Matt. 16:13-17, v21-23 – ‘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……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.”‘ (NASB)
Earlier in the account, Peter had just made a declaration of the person of Christ, and had been commended for receiving such divine revelation. Yet, moments later he is rebuked for being led astray by the devil. Isn’t it interesting how we can enjoy communion with God and have our eyes opened to His truth one moment, and yet entertain the wayward thoughts that come to our minds in the next?
In this account, Peter probably had no ulterior motive; he simply didn’t like the idea of his Teacher and Friend saying gloomy things such as Him suffering and dying soon. Neither would we. The glorious proclamation Jesus made about being raised on the third day was overshadowed by the grief felt over the prophesied imminent [earthly] separation.
Peter—his brazen and often outspoken self—took it upon himself to reprimand Jesus for his pessimistic outlook on life, and pulled Him aside and—get this—‘began to rebuke Him’ (v21)! He rebuked God!
No matter how good our intentions are, if we let ourselves get led by emotions/feelings or lean on our own understanding, it tends to lead to clouded judgment and a broken, limited perspective.
Peter, being led by the grief of the thought of losing his Friend and Teacher, and leaning on his own understanding of what God wanted (‘God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You’), led him to make a false declaration. It was false because, after all, this was the very reason Jesus came (e.g. Isa. 53), and it was a plan set even before the foundations of the world were laid. Why would God forbid the very thing He purposed to do? If only Peter knew that Jesus was also thinking of him as He saw the appointed hour drawing near; He had to die to make atonement for Peter’s sins, too (Isa. 53:4-6).
Peter is such a relatable person, maybe because he often wore both his desire for righteousness as well as his failures on his sleeves. His life is an open book to us and in it we see the very things we wrestle with also, as well as the gracious and merciful nature of God in his redemption, and how that very mercy and grace is available to us too.
In our passage, Jesus gets to the heart of the issue: “you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” In that moment, Peter had traded God’s will for his own, and sought an outcome that he felt was best. Rebuking God in the process, he inadvertently implied that he knew better than God.
If there was anyone on whom this plan was the hardest on, it was the person who was about to die. Yet Jesus submitted Himself to the sovereign and wise will of God: “not My will be done, but Yours.” (Luke 22:42)
Let us watch and pray, lest we be tempted and led astray by how we feel or our imperfect knowledge and understanding, rather than God. Having a close and intimate fellowship with God one moment does not guarantee that it will always stay that way (the history of God’s people has shown us this time and time again); we must constantly strive for this close fellowship.
For just as our earthly relationships grow cold if we do not make an effort to keep the embers alive, so does our relationship with God grow cold too if we do not seek His face continually.
Those who are truly saved cannot lose their salvation, this is true, but if you really have tasted the goodness of an intimate walk with God, why would you be satisfied with anything less?
(For more encouragement, check out my new book, ‘May The Meditations of My Heart…‘ available now via Amazon, Kindle and iBooks store.)
