Matthew 16:1-12
“Understanding the Signs”
Vs. 1-4 A Sign From Heaven
Vs. 5-12 Bread That Satisfies
Intro
In this chapter, we come to a historical and theological turning point. As Jesus again came back into Jewish territory, an official group was waiting for Him. Matthew presents Jesus as the King, the long-awaited Messiah. He carefully shows this in who Jesus was and in what He said and did. With that said, it is interesting to see that those who should have been most aware of His proclamation are the very ones who rejected Him, asking for a sign five times, of which this is the fourth!
About a month ago, as we were coming back from the Gilroy outlets, we had to stop for some gas in Santa Nilla. My wife’s kids went into the store to look around while I was left to pump the gas. All was going well until something startled me. I thought I heard my name, “Dale!”. I quickly turned around to see who was talking to me; nobody was there. Then it happened again: “Dale!” Now this time I knew I heard my name, but I did not recognize the voice of the person calling me, nor did I see where they were.
Now I’ve got to admit I was a bit overcome by this revelation. Was it the Lord? The voice did seem to come from above. But why would the Lord speak to me at a Beacon gas station in Santa Nella? And what was more puzzling, the voice I heard was that of a woman; it was not my wife or my daughter. Then I heard the voice again, “Dale!”
Now this time I got really brave and said, “Yes!” I was going to say, “Here I am, Lord!” but I was at a gas station. As soon as I said “Yes!” The voice from above said, “Would you like a decaf espresso?” Now if you all could have seen the expression on my face, it would have been on the world’s most funny home video.
Why would the Lord want to know if I wanted an espresso? Was this some kind of test? Now I believe God is gracious; He knows my every desire, so I just said, “Yes, that would be nice, thank you!” I started towards the store part of the gas station, ready to tell my wife that the Lord just bought me an espresso, when I noticed that my wife’s kids were laughing with the station attendant, who was the one that had spoken to me.
I did not ever say to you all that I was a bright man. The trouble with outward signs is that they can be either overlooked or over exaggerated, neither of which is a good thing. Miracle signs never convert a person; they can only confirm scripture, but only faith converts a person. The world will say, “Seeing is believing!” The Bible says, “Believing is seeing!”
Voltaire, the famous French atheist, was so bitter against Christianity that he once said, “Even if a miracle or sign was done out in the open market place before 1000 witnesses, I would mistrust my senses before I would admit a miracle had taken place.” He went on to say that 100 years after his death, there would not be a single Bible left in Europe. Interestingly, soon after his death, the European Bible Society bought his house and, to this day, uses it as their headquarters for the publication and distribution of Bibles throughout Europe!
Vs. 1-4 A Sign From Heaven
Vs. 1 What we at first notice is that there is an official delegation of the “Sanhedrin,” who were the ruling council of the Jews. Their reason for coming was to test Jesus. They seem to ask for a reasonable request, that of a sign from heaven that would substantiate His obvious claims. But there is more to the story than this.
A.) First, we have the allegiance of two groups of people, both of whom hated each other but united in their efforts against Jesus.
1.) The Pharisees: They were the legalists of their day. Theirs was a life of traditions and rituals. They believed in God, the work of the Holy Spirit, purity, holiness, and angels’ resurrection. Their problem was not in what they believed; it was rather that what they believed was hidden in the grave clothes of religion and tradition.
Jesus would rebuke them in Matt. 23:27, where He would say, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.” They were the fanatics of their time!
2.) The Sadducees, or “righteous ones,” were the liberals of their day. They did not believe in the supernatural. No angels or resurrection, nor miracles. Their religion was nothing more than an ethical code. Man, in their view, ought to be true to certain ethical principles without any interference from an unseen world. They were from the well-to-do class of people. They held the large block of votes in the Sanhedrin; in fact, the High Priest himself was a Sadducee. I suppose today that theirs was the Hollywood version of religion.
So these two groups who were opposites come together. The Pharisees dislike Jesus because He was against their religion of tradition and rituals. The Sadducees disliked him because he was spiritual and professed belief in the supernatural.
