Most men do not object to the idea of a Messiah, that is, a deliverer, savior, provider, and protector. Most men want a leader who is going to bring about a utopian society that will provide social justice and plenty for everyone. What men want is a Messiah who fits into the wants and passions and power structures of their world.

Men want their bellies full, their bodies clothed and housed, and their urges satisfied. They want the good things of this world. If a Messiah can give these, then men are ready and willing to accept the Messiah. Jesus deliberately set out to make sure that the disciples saw Him as God’s Messiah and not man’s Messiah. He had to make sure they understood God’s way of salvation and utopia, that God was after victory over death and a life that lasted eternally, not just for seventy or so years.

Jesus had been preparing His disciples for this private meeting at which He intended to reveal to them what would happen to Him at Jerusalem. He had given hints along the way, but now He would explain matters to them more fully. For the site, He selected Caesarea Philippi, a town about twenty-five miles north of Bethsaida, sitting at the foot of beautiful Mt. Hermon. The town was named after Augustus Caesar and Herod Philip, and it contained a marble temple dedicated to Augustus. It was a place dedicated to the glory of Rome, and that glory is now gone, but the glory of Jesus Christ remains and will go on eternally.

Caesarea Philippi sits at the base of Mt. Hermon whose snowcapped peaks can be seen as far away as Nazareth on a clear day. It is a beautiful and fertile setting.^7-54 At 1,150 feet above sea level, it provides an impressive view of the upper Jordan. Even the scenery seems to say, “Something big is about to happen.” But what that is, and whether it is good or bad, the Apostles don’t yet know.

Commentators generally consider Mark 8:27-38 to be the turning point in Mark’s gospel. The previous chapters have moved us toward a crescendo in the form of Jesus’ question, “Who do you say that I am?” What follows is Jesus’ preparation of his disciples for the cross that is before them in Jerusalem.
Jesus was facing the end very, very soon and there was still much to teach the disciples. It was time for them to learn that He was building a church—an assembly of people who would be confessing Him to be the Messiah. The present passage is one of the most dramatic revelations ever made. It is also one of the most demanding questions ever asked.

The answer given determines one’s eternal destiny and requires a single answer: “Thou art the Christ.” The importance of the question and its confession is clearly seen by glancing quickly at the points of the passage.

 (Mt 16:13-20; Mk 8:27-30; Lk 9:18-21)

We are now well into the third year of Jesus’ ministry. To date, the disciples still do not have a clear understanding of who Jesus is. It’s getting to be crunch time for such a confession.

For the last couple of months Jesus has been skirting the edges of Jewish territory. Now he abandons Galilee altogether. He travels twenty-five miles north of Capernaum into the heart of Gentile territory. At the time, this must have seemed like a crisis in Jesus’ ministry. But Peter’s present confession will become a centerpiece of the synoptic Gospels and a watershed for Jesus’ ministry.

Mt 16:13-14 with Mk 8:27, Lk 9:19

¹³When Jesus came to the region of [villages around^MK] Caesarea Philippi, [on the way^MK] [when Jesus was praying in private^LK] he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” ¹⁴They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets [of long ago has come back to life.^LK]”

This is an important moment for Jesus. He bathes it in prayer (Lk 9:18) as he does other pivotal events (Lk 3:21; 6:12; 9:28; 22:41). There have been other confessions about Jesus (e.g., Jn 1:29-34, 49; 3:2, 36; 4:42), but none have reached such a level. None have elicited such a response from Jesus as when he plainly predicts his death for the first time (although cf. Jn 2:19; 3:14; 6:53; Mt 9:15; 10:38-39; 12:39-40).

Somewhere along the way, sometime after his prayer, Jesus turns to the Twelve and asks two carefully crafted questions. They are not designed for answers but for response. First, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” That’s an odd question for Jesus. Does he really not know? Even without his ability to read men’s minds (cf. Mt 12:25; Lk 5:22; 6:8; 7:39-40; Jn 2:24-25), Jesus is not deaf. He can hear as well as the Twelve what people are saying about him. Besides, since when does Jesus really care what people think of him? He does not ask this question to get an answer, but to get his Apostles to think along with him about who he really is.

