 |
 |
|
The Easterly effect of encountering jesus
David VanAcker, Pastor of Discipleship Grace Church, Sunday Worship Matthew 16:13-23 April 5th, 2009
Matthew 16:13-23 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" 14 And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16 Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." 20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ. 21 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 on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you." 23 But he turned and said to Peter, "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." Main Points
Introduction This sermon took an unexpected turn at around 2am this morning. Our neighbors lost their infant daughter in the night. I mention this for three reasons: 1) Because I want you to be in prayer for the family; 2) Because I need you to pray for me as I preach, I’m not sure how this will effect me (I’ve been kind of a wreck most of the morning); 3) Because I need you to pray for me and my family as we work through this together with our neighbors. Please pray that we wouldn’t miss the mercies and grace of God during this time. I’ve never been through an event like this, but I can already see God’s refining work taking place in me. It hasn’t been very long, but God has already used this event to bring, what I believe to be, a more biblical perspective on some things. Certain things seem much less important now than they did 12 hours ago. And certain things seem much more important now than they did 12 hours ago. After an event like last night very few things continue to seem important. The events described, and the outcome of those events, in our passage for this morning (Matthew 16:13-23) are among those that remain. There are two encounters with Jesus that I need my heart to truly see and you need your hearts to truly see now more than ever. In the first we’ll see Peter, along with the rest of the disciples, declaring Jesus to be the Christ/Messiah. In the second, we get to see Jesus explain (and the disciples misunderstand) the role of the Christ/Messiah. (There is a lot more in this passage than these two encounters. In fact, there are several passages/ideas (in Matthew 16) which have dramatically shaped the course of the history of the Church.) These two snapshots provide for us a remarkable picture of who Jesus really is and what that means for us (particularly in the coming week, in which we celebrate Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter). My prayer is that when we are finished looking at these two encounters in Matthew 16 we will all leave here with a clearer picture of Jesus’ relationship with his disciples prior to his death, an unmistakable and insatiable pull to follow Jesus on his terms, and a firm, Holy Spirit-given commitment to taking seriously serious things (like the coming week) and refusing to be numbed by petty things (like most of what this world has to offer). Pray snapshot #1: Jesus is the Christ Imagine having spent the past year and a half or so of your life following Jesus around. You would have seen him (according to Matthew) give remarkable sermons to huge crowds of people, heal the sick, gain and lose dozens (if not hundreds) of disciples, cast out demons, promise great reward to those who remain faithful to him, silence his critics, walk on water, and feed around 20000 people with 12 loaves of bread and 5 (or so) fish. Naturally there would have been high times and low times. You would’ve witnessed one of Jesus greatest advocates (John the Baptist) beheaded and you would’ve witnessed Jesus raise someone from the dead. You would’ve seen great crowds adore and despise Jesus (and you for being so closely associated with him). In listening to Jesus speak, there would have been times when everything seemed to make sense and there would have been times when everything seemed to be flipped on its head. Although his words would have often been difficult and confusing, undoubtedly they would have also had an inexplicably compelling way about them. On one hand this Jesus would have seemed normal or ordinary, but on the other hand there would have been something more-than-human about him. Who do they say I am? This is the state that the disciples found themselves in as we pick up at Matthew 16:13; our first snapshot. As the disciples struggle to grasp the true nature of Jesus we get to peak in on a discussion between them and Jesus regarding the impression that he (Jesus) has left on the people that they have encountered. 