Interestingly, these two groups would be pitted against each other later on as they would again seek to entrap Jesus in Luke 20:27–36. Do you remember the story? The Sadducees come with a question concerning the resurrection, which they denied. It dealt with marriage, the law. Seven brothers each marry the same woman, but each of them dying before they produce children.
Then the woman dies, so whose wife will she be? With the Pharisees looking on Jesus, he affirmed the resurrection by revealing that it has always been taught in the scripture. The reply of the Pharisees, “Teacher, you have spoken well.”
B.) Second, we have what they wanted, “a sign from heaven.” The word translated “sign” means more than a simple miracle or demonstration of power. It means “a wonder by which a person can be recognized or confirmed who he is.” Now notice that they ask one from “heaven.” I’m inclined to believe that the Pharisees are the ones that framed the question, for they held that only the miracles that came down from heaven were from God.
Demons False gods could do the ones upon the earth, but not the ones from the heavens. Make the sun stand still; send fire down upon the earth; that was from God. Heal a sick man, the lame to walk, the blind to see—well, that could be a demon. Feeding 5,000 or 4,000, walking on water, that does not prove anything.
Folks, there are a great many people who will. not trust the Lord; they are looking for some sort of sign. So they call up 1 800 stupid and talk to Deon Warwick’s fakes and say, “I believe.” Could Jesus have performed some miracle? You bet! Matt. 26:53 Jesus says, “Do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?” That would have wiped those folks out! People are always seeking the spectacular Jesus, who refuses to satisfy religious curiosity. At issue is not Jesus’ ability but rather their hearts. They both had presuppositions.
Vs.2-3 They would see physical signs in the sky and react accordingly. When they saw the sun set, they knew that tomorrow it would be good weather. Likewise, when they got up in the morning and saw a sunrise of red, they knew that it was going to be bad weather. In the translation before us, the transcribers inserted some words that should not be here. In verse 2, they inserted the words “It will be.”
Then in verse 3, they again insert the same words. So this passage should read, “When it is evening, you say, “Fair weather, for the sky is red.” Then in verse 3, “And in the morning, foul weather today.” In other words, they reacted with absolute certainty with little evidence and much uncertainty.
So what’s the point? Simple, people are always saying that if there was enough evidence, they would believe, but on the same token, they react to things all the time with far less evidence. You go out to get in your car, believing that when you turn the key it will start. When you don’t feel well, you go to the doctor believing he will correctly diagnose your condition and give you something that will make you better.
Notice the words of verse 3, “You cannot discern the signs of the times.” What this all reveals is the condition of their hearts. They were dishonest blind because they refused to examine the evidence He had already presented. They would not believe, therefore they “could not believe.” It was not the lack of evidence; it was rather a lack of honesty and humility.
The Pharisees had already started with the conclusion, “There can be signs from heaven, but He cannot produce them, for He is not from God, so we will ask Him to do something that He cannot do.”
The Sadducees had started out with the conclusion, “There is no such thing as a miracle from heaven, so we can ask Him to do it because it cannot be done.”
Vs. 4 Now here Jesus gives the same answer as He did back in chapter 12. But first notice what He calls them:
A.) Wicked: They were evil because not only did their blindness keep them from seeing it, it kept others from seeing as well. That was the Pharisees; they were interested in truth; they made sure no one else would be as well.
B.) Adulterous: Here He is speaking in terms of the spiritual. That is, the Sadducees were married to the Lord in confession, but in practice they denied the truths of God.
So Jesus again says no sign except the sign of Jonah. So what was the sign of Jonah? Well, you will remember that Jonah was a prophet of God sent to preach judgment to the Gentile city of Nineveh. The sign was his coming to a land that was going to be judged because of its wickedness, but that sign had come about on the heels of his being cast out of a ship in the ocean swallowed up by a great fish, spit up on the shore of Nineveh. Simply put, the sign had come about through rebellion, which cost him death, burial, and resurrection.