If you were to go around asking your friends, “What do people say about me?” they would take it as an evidence of pride. What difference does it really make what people think or say about us? We are not that important! But what people believe and say about Jesus Christ is important, for He is the Son of God and the only Saviour of sinners.

Your confession concerning Jesus Christ is a matter of life or death (John 8:21, 24; 1 John 2:22-27; 4:1-3). The citizens of Caesarea Philippi would say, “Caesar is lord!” That confession might identify them as loyal Roman citizens, but it could never save them from their sins and from eternal hell. The only confession that saves us is “Jesus is Lord!” (1 Cor. 12:1-3) when that confession comes from a heart that truly believes in Him (Rom. 10:9-10).

There are several opinions. The confession of men shortchanged Jesus. Most men saw Jesus only as a great man, a man who was highly esteemed and respected. He was considered one of the greatest of men, but note a crucial point: these professions were not only untrue, they were dangerous. They contained only half-truths, and people were deceived and misled by them.

Some thought Jesus was John the Baptist (cf. Mt 14:1-2). It is remarkable the number of different opinions the people held about Jesus, though the same situation probably exists today. That some thought He was John the Baptist is especially perplexing, since John and Jesus had been seen publicly together. They were quite different in personality and ministry (Matt. 11:16-19), so it seems strange that the people would confuse them.

John the Baptist came “in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17), in a ministry of judgment, whereas Jesus came in a spirit of meekness and service. John performed no miracles (John 10:41), but Jesus was a miracle-worker. John even dressed like the Prophet Elijah (2 Kings 1:8; Mark 1:6). How could the people confuse the two?

They professed Jesus to be a great spirit of righteousness, a spirit that was willing to be martyred for its faith. Herod and others thought this (Matthew 14:1-2). Upon hearing of Jesus’ marvelous works, Herod fancied that either John had been revived or else his spirit indwelt the man Jesus.

The common people also saw some similarity between John and Jesus: both were doing a great work for God; both were divinely chosen and gifted by God; and both proclaimed the Kingdom of God and prepared men for it. Therefore, when some looked at Jesus and His ministry, they thought Jesus was not the Messiah Himself, but the promised forerunner of the Messiah (Malachi 4:5).

Some thought he was Elijah (Mal 3:1; 4:5-6). Some said that Jesus was one of the prophets, perhaps Jeremiah (Matt. 16:14). Jeremiah was “the weeping prophet,” and Jesus was a Man of sorrows; so there is a definite parallel. Jeremiah called the people to true repentance from the heart, and so did Jesus. Both men were misunderstood and rejected by their own people, both condemned the false religious leaders and the hypocritical worship in the temple, and both were persecuted by those in authority.

Now, the Jews did not believe in reincarnation. What they did believe was that departed souls might empower living men to carry out their work. Thus, Jesus either divinely resembled or was metaphysically helped by these great men.

Why does Jesus “look like” these guys? Aside from the obvious fact that all of these men were dead, they had three common characteristics that Jesus also shared. (1) They never pulled any punches. They spoke the raw truth in the face of antagonism and potential persecution. (2) They confronted the religious and political powers of their day. And (3) they all got beat up for their boisterousness. The crowds have noticed the mounting aggression against Jesus in the ranks of the religious hierarchy. All of these opinions are quite complimentary, but inadequate.

In His words and His works, Jesus gave every evidence to the people that He was the Son of God, the Messiah, and yet they did not get the message. Instead of diligently seeking for the truth, the people listened to popular opinion and followed it, just as many people do today. They had opinions instead of convictions, and this is what led them astray. Elbert Hubbard defined public opinion as “the judgment of the incapable many, opposed to that of the discerning few.” Thank God for the discerning few!

The same false confessions about Christ exist in every generation.

1) He was only a great man of righteousness who was martyred for His great faith. As such He leaves us a great example of how to live and stand up for what we believe.

2) He was one of the greatest teachers and prophets of all time.

