least understood that Jesus planned on
dying. The disciples still did not seem
to understand the basis on which Jesus could forgive sins nor how a righteous
God could accept them into a kingdom of people with pure hearts. But Jesus was slowly revealing Himself to be
God’s perfect provision as the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world
as John the Baptist had declared (Jn. 1:29) and Isaiah had prophesied (Isaiah
53:6).
Ever since they began following Jesus, the disciples had
spent most of their years with Him in the region of Galilee although they did
go to the required annual pilgrim feasts in Jerusalem: Passover, Pentecost, and
Tabernacles. There is also some evidence
that they may have attended a few other festivals there but most of the time
they had been in Galilee. And now they
begin to think about an upcoming final sorrowful journey to Jerusalem this next
Passover.
Peter’s Opposition
But Peter is having none of it. Perhaps still hearing Jesus’ praise for His
recent outburst ringing in his ears, he blurted out: “Far be it from you,
Lord!” (In Greek, it is a cry to heaven
for help! Sort of like “Heaven, help us,
Lord!”) May God talk some sense into
you, Lord! How ironic! Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living
God, and now Peter is crying for help from heaven to subdue His madness! Jesus just told him that whatever he
forbids on earth must be what is already forbidden in heaven. But this really is the Lamb slain from the
foundation of the world. This is
heaven’s plan. Peter, don’t forbid God
anything.
This time your outburst is not from the Spirit of God. And,
indeed, Jesus now turns to Peter and says, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the
things of God, but on the things of man.”
What a rebuke! Six verses earlier
he was blessed by God who revealed to Him that Jesus was the Messiah. Now he is being used by Satan! Yes, the devil can use believers. How?
By their mindset. Where is our
mindset? Is it set on the things of man
or of God? This is why our minds need to
be renewed.
Some who claim to represent God and His Church say that
Jesus was mistaken and didn’t need to die.
He was just a martyr, they say.
Jesus’ words to Peter could be addressed to them as well. Without the shedding of blood there is no
remission of sin (Hebrews 9:22).
Peter was not struggling to believe in Jesus. His struggle was with the common tendency we
all have to use earthly thinking instead of God’s. Jesus had just revealed God’s plan and Peter’s
first instinct is to resist God’s will just like we all sometimes find
ourselves doing. 1) We don’t want to change our thinking when
challenged by His Word. 2) We are using
man-centered thinking instead of God-centered thinking. This was the same thing the Pharisees
struggled with.
Orders and Invitations
In verse 24,
Jesus reveals the heavenly orders that He is following and now he reveals the
orders for his disciples. He opens by
saying, “If anyone would come after me.”
In Greek, it is very similar to what He said to Peter in verse 23! The phrase “Get behind me,” is the same in
the original as what is translated “follow me.” The slightly different connotation is what
has affected the difference in translation.
He did not say, “if you wish” to Satan.
“Get behind” me or “follow me” is a military phrase meaning to line up
behind me or stand in line behind me.
Get in formation. Jesus orders Satan to get with the program
but with us he asks, “if you
wish.” He is asking us to choose to
follow Him. Now, is Satan going to
meekly follow Jesus as a true disciple?
No, he will require orders every time.
When Jesus asks us to follow Him, He gives us a choice now but, there
will come a time of reckoning.
So, yes, I will follow Jesus. So, what shall I do, Lord? It’s not easy but it can be done. Here it is:
1) Deny yourself,
2) Take up your cross, and
3) Follow me (there it is again!).
This is not telling us how to become a believer. It’s addressed to believers. It is what a believer is asked to do. The
disciples, including Peter, have already shown that they believe. This is what our Savior and Lord wants those
who say they believe in Him to do. He
wants us to voluntarily choose to put our self-serving egos off the throne of our
lives and die to the life dedicated to myself and just follow Jesus.
So, what is “taking up our cross?” Bearing one’s cross referred to the public
humiliation of a person sentenced to die carrying his own cross through the
streets in view of his neighbors and family.
Jesus uses this illustration to make a bold contrast with the proud
heart that refuses to serve others in self-denial.
Jesus wants willing servants who voluntarily follow Christ
and get in line behind Him. We go where
He says to go. We say what He tells us
to say. We do what He wants us to do.
Ultimate Gain
Then Jesus delivers the punch line. “For whoever would 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 loses (forfeits) his
soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange
for his soul?” The two extremes that
hang in the balance for us are “loss” and “gain.” Our natural tendency is to invest
in prolonging and pampering our days in this sin-cursed world. But Jesus offers us an eternal perspective.
It was the 20th century martyr, Jim Eliot, who
penned this most poignant couplet to explain Jesus’ words: “He is no fool who
gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” Regardless of our best efforts, we eventually
die and then what is left? Those who believe in Jesus’ promise of eternal life will
not come into condemnation but are (already) passed from death unto life (John
5:24). There is nothing we have that we
can give to buy eternal life regardless of how many worldly possessions we
might have. So, do our efforts have any
value to God at all? Jesus is saying, “Yes,
but not for prolonging your mortal life.”
Instead of investing our lives for profit in this world’s values, put your
efforts into heaven’s values—a profit you cannot lose—even after death.
Jesus asks us to make a choice as a believer knowing that
there will come a day when heaven’s profit and loss report will be issued. In verse 27, Jesus added this warning: “For
the Son of Man is going to come with His angels in the glory of His Father, and
then he will repay each person according to what he has done.” In this context, Jesus seems to be referring
to the “judgment seat of Christ” where believer’s works are tried by fire and
those that remain are rewarded while those that do not suffer loss.
It is interesting that the same Greek word Jesus uses for “loss”
in verse 26, Paul also uses in a further explanation of this teaching. 1 Cor. 3:10-15 says: “According
to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a
foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he
builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other
than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone
builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each
one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will
be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has
done. If the work that anyone has
built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he
himself will be saved, but only as through fire.” Yes, a believer can suffer “loss” at the
judgment seat of Christ. There the works
of those who believe—their building on the Foundation—will be judged to see what
has been done for the Lord and if it is good work it will be rewarded. Bad work will be burned up. Even though they may suffer some “loss” (of
rewards) believers, will be saved by the Foundation. So, this is referring to rewards beyond
salvation.
(Later there will be the great white throne judgment (AKA
the last judgment) in Revelation 20 where the works of unbelievers are
judged. This judgment results in eternal
condemnation and separation from God.)
Who will volunteer to line up behind the
King of angel armies and serve Him instead of our old pursuits? Rewards in heaven or false promises of glory
in this life?
© 2018 Eric Thimell
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