Do you see the irony of Jesus’ statement? You want a sign; there will be a sign you have a part to play in it. You will hate me enough to put me to death; you will see to it that I’m buried, but I’m not going to stay buried. I’m going to resurrect. That will be your sign from heaven; that will be your voice brought about by your own hand to silence me.
Folks, this is the holiday where some of us get all caught up in the tradition of it all. The truth is, it is the time of year that we celebrate the incarnation. May I say that the incarnation makes no sense apart from the cross? We ought to all hang out signs on our windows that proclaim “Happy Resurrection Day.” That is the reason for His coming; make sure you remember that!
Vs. 5-12 Bread That Satisfies
Vs. 5-6 Jesus now departs to the north-eastern part of the lake with His disciple’s. Mark tells us that they had just one loaf of bread with them; that fact combined with Jesus’ words reveals just how dull these guys are. This all reveals their frame of mind worrying over the physical; no bread.
A.) Then came Jesus’ statement: “Take heed,” which is literally “Stare at it.” It means discern it, know it. Then He said, “Beware,” literally, “hold yourself against it.”
B.) Leaven is that which corrupts the flower. So the warning was to stare at and hold yourself against the corruption of legalism and liberalism. Jesus knew that there are two great dangers to faith: tradition and rationalism. If all that Christianity is rituals and traditions with no relationship, then it becomes just superstition.
Yet if all it is is a lifeless code of ethics, it becomes a powerless ideal. These are both dangerous as they lead to worldliness, which is the leaven that seeks to corrupt truth. Just do it, man! Go to church; things will happen, you know! Or just seek to be a good person; it will all be OK. Be on the lookout in your lives against anything that strips Christianity of the great mystery of the cross. That takes away our absolute dependence upon Jesus. It’s not baptism that saves you; it’s not living the 10 commandments; it’s trusting Jesus’ work on the cross.
Vs. 7 The mention of “leaven” caused these guys to again get preoccupied with the physical. It seems that the Pharisees and Sadducees both used leaven, so perhaps they thought that Jesus was warning them against buying bread that the Pharisees and Sadducees bought.
Vs. 8-12 Notice His different way of speaking to these men: “little faith.” He did not say “no faith.” It is better to be a little slow than self-righteous and arrogant. The greatest thing that He was trying to drive home to them was dependence upon Him.
That was the failure in the Pharisees Sadducees. It does not matter the external things in life; it is the inward relationship that is important. It is not what you do; it is “who” you know that determines where you will go! Did He not show this in the feedings? Sure, he did, then they understood it. How about you? Do you understand it?
Matthew 16:13-20
“Who Am I, Who Are You?”
Vs. 13-14 Popular Opinion
Vs. 15-17 Divine Revelation
Vs. 18-20 The Purpose Of The Church
Intro
What a confusing time we live in. We have public opinion polls about everything. It seems in our information age everybody wants to know what somebody knows so that they won’t end up being nobody! Take a survey; play it safe! If enough people say something, then it is OK to be in agreement. General Motors wanted to find out why the Chevy Nova was not selling well in Latin countries, while at the same time in English-speaking countries it was one of their top sellers.
They got together all the ad executives to do the research but could not find out the reason. Frustrated, they turned to the people themselves and asked them why they would not purchase the car. It turns out that the problem was not the car, rather it was the name. You see, no va in Spanish means, “it does not go.” The failure of General Motors was that of communication! It appears to me that oftentimes people refuse Jesus for the same reasons—false perceptions based upon poor communication.
Suppose I went to a Pro Football game, came back, and said to you that I was never going again! You would ask me why? Well, the first thing that they did when I got there was ask for money. Next, the people sitting around me weren’t very friendly, for they did not even introduce themselves. The manager of the team never came up and introduced himself to me.
When I got home, he did not call me or write to thank me for coming. The people ranged from the disinterested to the fanatical. The umpires who were supposed to know what they were doing did have a clue. So I’m never going to go again. Those reasons are foolish, you would say. Yet many people will not go to church for the same reasons. In the early 70’s, there were bumper stickers that said, “Jesus is OK, but church? No way!” This morning I pray that we will take another look at Jesus, so doing we will, I pray, get a better look at who we are to be.