3) He was only a great man who revealed some very important things to us about God and religion. As such He can make a significant contribution to every man in his search for God.

4) He was only a great man, a prophet sent to the people (Jews) of His day from whom we can learn by studying His life.

 

Mt 16:15-16 – ¹⁵”But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” ¹⁶Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ^-7-18, the Son of the living God.”

Now comes the real question … the only one that really matters: “Who do YOU say that I am?” The  properly stresses the “you” by repeating it. Although Jesus addresses the whole group, Peter characteristically answers for all of them. Sometimes he says some really stupid things (Mt 16:22-23; 26:31-35; Jn 13:6-11). At other times he speaks brilliantly (Mt 14:28-31; 16:16-18; Jn 6:68-69; Acts 2:14ff). But never does Peter shine more brightly than he does right here. He has already made a preliminary confession (Jn 6:69), and he obviously has much ground to cover in his Messianic understanding (vv. 22-23). But who could deny, especially in light of Jesus’ response, the majesty of this simple statement of faith.

“Christ” is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew “Messiah.” Both words mean, “The anointed one.” In Hebrew culture, this represents “one set apart” for the work of God and endowed with the power of God. The practice of pouring oil over one’s head was primarily reserved for the consecration of prophets, priests, and kings (Exod 29:7, 21; 1 Sam 10:1, 6; 16:13; 2 Sam 1:14, 16).

The confession is momentous, arising from a personal conviction. It is both the confession that saves the soul and the confession thay lays the foundation for the church. The very life and survival of a man’s soul and of the church as a whole rest upon this simple, yet profound conviction.

These three positions, of course, describe Jesus’ ministry for the Christian. We gladly accept Jesus as prophet and priest, but unfortunately too many professing Christians reject His Majesty’s reign in their life. We are simply not given the option of selecting two out of three. “Christ,” then, became an official title of the Jewish Messiah. This single individual was to liberate Israel from all bonds and extend her rule over all the earth (cf. Dan 9:25-27).^7-55

“Son of the living God” was as kosher a title as “Christ.” It comes from the Hebrew idea that God is “living” as opposed to the dead idols of pagans. Hence, Peter is speaking not only for the Twelve but for the Jewish populace as well.

Mt 16:17-18 — ¹⁷Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. ¹⁸And I tell you that you are Peter,^-7-19 and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades^-7-20 will not overcome it.^-7-21

Jesus’ response parallels Peter’s. Peter identifies Jesus as the Son of God; Jesus identifies Peter as the son of Jonah (Jn 21:15 has “of John”). Peter identifies Jesus’ position as Messiah; Jesus identifies Peter’s position as the foundation of the church.

That much is simple. But verse 18 complicates things a bit. What exactly is Peter’s position as the “rock” of the church? Does this mean that Peter was the first pope with the power of Apostolic succession? That is the traditional Catholic response. Protestants have protested, however. They suggest that it is not Peter, but his confession that is the foundation of the church. They base this on the fact that Jesus’ play on words changes from masculine [ = Peter] to feminine [rock]. Furthermore, they claim that a  was a small throwing stone, but that  was a huge rock. Thus, they hear Jesus say, “Peter, you are a little rock (cf. Jn 1:42; also 1 Cor 15:5; Gal 1:18), but the confession you have made is great enough to build a church upon,” or “I, Jesus am the true bedrock of the church” (cf. 1 Pet 2:5-8).

We conclude, therefore, that Peter is the rock, but not the first pope. Peter’s specific function will be explained below. Suffice to say here that the church is built on Peter, a representative figure of the Twelve (cf. Eph. 2:20).

The word “church” is a compound word whose roots literally mean “called out.” It is only used three times in the Gospels (Mt 16:18; 18:17 [twice]). Some have overemphasized this etymology and stressed that the church is “called out of darkness” and/or is to be “separate” from the world. But the word merely meant an assembly, sometimes pagan (Acts 19:32), sometimes Christian. A more important background than its Greek etymology, is its Hebrew counterpart, the word —an assembly of God’s people. “The Assembly” or “church” represents the citizenry of God’s kingdom—those who share God’s purpose, program, and authority.

