The Cross

Who do you say Jesus is?

This post is a little different than previous posts. This time I am giving you a scripture to consider and some questions to guide your thoughts.

The Identity

Matthew 16:13-17
Jesus asked his disciples:
“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
Why do you think Jesus asked his disciples this question?
What did they answer?

• John the Baptist
• Elijah
• Jeremiah or one of the prophets

What is significant about these answers?

• All three of these men represented a messenger from God.
• According to what the disciples said, people saw Jesus as someone sent from God.
• Maybe even one of these men had come back from the dead.

Do you find it strange that the disciples did not mention something like these?

• They say he is a fraud.
• They say he is crazy.
• They say he is just trying to make a name for himself.
• They say he is from the devil.

Who do people around you say Jesus is?

Have you ever asked someone: 
What do you think of Jesus?

What would you say if someone asked you that question?

Then Jesus asked:
“But who do you say that I am?”
Of course Peter, the outspoken one,  is the one that answered.
“You are the Christ [Messiah], the Son of the Living God.”

 How does this answer go beyond what the other people were saying?
The Messiah goes beyond just being a prophet.

• To the Israelites, the Messiah would rescue them from oppression and make them a great nation again.
• But as Jesus said, he came for a personal spiritual rescue, not a national rescue.
• "My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my servants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish authorities. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” (John 18:36 NET)
• Son of God goes beyond just being a human messenger of God. 
• Son of God means that God came down to live among us as a human being.

Jesus responds to Peter:

“You are blessed, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven.”

• “Flesh and blood” How do you understand this phrase?
• Two possible interpretations:
• Any human being: “You didn’t get this from someone else.”
• Peter himself: “You didn’t discover this on your own.”
• Why was Peter blessed?
• Because God made known to him the truth about Jesus.

The Cross

Matthew 16:21-23
Jesus started to tell his disciples what was going to happen to him before long:

• Suffer many things at the hands of the authorities
• Be killed
• Be raised from the dead

Peter…

• Took him aside
• “NO WAY, this can’t happen!”

Based on his comment, did Peter really understand what he had said earlier?
“You are the Messiah…”

Jesus' response:

• Get behind me Satan…
• You are a stumbling block to me…
• Your mind is not on God’s agenda, but on a human agenda.

What do you think of this response?

Your Cross

Matthew 16:24-25
Jesus took up his cross. We have a cross to take up too.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will find it." (Matthew 16:24-25 NET)

What do you think of this statement?
“To bear the cross means to accept the rejection of the world for turning to Jesus and following him. Discipleship involves a death that is like a crucifixion.” (NET Bible study note)

Galatians 6:12-15
But may I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. (Verse 14)

What do you think of this statement?

“Take up your cross” doesn’t mean we give up the things we do every day to survive and even enjoy life; It means we try to put Jesus in those things, use them for his kingdom.

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Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible®
copyright ©1996-2016 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.

This post is the result of my studies based on the book by Mark E. Moore, Core 52: A Fifteen-Minute Daily Guide to Building your Bible IQ in a Year, published by WaterBook (Penguin Random House)

Trade Paperback ISBN 978-0-525-65325-7

ebook isbn 978-0-525-65326-4

The Golden Rule

The Law was given to Moses and the Israelites and written down about 1400 years before Jesus’ time here on earth. After the Babylonian captivity, about 500 years before Jesus, as the Jewish people struggled to understand the Law and live it out, they began to rely on a group of scholars and teachers whose purpose was to study, understand, interpret, and teach the Law for the benefit of the people. In English translations of the Bible, these men were known as “scribes”, lawyers”, or “experts in the Law”. Unfortunately, these men became entangled in the technicalities of the Law and they missed its true purpose.

As Jesus gained fame during his three and one half years of teaching and service in Palestine, he was acknowledged by many to be a rabbi, that is, a teacher who imparts wisdom and understanding concerning the Law. It could be said that the Sermon on the Mount is Jesus’ explanation of the true meaning of and purpose for the Law. As we have discussed in recent posts, it is clear that Jesus was trying to lead people to embrace the “spirit of the Law”. Jesus makes this statement as he explains the Law:

"In Everything, treat others as you would have them treat you, for this fulfills the Law and the Prophets."¹

This statement has become known as "The Golden Rule". This statement really includes a comparison: how you treat others compared to how you would want to be treated. And what is the context of this statement? I found it interesting that, leading up to this statement, Jesus was also talking about the consequences of judging people and I think there is a similarity here. He said:

Judging

"Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For by the standard you judge you will be judged, and the measure you use will be the measure you receive."²

This is also describing a comparison: How we judge others compared to how we will be judged. Jesus is saying that we will be judged based on the same standard we use to judge others. It makes us think, doesn't it? How would we do when judged by our own standard? Do we really live up to our own standard?

The Speck and the Log

"Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye, but fail to see the beam of wood in your own? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye,’ while there is a beam in your own?"³

Here Jesus uses what we call hyperbole, that is, an extreme exaggeration. We see some flaw in our brother that is only the size of a speck of sawdust compared to the flaw in our own life which is the size of a wooden beam or log. The implication is that we see ourselves as better that the other person and, therefore, they need to change but we don't. What is Jesus' response to this situation?

"You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye."⁴

• Hypocrite: I think the implication here is that, deep down, we know we are flawed but we don't want to admit it.
• First correct the shortcomings in your own life.
• Then you can help your brother with his shortcomings.

The Golden Rule

The Golden Rule is a comparison: it is comparing how we treat others to how we would like to be treated. Do you see others as equal to or even better than yourself? Whatever is "fair" for you should be "fair" for the other person. We all expect to be treated with kindness and love so we should do the same for others.

Jesus said, "for this fulfills the Law and the Prophets." "Keeping the Law" is not so much about "following the rules". it is about loving God and treating those people around you fairly, with kindness and compassion.

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1. Matthew 7:12 (NET)

2. Matthew 7:1-2 (NET)

3. Matthew 7:3-4 (NET)

4. Matthew 7:5 (NET)

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible®
copyright ©1996-2016 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.

This post is the result of my studies based on the book by Mark E. Moore, Core 52: A Fifteen-Minute Daily Guide to Building your Bible IQ in a Year, published by WaterBook (Penguin Random House)

Trade Paperback ISBN 978-0-525-65325-7

ebook isbn 978-0-525-65326-4