Vs. 13-14 Popular Opinion
Vs. 13 The first thing we notice is the region in which Jesus asks these questions. Caesarea Philippi was 120 miles north of Jerusalem. It had been at one time the center of Baal worship, as well as the center of the Greek god Pan. Herod the Great had built a huge shrine temple there to worship Caesar Augustus. Simply put, Caesarea Philippi was the center of pagan religions.
It is in this place that Jesus asks the questions as to who He is, as well as announces the birth of His Church. Does that not seem a bit odd to you? Oh, by the way, it will be the last time Matthew records Jesus going in where but to Jerusalem. Surrounded by all of man’s attempts to know God, both religiously and politically, Jesus announces, “Who He is, Why He Came.” Remarkable location, as it represented all that was false; this is where He chose to proclaim that which is true.
Next, let’s look at His question; notice it was asked of those that followed Him: “Who do men say that I, the Son of man, am?” May I just say that there has never been a more profound question ever asked? Also, we need to realize that by our answer to this question, it is we who are judged, not Him! Now, by the way Jesus asked this question, it is certain that He knows who He is, for He identifies Himself as “the Son of Man.”
It is found 194 times in the Bible, and Jesus uses it often himself, more than 80 times. It speaks of Jesus in terms of His mission as the fulfillment of O.T. prophecy, the perfect man. Daniel used the term this way: Dan. 7:13-14 “I was watching in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven!
He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom is the one that shall not be destroyed.”
“The perfect man, the One in whom all scripture testifies, who is it that the world says I am?” That is what Jesus asks, but He asks those that we hope do not hold the same opinion.
Vs. 14 Now I’m certain that what the disciples tell Him is the best of what they heard. They had heard what the Pharisee’s had said, “that He was a man who was demon possessed.” So I’m sure that they had heard lots of other horrible remarks.
First, I want you to see that from the good things that people said of Him, there was the general thought that He was a great man, a man that did supernatural things. They ranked him as one of the spokesmen for God (promises). Some saw that He was a reformer; others saw Him as a man of great compassion.
I find this evaluation of Jesus interesting in light of today’s comments. People today say the same things about Him today, 2000 years later. Oh, there are those who say He has a demon, but for the most part people will say that He was a great man. A man of great principal compassion. One of the world’s greatest teachers. That is still very much the public’s opinion about Jesus.
If we, in our witness, stop at these things concerning Jesus, the world will be in agreement with us. With that said, it is also interesting to me to see that there is still a great deal of confusion concerning who He was. That confusion comes about as the world tries to evaluate His character based upon what they feel His mission was. It is interesting to look at the answers as they relate to what we churches think our mission is.
A.) John the Baptist: John was that great morel reformer, who’s words started out with “repent.” He was calling people back from corruption to that which was pure. John, the people reasoned, was a great teacher who was not afraid to teach the truth no matter what the consequences. Some reasoned him a rebel, going against the oppressive hierarchy of the day.
And they saw some of the same things in Jesus, so they thought that perhaps He was like John. So today, some churches think that it is their duty to straighten out society. They get involved in all the picketing they can find and organize boycotts. Got to get the U.S. turned around morally. So that is their emphasis at church.
B.) Elijah: Was a great man of God. He was the prophet of God who performed so many of the miracle signs in his day. It was even prophesied that Elijah would come again. So there are churches who see all of the fire from Mount Carmel in Jesus, so they are the sign-won churches. Their whole emphasis is upon the manifestation power of God as seen in the miracles. That is what Jesus is all about, “Pentecost man!” One of the men that prescribed this view of Jesus said concerning his transformation, “All I wanted to know was when do we get to do the stuff in the book of Acts?”
C.) Jeremiah: He was that great man of God who was the prophet during the time when Israel was being led away into captivity. He wrote the book by his name, also the book of lamentations, or “weeping.” Jeremiah was a broken-hearted man over the loss of the people. He saw them being led away into captivity and death; it broke his heart. So there are those we see Jesus’ sole interest in the same. Their whole interest is evangelism, reaching the lost, and being broken hearted over the lost.