The bad news is that this “assembly of God’s people” will soon have to confront the “gates of Hades.” The good news is that the church wins the contest. The question is, what in the world is Jesus talking about? There are a number of possibilities.^7-56 But we should recognize at least this much: (1) “Gates” are normally located at the fortress being defended. But this metaphor also symbolized “power.” Thus, the gates of Hades might be either offensive or defensive. (2) “Hades” is not necessarily equivalent to hell. Properly, it signifies the abode of the dead, and by extension, death itself (Job 17:16; 38:17; Ps 9:13; 107:18; Isa 38:10). And (3) it is the church as a whole, not Jesus or Peter, which confronts the Gates of Hades. So we wind up with something like this: The church is not overpowered by death. Neither the cross nor martyrdom can stifle the progress of the church.

Mt 16:19-20 — ¹⁹I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be^-7-22 bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be^-7-22 loosed in heaven.” ²⁰Then he [strictly^LK] warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.

Again Jesus calls for silence, but not because he shrinks from this overpowering Messianic revelation. This confession of Christ is not too strong, just too early for the general populace to accept it.

However, many people today still believe that Jesus was a prophet, that he was a good teacher who spoke the ways of God. Prophets are ordinary people. We can choose whether or not to respond to their messages. We determine the nature of our relationship with a prophet. It is much safer to consider Jesus a prophet than it is to recognize him as the Son of God.

The question stills resonates. Who do you say that he is? Many people say, “I believe that he was a prophet, that he said unique and wonderful things, that his life is worth emulating.” Peter answered differently. “You are the Christ. You are the savior of the world, sent by God. You are the one with authority.”
Much harm is done in the world today by zealous disciples who love Jesus but have not taken the time to be instructed by Him. They represent their faith and their loyalty to him in ways that actually contradict what he is about. Jesus wisely told Peter to be quiet until he learned what sort of Messiah he served.

In verse 31, Jesus calls himself the Son of Man. That is a messianic title. Jesus was agreeing that he is the Christ. The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and teachers of the law; he must be killed and after three days rise again. Jesus had challenged the corrupt religious leadership in Jerusalem. The people expected their Messiah to relieve suffering, but Jesus said that the Son of Man must himself suffer. Rather than cleansing the corruption and replacing it with godly leadership, the Son of Man will be killed.

What kind of Messiah is this? What good is a messiah who will not change the world? Peter was the only one with courage to say what other disciples thought, and he rebuked Jesus. “What kind of Messiah are you? The world is a mess. Unless you do something, it will be even more of a mess. You shouldn’t suffer; you should relieve suffering. You shouldn’t undergo rejection in Jerusalem. You shouldn’t die; you should heal those who are dying.”

Jesus answered in two parts. First he said, “Get behind me, Satan.” His heart was pained. The cross that lay in Jesus future bore down on him every day of his life. He was tempted every day from the beginning of his ministry to the night of his arrest in the garden at Gethsemane. Every day, the tempter said “You don’t have to do this. You don’t have to live with the humiliation. You don’t have to live with the limitations of your humanity. You don’t have to be misunderstood. You don’t have to do any of it.” Day after day the temptation was close at hand, and day after day Jesus resisted it. Now here was his friend adding pressure, and the response from his heart was, “Stop it! This is hard enough without hearing it from you. Your voice is adding to the voice of evil.”

The second part of his answer is this: “You are thinking the way men think, Peter, not the way God thinks. You are concerned about the kind of salvation you would bring if you were God. You would throw off the Roman yoke and install new priests in Jerusalem. You would make sure the good people were happy and the bad people would suffer. You would do all of that with a wave of your arm.” But acting as if we were God does not fix anything. We are terrible at being God. The way our Lord brings righteousness is by interior revolution. Jesus must suffer so that we can be free to receive life from God. He offers us self-denial, a cross, and a Messiah to follow. Jesus is not the kind of messiah people expected, but he is the Messiah of God. He is the Messiah who gives life, the One in whom we may hope.

