Matthew 16:13-28
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples,“Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.
28 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
God has given us the gift of a Child...The First Advent has happened...And this Baby Infant would be a Savior...This Baby and later this Boy and later this Man would be our Suffering Messiah...He would suffer for us, to save us from our sins...And the question one might ask is how many thought the Messiah of the Old Testament would come to earth in the form of a Baby Boy and eventually have to suffer?...Quite a confusing way of bringing the King of Kings into this world, and also how He would leave our world...
I think many had their own ideas who and what the Messiah would be and do when He came to earth...Would He be a military leader, would He be a guru, a mystic, the best theologian ever known?...I think, since the Roman Empire had occupied Israel, many at the time of Jesus' arrival thought that the Messiah, the Appointed One, would free Israel from this Roman Bondage and occupation...
So when the disciples are ask by Jesus "Who do you say that I AM?", Peter gives a very correct answer...Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.”...Jesus replied to Peter, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by My Father in heaven...And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it...I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”...Then He ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that He was the Messiah...
And in the next verses of St. Matthew, Jesus began to explain to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life...Peter took Him aside and began and rebuked Him...“Never, LORD!” he said...“This shall never happen to You!”...Peter who believes that Jesus is the Messiah, does not want Jesus to go to Jerusalem and suffer and be killed...Peter was confused by our Suffering Messiah...So Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan!...You are a stumbling block to Me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”...
Just a moment before Jesus was telling Simon Peter that he was a rock and that he, Peter, would be the one to build His church on earth, and the gates of Hades would not be able to overcome it...Jesus would give Peter the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven; and whatever Peter would bind on earth would be bound in heaven, and whatever Peter would loose on earth would be loosed in heaven.”...Now Jesus is calling Peter satan...So confusion reigned around Peter...Peter did not see the Messiah as a Suffering Servant Messiah...
So then Jesus told His disciples, “Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me...For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me will find it...What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?...Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?...For the Son of Man is going to come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will reward each person according to what they have done...“Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”...
There would be glory in dying on the cross for man's sins...This is God's Glory...Yet, how many had this in their thoughts about the Messiah...Peter's ideas of the Messiah was not of One dying on the cross...Peter's ideas in his thoughts of his Messiah, was not One who would suffer and die on the cross for the world...It is very logical that Peter had these ideas...
For me Jesus is a Confusing Suffering Messiah...As I read through the gospels and read about our Messiah, I think about all the claims He makes, and the Great Words that He has spoken, and wonder how did He think of these things...A story unwinds that I could have never guessed or wrote...I think about His unnatural birth...I think about His miracles...I think about His teachings...I wonder about His claims...I think about His death on the cross...Jesus is Divine...I believe He is certainly touched...Touched by the Hand of God...