D.) One of the prophets: In Deut. 13:3, Moses prophesied that there would come another like Him who would explain the law to them. And so many heard Jesus speak and explain the truth of the law, so they concluded that Jesus was “that prophet.” So the whole church is about the Bible. Seminars, verse-by-verse teaching—that is where it is at. The church became a great teaching center.
Now, you can see how all of these things are partly true, but none of them are exclusively true! None alone sums up who Jesus is by itself. No wonder the world is confused about who Jesus is. If they look at all the different churches all saying that what they are is the sum total of who He is, then they will be confused.
It is at this point that I can say that all of these different views describe certain aspects of what He does, or if you will, it describes His mission, but that is not who he is! Folks, can I be so bold as to suggest to you this morning that you will never arrive at the truth of who Jesus is by taking a poll? It is not about what you see all the churches or Christians doing in the name of Jesus.
It is about who He says He is. It is about the revelation of truth into the human heart. How that will manifest itself in action or mission will vary from person to person and church to church. Hopefully, there will be a little of John the Baptist, a little of Elijah, some of Jeremiah, and some of the prophets here at Calvary Chapel. But more than that, a whole lot of Jesus!
Vs. 15-17 Divine Revelation
Vs. 15 Notice the difference in this question: “But who do you say that I am?” This cannot come from taking a poll; you cannot arrive at the answer by the opinions of others. The decision of the multitudes, ABC, or whoever will not work. The important thing is not what others say; it is what you say personally. Jesus turns to those that walked with Him, those that had heard Him say, “Follow Me,” and asks them, What do you think of Me?
I believe that Peter’s response is what they all had come to believe. Folks, the door of eternity swings on the response of every soul to this question. No matter how many times you come to church, read your Bible, or pray, if you don’t get this right, then you are not right! You will see that Peter’s answer was twofold, for so was the question:
1.) Vs. 16 Who: Who am I? “You are Christ!” You asked above, Lord, who the son of man is and why He is the Messiah. That is to say, His mission. Jesus, you are the One that all of Israel has been waiting for. Notice the beauty of how Peter says this: “You are.” Peter did not say, “I think,” “You might be.” No! There was absolute certainty. Lord in you, all of my hopes and dreams are fulfilled.
In You, I have found rest for my soul. In you, I have ceased from trying to make it. You are my everything! It is not enough to be 99% certain of this truth; that will not do. When you say to Jesus, You are the Messiah, you are saying you have surrendered your life to that. The old Dale, he is done. It’s like when I met my wife and married her. Years later, you come up to me and ask, Is that babe over there? Is that your wife? And I say, “Well, for the moment, at this time, yeah, I think so.” Hey, folks, that is all too often the heart of people who say that they are Christians.
2.) Vs. 16 The Son of the Living God.: Now we come to His identity. This is a term that spoke of His deity. Your mission is to redeem man back to the Father. You can only do so because You are God!
Vs. 17 Here Jesus pronounces a blessing upon Peter, but it is a blessing given not because of personal discovery but rather divine revelation. Peter has just responded to the Father’s revelation. Peter’s response was not some emotional response, right on the heels of some personal miracle; neither was the intellectual response of a person who had done years of investigative study. It was the simple response of the heart of Peter to the truth revealed concerning who Jesus was. Peter was not just taking a 6-month try at surrendering to Jesus; he was totally sold out.
Vs. 18-20 The Purpose Of The Church
Vs. 18 In verse 17, Jesus had called Peter by his real name, “Simon Bar-Jonah.” The name Simon meant “shifting sand.” Jesus had seen the potential in him, as only He could name him Peter, “little rock.” So here Jesus says, “You’re my little rock; on this Gibraltar rock I will build my church.” So what is it that Jesus is talking about?
Well, the Catholics use this verse to state that Jesus is affirming upon Peter the position as “Vicar,” or Christ on earth. So Peter right here became the first Pope to pass that possession on ever since. So only those who are Roman Catholics are of the true church.