The disciples had just made the profound confession that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God. At this point Jesus launched a new stage. He began to indoctrinate them into the way of God’s Messiah, for God’s Messiah was not man’s messiah.

Note several things.

1. The phrase “He began to teach them” is significant. Matthew says, “From that time forth”; that is, from the time of the profound confession that Jesus is the Messiah—beyond question the Messiah—something significant happened. A new stage was being launched. He revealed with a powerful thrust that the “Son of the living God” was going to be killed and raised again from the dead. Never before had this happened. Never again would it happen. History would be made. “Jerusalem…that killed the prophets” would now commit the ultimate crime: Jerusalem would kill God’s own Son (cp. Matthew 23:27).
2. Jesus had been telling His disciples about His death and resurrection for some time. But they had not understood. First, the idea of a suffering Messiah differed radically from their own idea of the Messiah. And second, the revelation had been hidden in pictures and symbols.

The difference now was that Jesus no longer spoke in pictures and symbols. He told them in simple and direct words (Matthew 20:18-20; Luke 18:31-33). A new stage in the revelation of God’s plan for the world was now to take place: God’s Son was to die and be raised again for the sins of the world. God’s plan for saving the world was to take place through a suffering Messiah, not a conquering Messiah. God’s Messiah was not going to deliver a materialistic world into the hands of His followers. Contrariwise, He was to die, and His death was to usher in the Kingdom of God and make it possible for His followers to live eternally in the very presence of God Himself.

3. The words “must [dei] suffer” are strong. “Must” is constraint, an utter necessity. It was absolutely necessary by the very nature of the case for Jesus to suffer. God is love and man is corruptible, so God, in love, must provide salvation for man. But God is also just, so He must provide salvation in such a way that justice will be done. The penalty must be paid; death must be carried out. Some Ideal Man must die for man so that His Ideal Death can stand for and cover all men. There is only One Ideal Man: Jesus, the Son of God. The Son of God must become the Son of Man, the Ideal Man:

    He must live a perfect life providing for the world the Ideal Righteousness or Ideal Life.

    He must die, providing for the world the Ideal Death.

    He must arise from the dead, providing for the world the Ideal Resurrection.

4. The words “suffer many things” include much more than just the sufferings surrounding His death. This is often overlooked. Hebrews 5:8 makes this clear: “Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered.” However, the point is not seen unless one acknowledges the truth of the word Son, that is, Jesus’ deity. Jesus is the Son of God who left the very presence of God. He left heaven with all the majesty and splendor, glory and worship, praise and honor due Him. He is the Son of Heaven, but He became the Son of a woman. He belonged in heaven, but He was present on earth. He had ruled in the perfect, incorruptible world, but He was now a servant in this imperfect and corruptible world. Every sight, sound, touch, taste—every experience and awareness was a world of distance from what He had known. He suffered through every moment and through every experience. Every experience drained “virtue” out of Him, for He always had before His face the truth and glory of heaven and the sin and corruption of earth.
5. Jesus’ prediction of His resurrection is clear to us because we can look back upon it. But it was never clear to His disciples. Why? Very simply, it was to be a new experience. No one had ever risen from the dead, not a person who was never again to die. It had never happened before; it was unprecedented. Perhaps the disciples believed somewhat like Martha, that there was to be a future resurrection of all men (John 11:24-26). Such a belief was an expression of the hope that is within every man, the hope to continue on in some form of existence. Such a belief is easy to hold. But to think of an immediate resurrection, to think of a person arising from the dead today is difficult (just think about it). The idea of the Messiah dying and arising from the dead would be almost unimaginable to those who had not been taught the truth.

Just what the disciples thought Jesus meant by “being raised again” is not known. The fact that they did not fully understand is clear from the fact that their spirits were crushed when He was killed. But some of His followers seemed to grasp more of a real bodily resurrection than others. This is clear by an immediate remembrance of His words after His resurrection. For example, there was John who did believe immediately (John 20:8-9); there was Mary Magdalene who was shown that He had risen (Matthew 28:6). However, others were slower to understand and believe (Mark 16:11; John 20:24-25).

