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
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