The evangelicals have obvious problems with this claim that what Jesus is affirming is the statement that Peter said above is what He is going to build His church upon. It seems to me that both are wrong based upon the context of this passage.
First, the “rock” in scripture always referred to God. It never referred to a man or a statement.
Secondly, the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. Satan’s kingdom has had effect against men’s statements, but never has it been able to resist Jesus. It is true that Peter’s confession is about the Rock; however, the Rock is none other than the person of Jesus.
Notice, whose church is it? It is not Peter’s church; it is the Lord’s church! A lot of people say they are Christians, but they don’t go to church. May I just say that the church is not Calvary Chapel or anything else; it is the Lord’s church? If you belong to Jesus, then you are His church, so I suggest that you start hanging around with the rest of us who belong, because there are no private sections in heaven; we are all one!
Look as well at the words “gates of Hades.” For years people have been interpreting this verse as we are in some fortress trying to keep out the devil. Look at Jesus’ description here. Now how many of you have ever seen warfare attacking gates? “OK, Sam, we have tried everything we can to reach into the walls.
Get those Christians; let’s try our secret weapon, the “attacking gates.” How about team mascots, “Bears, Cougars, Falcons, Attacking Gates”? So we see that what Jesus is saying is that of offense, not defense. “I’m going to win against the kingdom of darkness through My church; why are we going to storm to the gates of Hades?” Hades was the place of death, divided by two compartments in Abraham’s bosom. Jesus is saying death will have no victory over My church; it will have no hold upon them!
Vs. 19 Further, Jesus says that He is going to give Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven. First off, keys are not heaven; only Jesus can give access to heaven. So all those dumb jokes about Peter at the gate letting people in are from miss interpreting this verse. Keys in scripture were a sign of authority; Peter’s confession is the key to heaven; furthermore, he was the instrument used to open the door of faith to both Jews and gentiles. So are we as we speak of the keys of faith alone in Jesus.
There is this matter of binding and loosing. Wuest, in his expanded translation, puts this in the right perspective when he writes, “Whatever you bind on earth (forbid to be done), shall have been already bound…in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth (permit to be done), shall have already been loosed in heaven.” Jesus is not saying that whatever was said on earth, God would have to obey in heaven. We do not get our will done in heaven; we obey God’s will on earth! Our joy is to see what God is already about doing here on earth—join Him.
We are to be about Jesus! Everything we are is found alone in Him. We are to be about Him, that is all. Yes, we will desire to see morality again in our country. Yes, we will desire to see His power manifested. Yes, we will have a desire for the lost to come to know Him. Yes, we will center our lives upon the truth of the word of God. But that is not “who we are,” it is what we do. Who is found in our worship of Who He is!
Matthew 16:21-27
“A Crossless Christmas”
Vs. 21-23 A Method For The Mission
Vs. 24 Following in His Footsteps
Vs. 25-27 Dying to Live
Intro
In verse 16, Peter, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, spoke of Jesus in terms of His identity, “Son of the Living God,” as well as His mission, “Christ.” What Peter so passionately confirmed in verse 16—he wants no part in verse 20. What a puzzling change in Peter. How could at one moment he so passionately confirm Jesus and in the next moment deny Him? May I suggest to you that what Peter struggles with is the “method” in which Jesus’ identity mission will be revealed and accomplished?
We are always looking for better deals. Deals that don’t cost as much. Peter affirms WHO Jesus is, even WHAT He must do, but the HOW He is to accomplish this is what Peter and most people can’t handle. How many times have you gotten what you have paid for?
The story is told of Asa Candler, a name that you will probably not recognize, but the product he developed all have enjoyed. Asa had a drugstore where he sold, among other things, a drink that was to calm the nerves. It was to be mixed with water and taken as needed. One day Asa made a mistake and mixed carbonated water with the syrup instead of plain water.