Now that they had confessed their faith in Christ (but see John 6:66-71), the disciples were ready for the “secret” Jesus wanted to share with them: He was going with them to Jerusalem where He would die on a cross. From this point on, Mark will focus on their journey to Jerusalem and the emphasis will be on Jesus’ approaching death and resurrection (Mark 9:30-32; 10:32-34).

This announcement stunned the disciples. If He is indeed the Christ of God, as they had confessed, then why would He be rejected by the religious leaders? Why would these leaders crucify Him? Did not the Old Testament Scriptures promise that Messiah would defeat all their enemies and establish a glorious kingdom for Israel? There was something wrong somewhere and the disciples were confused.

True to character, it was Peter who expressed their concern. One minute Peter was led by God to confess his faith in Jesus Christ (Matt. 16:17), and the next minute he was thinking like an unbelieving man and expressing the thoughts of Satan! This is a warning to us that when we argue with God’s Word, we open the door for Satan’s lies. Peter began rebuking his Master, and Mark used the same word that describes our Lord’s rebuking of the demons (Mark 1:25; 3:12).

 

Peter’s protest was born out of his ignorance of God’s will and his deep love for his Lord. One minute Peter was a “rock,” and the next minute he was a stumbling block! Dr. G. Campbell Morgan said, “The man who loves Jesus, but who shuns God’s method, is a stumbling block to Him.” Peter did not yet understand the relationship between suffering and glory. He would eventually learn this lesson and would even emphasize it in his first epistle (note 1 Peter 1:6-8; 4:13-5:10).

Note, however, that when Jesus rebuked Peter, He also “looked on His disciples,” because they agreed with Peter’s assessment of the situation! Steeped in Jewish traditional interpretation, they were unable to understand how their Messiah could ever suffer and die. To be sure, some of the prophets had written about Messiah’s sufferings, but much more had been written about Messiah’s glory. Some of the rabbis even taught that there would be two Messiahs, one who would suffer and one who would reign (see 1 Peter 1:10-12). No wonder the disciples were confused.

But the problem was more than theological; it was very practical. Jesus had called these men to follow Him, and they knew that whatever happened to Him would happen to them. If there was a cross in His future, there would be one in their future as well. That would be reason enough to disagree with Him! In spite of their devotion to Him, the disciples were still ignorant of the true relationship between the cross and the crown.

They were following Satan’s philosophy (glory without suffering) instead of God’s philosophy (suffering transformed into glory). Which philosophy you accept will determine how you live and how you serve.

Mark 8:34 indicates that, though Jesus and His disciples had met in private, the crowds were not far away. Jesus summoned the people and taught them what He taught His own disciples: there is a price to pay for true discipleship. He knew that the crowds were following Him only because of the miracles, and that most of the people were unwilling to pay the price to become true disciples.

Jesus laid down three conditions for true discipleship: (1) we must surrender ourselves completely to Him; (2) we must identify with Him in suffering and death; and (3) we must follow Him obediently, wherever He leads. If we live for ourselves, we will lose ourselves, but if we lose ourselves for His sake and the Gospel’s, we will find ourselves.

Denying self is not the same as self-denial. We practice self-denial when, for a good purpose, we occasionally give up things or activities. But we deny self when we surrender ourselves to Christ and determine to obey His will. This once-for-all dedication is followed by a daily “dying to self” as we take up the cross and follow Him. From the human point of view, we are losing ourselves, but from the divine perspective, we are finding ourselves. When we live for Christ, we become more like Him, and this brings out our own unique individuality.

But note the motivation for true discipleship: “for My sake and the Gospel’s” (Mark 8:35). To lose yourself is not an act of desperation; it is an act of devotion. But we do not stop there: personal devotion should lead to practical duty, the sharing of the Gospel with a lost world. “For My sake” could lead to selfish religious isolationism, so it must be balanced with “and the Gospel’s.” Because we live for Him, we live for others.

