It is incredible the paradoxes that can occupy a person. The Apostle Peter when asked by Jesus, “who do you say I AM?” responded, “Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” (Matthew 16:16) to which Jesus responds, “Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’),and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer [prevail against it] it. And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.” (Matthew 16:17-19). For many this is where it ends, Peter declares who Jesus is, but in the same period Cephas (Peter) does something else. Jesus foretells His sacrificial death for our sins, “From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead,” (Matthew 16:21), but Peter responds, “But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him[k] for saying such things. “Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to you!,” (Matthew 16:22), to which our Lord said, “Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.” (Matthew 16:23). What a dramatic shift! Cephas goes from declaring who Jesus is to resisting His purpose duding Bis First Coming, to die for our sins and rise from the dead. How can Peter go from revelator to reviler? It is quite bizarre. Part of the problem is Peter has His own ideas how things should go, he wants Jesus to reign on the throne of David which will happen when He returns (Revelation 20:6-9) and missed the Suffering Servant (Isaiah 53). In fact, most of the Hebrews missed it (John).
Peter does not stop there, in Gethsemane when Jesus is surrendering to be taken to trial and preform the Sacrifice of Himself on the cross for our sins, Peter once again resists Christ’s salvic plan, “Then Simon Peter drew a sword and slashed off the right ear of Malchus, the high priest’s slave. But Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Shall I not drink from the cup of suffering the Father has given me?” (John 18:10-11). Even there at the moment Jesus is heading to His death, Simon Peter takes up a sword and violently resists God’s plan. Our Lord Jesu responds not to the militancy, of raising arms for battle as most preachers will use to support pacifism, but rather Jesus tells Simon to put away His sword because he is resisting the cup of suffering that Christ our Savior had to drink to save us from damnation and give us eternal life.
Cephas’ track record does not end there. When Jesus is on trial, Simon Peter denies knowing His Lord, “Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard, but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the servant girl on duty there and brought Peter in.
“You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” she asked Peter.
He replied, “I am not.”
It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.
Meanwhile, Simon Peter was still standing there warming himself. So they asked him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?”
He denied it, saying, “I am not.”
One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?” Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.” (John 18:15-18, 25-27). The apostle goes from saying “you are the Christ, the Son of the Living God,” (Matthew 16:16) to saying “I do not know The man.” (Matthew 26:72). The sad fact is Peter’s denial isn’t entirely wrong, he dis not know Jesus fully, for he was resisting Jesus plan to save us and so Cephas is being earnest that He doesn’t know Jesus which means Savior, because Simon has been trying to stop Christ’s salvic act. We often focus on Judas who turns on Jesus, but ironically Judas actually helps Jesus’ plan by betraying Him so He could die for our sins, it is Peter who is acting on behalf of human reasoning and Satan, “But he turned, and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of men.” (Matthew 16:23). This should be warning that we disciples if we are not careful can resist God’s plan, while God’s enemies like Judas and Caiphias do the will of God. Let us be wary of becoming a stumbling block.
After His Crucifixion, Jesus risen from the dead appears to John and Peter and asks Simon, “This is now the third time Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He was raised from the dead. So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of [b]Jonah, do you love Me more than these?”
He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I [c]love You.”
He said to him, “Feed My lambs.”
16 He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of [d]Jonah, do you love Me?”
He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I [e]love You.”
He said to him, “Tend My sheep.”
17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of [f]Jonah, do you [g]love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?”
And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep. 18 Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.” 19 This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.” (John 21:15-19). This is called the reinstatement of Peter. The most obvious point is Christ is reversing Peter’s denials which were three (John 18:15-18, 25-27) with three confessions (John 21:15-19). Part of what we miss is Peter is having to embrace and accept Jesus for who He is, that the Crucifixion and Resurrection were God’a plan. Simon has to come face to face with the Savior and accept that God Incarnate and His Plan that Peter resisted was right and necessary for the salvation of all mankind. Simon is found fishing when Christ appears and reinstates him, at this point Peter must face the full Jesus, that He suffered for our sins as He foretold and rose again. Jesus is asking Peter, “do you really love me? You resisted my plan of salvation, expecting something else, can you now accept who I am and what I did on the cross and rising from the dead? Can you admit you were wrong, and it dix mot go as you thought it would?” Simon Peter must face that he wanted Jesus to fit in a box, in a role he had envisioned, and instead accept and love Jesus as He is and role He really is in Savior. Too often we want people to fit the role of box we expect, but you don’t ever know them tell you accept who they really are. Peter has to accept and face the real Jesus, and face he was wrong about God’s plan; Cephas has to love Jesus as He is, Christ and Suffering Servant who is Sacrifice for our sins.
The Apostle Peter at last transforms into a mega preacher of Jesus and the Gospel that contains what he had resisted with words (Matthew 16:21-23) and swords (John 18:10); Peter embraces the Truth and teaches:
“But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:
17 “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;
18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;
20 the sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.
21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 25 For David says concerning him,
“‘I saw the Lord always before me,
for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;
26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
my flesh also will dwell in hope.
27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption.
28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’
29 “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,
“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
35 until I make your enemies your footstool.”’
36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.” (Acts 2:14-41). Simon finally is not resisting, he is on board and preaching! So the paradox ends, but it does urge a warning. Is there anywhere where we the Church is resisting Jesus like Peter? Would Christus shout to our churches, “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.” (Matthew 16:23). For example that many churches preach the prosperity gospel and doctrine that Jesus equals cash and wealth when Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money,” (Matthew 6:24) and “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” (Luke 9:23-26).
Peter resisted God Incarnate. He would not let go of his ideas of what should happen. My concern is that the church is acting like Cephas did (Matthew 16:21-23, John 18:10), especially in regards to the prosperity gospel and doctrine. Peter was resisting God’s plan to save mankind on the cross! Which is why Christ said it was Satan, “And having turned, He said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me. For your thoughts are not of the things of God, but the things of men," (Matthew 16:23). Instead, we need to submit to God’s plan, “Submit therefore to God, and resist the devil and he shall flee.” (James 4:7). Amen.
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