The result of that accident became his most popular product. One day a businessman named Mr. Thomas came in and liked the drink so much that he suggested that Asa begin bottling it for home consumption. Asa balked at the idea and sold the rights to bottle the drink to Mr. Thomas for $238.98. The multimillion-dollar drink that Asa sold for $238.98 You guessed it, Coca-Cola! Man, how many times do we fail at this same point? Mr. Thomas saw a good deal and went for it, where poor old Asa did not. We are all too often selling our born-again birthright for the world’s dollar.
Vs. 21-23 A Method For The Mission
Vs. 21 This is the first of five times Jesus will mention that redemption was to be through the cross; it is only about 6 months before the actual event. This then is the method for the mission! It is interesting to realize that Jesus did not tell His disciples His method until after they comprehended His identity mission.
A.) First, notice the word “began.” There was a specific time for His unveiling of the method of redemption. All too often, as we share with people about Christ, we start with His method, which makes no sense to people. Paul said this to the Corinthians in 1 Cor. 1:18. “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
B.) Another thing we notice in Jesus’ statement here is the word “must.” The emphasis of this word continues throughout His statement. The word means “necessary or binding.” “It is necessary that He goes to Jerusalem; it is necessary that He suffer many things; it is necessary that he be killed; it is necessary that He be raised again.”
That is the force of what He says here. All that he had said and done prior to this statement found its ultimate authority in what was to take place in 6 months. Jesus does not say, “Well, I’ve done my best. I’m prepared to die for what I’ve said!” Folks, do you see the difference in this?
The word “must” tells us emphatically that the cross was no accident. It was not just the result of things going bad. It was the plan from the beginning. Jesus had not just played His cards and was willing to take the consequences; no, He played His cards this way from the start because He knew it was a winning hand!
So Jesus reveals five things about the cross here six months before it happens:
1.) It’s location: Jerusalem
2.) His experience: Suffer many things.
3.) The source: elder’s, chief priest’s scribes.
4.) The extent: Killed
5.) The result: raised the third day.
Folks, this is the gospel! You cannot take the cross out of Christianity. Look now at how Paul explained it to the Corinthians. 1 Cor. 15:3-4 “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”
Vs. 22 Here we come to Peter’s reaction to Jesus’ declaration concerning His method for man’s redemption.
A.) First, I believe that Peter’s motive was love. By the way, so much for infallibility if, as the Catholics contend, Peter was the first pope. We often think of opposition against Jesus as coming from those that are flat against Jesus, but here is a clear example that a person can have a devoted heart and a sincere lifestyle and still be a stumbling block to God’s plans.
B.) Next Look at Peter’s words, literally, “Pity yourself; this shall never happen to you.” Spare yourself, Lord. Lord, take a short cut. This is always the way of Satan.
Vs. 23 Now Jesus turns His back upon Peter. Oh, Peter, he was not aware that he was being used by Satan, “the things of men.” His motive was love; he could not stand the thought of the Lord suffering. So what was Peter’s error?
1.) If Jesus is the Son of God, then no matter what, He is always right. It does no good to argue from our earthly perspective.
2.) Suffering does not mean defeat; it means victory! Peter was thinking like a man. He was not thinking with the mind of Christ.
Now the Lord uses an interesting word here: “You are an offense to Me.” The word offense is skan’-dal-on; we get our word “scandal” from it. A man who loves Jesus but shuns God’s method is a stumbling block, a scandal to the Lord. Oh Peter, you are still a rock, but now you are keeping people from me. You are lying across the road to hinder me.
So what are the things of men? They are the things that get in the way of God’s method for redemption. We, the church, try to build the kingdom apart from the cross and His suffering. Jesus says it is absolutely necessary for this cross; men say, “Oh, not this way, don’t speak of the cross; it will offend people; it will make the unbeliever uncomfortable. There is an easier way; just by loving people and by sweetness relating to where they are at, you don’t need to mention the cross of His blood. Folks, there is no shortcut to redemption; it runs through the cross. Paul said in Rom. 1:16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”
Vs. 24 Following in His Footsteps
Vs. 24 Here Jesus reveals the characteristics of following Him:
1.) A resolution of the will: “If any man desires”
2.) Outward action: “Come.”