Discipleship is a matter of profit and loss, a question of whether we will waste our lives or invest our lives. Note the severe warning Jesus gives us here: once we have spent our lives, we cannot buy them back! Remember, He was instructing His disciples, men who had already confessed Him as the Son of God. He was not telling them how to be saved and go to heaven, but how to save their lives and make the most of their opportunities on earth. “Losing your soul” is the equivalent of wasting your life, missing the great opportunities God gives you to make your life count. You may “gain the whole world” and be a success in the eyes of men, and yet have nothing to show for your life when you stand before God. If that happens, though you did own the whole world, it would not be a sufficient price to give to God to buy another chance at life.

Is there any reward for the person who is a true disciple? Yes, there is: he becomes more like Jesus Christ and one day shares in His glory. Satan promises you glory, but in the end, you receive suffering. God promises you suffering, but in the end, that suffering is transformed into glory. If we acknowledge Christ and live for Him, He will one day acknowledge us and share His glory with us.

Now let’s look at verse 34. “If anyone would come after me he must deny himself,” the Lord declares. Coming after him is a privilege. He invites us to follow him, but he doesn’t appease his followers. We are invited to have life from him on his terms; we follow his way or not at all.

There is another point to his message here. Jesus offers allegiance to him as an opportunity, but he also issues a warning: “Depending on the choice you make, you will either save or lose your life. You will either gain or forfeit your soul. You will either find approval or disapproval when the Son of Man comes in his father’s glory. You are playing for very high stakes.”

 

Two vivid pictures come to mind here. The first is of people who have immense riches and world renown. Their every word and deed are recorded, but they have lost their capacity for any good thing. Such people are not capable of love, friendship, prayer, or worship. They have it all, yet they really have nothing. They are nothing. The other picture is of people with worldly religion, who avoid all the stigma of faith in Christ. They never have to suffer for faithfulness to the Lord. They never take a stand if it will cost them something. They are ashamed of the one who has bought them with a price, who has included them in his embrace, and at the end of the day, when the Lord comes in his Father’s glory, he will withdraw from them as they did from him. These are very powerful pictures. Such people gain the whole world but lose their souls. The way of discipleship is given in three phrases in verse 34. Jesus said that anyone who would follow him must: first, deny himself; second, take up his cross; and third, follow me.

A follower of Jesus must deny himself and take up his cross. As followers of Jesus, we must be willing to be  the love of self and confidence of self with which we are all born. Our selves need to be crucified. Instead of resisting the corrective surgery God intends for us, we should embrace it.

(8:32-33) Messiahship: the way of man’s messiah. Note the word “openly” (parresia). It means plainly, unmistakably, frankly, without hesitation. Jesus literally indoctrinated His disciples with the fact and meaning of His death. He talked about it so much that it shook the apostles, so much so that they had Peter to confront Christ. Note three points.

1. Natural man rejects God’s Messiah. He rebels at the idea of the cross. He wants another way other than the cross. This is what Peter was doing: rebelling against the idea that God’s Son was to die, that His blood was to be shed for the sins of the world (1 Peter 2:24). Peter could accept Jesus as the Son of the living God, but not as the Suffering Savior. Such an idea was repulsive and unacceptable to him. Therefore, he tried to stop the idea. Peter did two things.
2. “Peter took Him” (proslabomenos). The Greek is strong. It means caught hold. Peter took hold and grabbed Jesus. Peter bodily took Jesus aside for a conference.
3. Peter “began to rebuke [epitiman] Him.” This again is strong. It is not just a wish, but a forcible attempt to stop the idea of the Suffering Savior: “This shall not be unto thee. This must not and cannot happen to you.” God forbid is the equivalent idea. Peter was out to stop the cross. He was urging Jesus to be the Messiah of power, fame, and sensation that the Jews were expecting. Peter was urging Jesus to follow his own human schemes instead of God’s way. And by such, he was tempting Jesus with the very same compromises that Satan used to tempt Jesus, the compromises of power, fame, and sensations (Matthew 4:1-11). Peter was zealous for God, but He was mistaken and ignorant in his zeal. He did not understand that God was planning to save the world through the death of His Son.