13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" What an odd question and what odd responses. Jesus wants to know what the disciples have heard about him. But, why did the question even make sense? Who asks questions like, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is" or, “Who do people say that I am” about themselves? And why didn’t people just give the obvious answer, “You are Jesus, the son of Joseph and Marry”? The answer is simply that there was something so obviously different about this man, Jesus, that he couldn’t be just Jesus; everyone recognized that he must be someone or something special. This we glean from the disciples’ answer. In response to Jesus’ question the disciples note that the crowds have offered an interesting litany of possibilities. Some make sense and others are just a stab in the dark. 14 "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." They probably thought of Elijah because it was prophesied (Malachi 4:5-6) that Elijah would come back before the Messiah. Apparently Jesus’ remarkable actions coupled with Herod’s extremely active conscience caused him (Herod) to suspect that John the Baptist had come back from the dead in the person of Jesus (Matthew 14:1-2). Still others guessed Jeremiah or another of the prophets (which may have been grounded in Jewish tradition). Again, the point here is that the disciples knew, and so did everyone else who came into contact with Jesus, that Jesus was no ordinary man. He was evidently man-like enough that no one suggested that he was an angel or some other non-human being. But he was extraordinary enough that no one could believe that he was just Jesus either. Who do you say that I am? At this point Jesus drew the conversation back to the disciples. He turned the discussion from “them” to “you”. He made it personal. “After 18 months or so of following me, seeing me, hearing me, helping me, what do you think? Who do you say that I am?” “He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am’” (16:15)? Here Peter rises up and boldly declares, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (16:16)! By this exclamation Peter meant (according to D.A. Carson) that he (Peter) believed that Jesus was the long expected “’Messiah’ or ‘Christ’, [which had become] the designation of a figure [who would represent] the people of God and [bring] in the promised eschatological reign.” That is, Peter amidst all the confusion, understands that Jesus is the Messiah, the holy one of God who would lead God’s people out of oppression and into a condition of interminable blessing. We see in a few verses that Peter’s understanding of what the Messiah was truly like is skewed; but nevertheless, here Peter gets right an important element of the nature of Jesus. We too must get this. We too must come to understand that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Holy one of God who will redeem his people! When so much else is stripped away this remains! Jesus is no mere man. This lasts and we must get it. We must believe it. We must build our lives upon it. Jesus says as much in the following verse. This understanding/declaration Peter is applauded by Jesus, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven” (16:17). That is, Jesus acknowledged the veracity and divine origin of Peter’s response. Jesus even goes so far as to say that it is on the basis of that response (that Jesus is, in fact, the Christ, the Son of the living God) that the Church will be built and triumph over death and hell. Please hear this… Having a right understanding of Jesus is a blessing. The ability to see Jesus rightly comes only from God! Before we move on, before we go any further, please consider this (for yourselves, your family, your children, your neighbors). Please consider the fact that thinking and feeling rightly about God is a gift from God. Cry out to God that he might open your eyes also to experience the blessing of truly seeing this Jesus. We’ll get to this more in a minute, but please understand that Easter will never be more than chocolate bunnies and egg hunts and grandma’s ham and family time and cute kids in cute dresses apart from the sovereign work of God opening the eyes of your heart (regenerating you). But to those of us who are being saved, Easter marks a special time when we can join with Peter in declaring, “You are the Christ, the son of the living God!” Snapshot #2:The Messiah must suffer and Die I bring up Easter because Easter is right around the corner and because Matthew quickly turns from Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Christ to the burden of the Christ. That is, having established this most significant capstone element of the gospel Jesus continues to unveil his Father’s plan even more. This second snapshot brings us close to home (during this week of reflection and anticipation as Easter approaches) as Jesus discusses the eminency of the first Easter. 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 on the third day be raised (16:21). This is Easter being talked about. Jesus suffering many things at the hands of lawless men. Jesus being killed on a cross in our place. Jesus rising from the dead so that we too could have life everlasting. Here we have a snapshot of the disciples hearing, in a deeper and more direct way, of the true nature of the Messiah. They had a chance to fall down and worship him for the glory of the cross. They had a chance to see and celebrate the extent of the love and power of Jesus in his description of his death and resurrection. Instead, the disciples, even if well meaning, thought that they knew better. The disciples, particularly Peter, even though they were in the presence of the man whom they recognized as the Messiah, sought to impose their own will on him. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you." How often do we do this? How often do we take things as awesome as the cross work of Jesus and rebuke Jesus for it? How often do we seek to impose our own understanding of Jesus on Jesus? Peter and the disciples did this. Instead of the conquering-king messiah that the Jews were expecting Jesus told the disciples that he’d first be the conquered-king messiah. In other words, Peter, who previously declared the Messiahship of Jesus, sought to impose his understanding of the role of the Messiah on the Messiah. Peter in his zeal to see accomplished what he had determined the Messiah would accomplish sought to instruct Jesus, to restrict Jesus, to rebuke Jesus. Whether his (Peter’s) motives were good or not the absurdity of his demands is apparent. 23 But he turned and said to Peter, "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." Please put yourself back in the mindset of the disciples for another moment in light of the two encounters with Jesus at which we’ve just looked. Peter, along with the rest of the disciples, had come to a point where they realized that Jesus was the Messiah that the Jewish people had talked about and longed for, for generations. And Jesus had begun to explain in clearer language than ever before what it meant that he was the Messiah. Jesus revealed himself as the Christ and then began to define what it meant that he was the Christ, but the disciples would not accept it. God, help us from falling into this trap. Please grant that we might follow you (vs. 24-25), the Christ, the son of the Living God, wherever you lead and whatever it costs. May we know where you are leading and may we follow you there on your terms. May we never seek to impose our understanding of your Messiahship on you. Instead, may we be seared and driven by the reality of your Messiahship. A Holy Week Setup If you believe in the Jesus that Matthew 16 describes, and if you realize the events described in Matthew 16 are the only hope that you have to be saved from your sin and brought into the kingdom of God, if you understand that that Jesus, the Christ, the Son of the living God, did in fact “go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and [was] killed, and on the third day [was] raised [from the dead]” then this week represents, for you and all Christians, an opportunity to delight in and give appropriate honor to the gloriousness of the continuing effects of Jesus work on the cross. That is, for Christians, this is no ordinary week. Today is typically called Palm Sunday. We read about this in Matthew 21. In Church history today marks the remembrance of Jesus’ festive entrance into Jerusalem. The streets were filled with people cheering and celebrating. “Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest (8-9)"! Thursday is typically called Maundy Thursday. We read about this in Matthew 26. On Maundy Thursday the Church has historically celebrated Jesus last supper with his disciples. During this time Jesus gave new meaning to the Passover celebration and gave us the Sacrament of communion, knowing that the next day he would die at the hands of the Jews. Friday is typically called Good Friday. We read about this in Matthew 27. On Good Friday Jesus was beaten and killed. It was on this Friday that Jesus bore the full wrath of God for the sins of all those who would believe on him. And next Sunday is typically called Easter Sunday. We read about this in Matthew 28. On Easter Sunday we celebrate the fact that Jesus rose from the dead, defeating death, and securing eternal life for his children. Quite a week! Please take the unique opportunities that this week affords to glorify God. Spend some extra time in your bibles this week. Spend some extra time training your minds on the things of God this week. Spend some extra time talking and praying and worshiping with your family (particularly with your children) this week. Take advantage of the themes of the different days this week by dwelling on the Scriptural passages that describe them. Celebrate the different aspects of the nature and work of God in creative ways this week. Come to our Maundy Thursday service. Come (and bring a friend or family member) to the Easter breakfast and worship service next Sunday. I want to close with one more thought… When you go on vacation or take a trip, the success and enjoyment of that trip often depends on how you prepared for the days and weeks leading up to it. Christian holidays (like Easter) are no different. If you spend this entire week in soul deadening things then your soul (and the souls of your kids) will likely have a difficult time waking from its slumber on Easter Sunday. On the other hand, if you build into your week soul awakening routines then next Sunday, as we together contemplate the resurrection of Jesus (which gave proof to the truthfulness of Peter’s profession and gives hope of eternal life to all who are in Christ), we can join our souls together in a celebration fit for a King!
|