3.) Humility: “After Me”
We also see the conditions:
1.) Deny himself.
2.) Deny the world. “Take up your cross.”.
3.) Follow Christ
Now to deny yourself does not just mean to deny things; that is only looking at this negatively. It means to give yourself wholly to Jesus. To take up your cross does not mean to carry around some burden. “Well, man, it’s just the cross I bear!” It means rather to identify with Jesus. Simply put, the decision to follow Jesus means the loss of the old self and the gain of the new self in Christ. Haven’t you ever wanted to just start over in your life?
Well, in Jesus you can. Self-denial is the refusal to respond to the sin nature; instead, we respond to the prompting of the Holy Spirit in us. Folks, your cross is nothing more than following God’s path, not our own! When we make that decision daily, we are assured of a life of joy! You say, “Hey, now wait a minute there. Deny what I want does not cause me joy; it causes me pain!”
That is because of your perspective. You see you are focusing on what you are losing from an earthly temporal perspective. Instead of seeing what you are losing from a heavenly perspective, look at what the author of Hebrews says: “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Vs. 25-27 Dying to Live
Vs. 25-26 That is what Jesus says in these verses. First from an earthly perspective, verse 25. Then from a heavenly perspective, verse 26. Jesus’ focus our attention from “What will I lose if I fully commit?” to “What will I lose if I do not make a total commitment to Christ?” That’s the irony of this. The more we try to pamper ourselves in this life, the more we lose out both here for eternity. We are all prone to seeking immediate gratification; what a tremendous price we have paid for it! Might I suggest to you one last Christmas present for yourself: a fully committed heart to Jesus? The rewards are out of this world.
Vs. 27 Notice that Jesus moves immediately to future rewards. Hey, Jesus is going to be coming back in glory with His rewards. May I just say that glory always follows self-denial? It is shocking to look back over my life to see how cheaply I sold the eternal things for the earthly temporal things. A moment of pride, fame, pleasure, for the greater things of God—what a waste much of my spiritual life has been. How about you? What did you sell out for? Talk about some bad deals! Too many times we are like old Esau selling our “new birth,” right?
Matthew 16:28
“A Mountain Top Change”
Vs. 28-3 Here Comes The Son, Hear Jesus Only
Vs. 9-13 The Timing of the Vision
Intro
How was your Christmas? Full of anticipation, no doubt, if you have children. I think that what people like the most about presents is being surprised. It’s a chance to see how well those who profess to love know you can demonstrate that by what gift they give you. I was watching something on TV this week, one of those shows trying to help out people like me.
The part I saw was about this guy who does not know how to shop for his wife. For the last ten years or so, the guy had been waiting until the last day to purchase his wife something for Christmas. Each time he came back with the same gift, a cheese log! What a doll, a cheese log! Now as I was making fun of this guy, my wife walked in and saw me poking fun at the guy.
She wisely reminded me of the gift I gave her about eight years ago. It was our anniversary, the most romantic day of the year for all of us Guy’s, next to the Super Bowl! I thought about what to get her, but it hit me—a shopvac! Not just your ordinary every-day shop vac, a wet-dry one! Needless to say, she was not impressed. I’ve improved somewhat since then. I love this passage, as Jesus always knows exactly what to give us. I mean, He has just blown away the disciples as He revealed the method of the cross in the redemption of man, and then right here He shows them the victory of this gift. Jesus knows us so well, doesn’t He?
Vs. 28-3 Here Comes The Son
Vs. 28 I’ve started Chapter 17 in Chapter 16:28 because this is one of those unfortunate chapter breaks. If you stop at verse 28 without going on to chapter 17, it seems that you would have a contradiction. For Jesus says here that some of these guys would be around at the second coming. This of course is not true. So what Jesus was speaking of is fulfilled here in the 17th chapter at the transfiguration. Well, how do you know that is true, pastor? Well we have the interpretation of one of the eyewitnesses. In 2 Peter 1:16–18, Peter tells us,
“For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.” So clearly, that is how Peter interpreted his experience.