Peter’s behavior is the way of the world. It is the natural, carnal mind. Man just rebels and recoils against the idea of a Suffering Savior who dies for the sins of the world, a Suffering Savior who demands the same sacrifice and denial of His followers. Such an idea is unacceptable and repulsive.

The natural man’s idea of God and of God’s plan for man is seen in three concepts.

1)    Some think the path of life is an indulgent love. God is seen as a giving, loving, indulgent grandfather type of person. He is seen as One who tolerates (and rewards by accepting) even the worst behavior, no matter how much human suffering and devastation is wrought by the hands of a person. To think of the cross and the blood of Christ as an emblem of suffering is repulsive. The cross is viewed only as an emblem of love, not of sin and shame. The way of love is thought to be the path of life that man is to follow.

2)    Some think that comfort and pleasure are the path of life and God’s way. God again is viewed only as an indulgent grandfather type. His will for man is to have the good life of things: comfort and pleasure, ease and plenty, health and leisure. And again the cross is only an emblem of love and care for the world, not of suffering and sacrifice and self-denial. Its shame and pain and agony and its purpose of reconciling a world lost in sin and depravity are denied.

3)    Some feel that triumph, victory, power, and reigning supreme are God’s way. This was the idea of most Jews in Christ’s day. It was Peter’s concept of the Messiah. A quick glance at the notes and applying man’s ideas to his emotional and mental state of being, as well as to his physical and material being, is revealing. The ideas show how some view the concepts of Self-Image, Self-Improvement, and Personality Development as being God’s plan and path for man. Again, the idea of suffering and sacrifice and self-denial is rejected.

2. Natural man is of Satan. The literal meaning of the name Satan is Adversary. Calling Peter “Satan” was stern, yet such sternness was necessary. Peter was tempting Christ with the very same temptation Jesus had faced in the wilderness.   All the world’s glory that could be His flashed across His mind. The loyalty and allegiance of men without the cross was again being suggested to Him. How this must have cut the heart of Jesus! This time the temptation was coming from one of His own disciples. When a man refuses to accept God’s plan for life, he becomes an adversary to God. He opposes God’s will. In essence the man says that he knows what is best; he is wiser than God. Think! When a man does not accept God’s plan for life, the crux of what he says to God is, “The cross is not necessary. Jesus’ death to save the world is a useless plan. It is not needed.”

This is what Peter was doing and saying. He was opposing God’s plan for life, that is, opposing the salvation of the world through the death of God’s Son. Peter was saying that he was wiser than God. Note: Jesus abruptly turned to Peter before Peter could say anything else and stopped him in his tracks. He charged Peter with being Satan, with being under the authority of Satan, with speaking for Satan. He had become as Satan, an adversary against God’s plan for His Son and for the salvation of the world.

3. Natural man sets his mind on material things, not on the things of God. The words “thou savorest not” (ou phroneis) mean to think, to mind. Peter did not have his mind, his thinking in line with God’s mind and thoughts. His tastes were different from God’s tastes. Peter’s thoughts and tastes were worldly and self-pleasing, not spiritual and not pleasing to God. He was using human reasoning, not God’s reasoning. The death of God’s Son by shedding His blood for the sins of the world was distasteful to Peter. In his mind such a concept was unfit for God.

Note Jesus’ words to Peter and how true they are: “Thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.” The death of Jesus reveals man’s true nature, a nature that uses natural and carnal reasoning instead of spiritual reasoning.

Who do you say that he is? Is it time for you to make a decision about who Jesus is? Is it time to acknowledge what you already know to be true? If you say he is Christ, if you declare that he is God’s answer from heaven, are you willing to hear him if he calls you to follow him? Will you give your allegiance to a Messiah who wants to change you from the inside out? If you have never named him Messiah, today is the day to do so for the first time. If you already know him as Messiah, but you are resisting him, this is the day to give up your resistance to his call to discipleship. The time to make the decision is now.