Welcome back to “Follow Me,” our multi-part series exploring the gospel of Matthew. Today we’re in the middle of a 3-week mini-series about the Apostle Peter.
As we’ve already seen with Peter walking on water, we have a lot to learn from his sincere, if sometimes ham-fisted, attempts to follow Jesus.
As I said last week, Peter is an impetuous, passionate, and emotional young man. He leaps without looking. Sometimes this means putting his foot in his mouth. Other times it means he’s a bit ahead of the curve. Today it’s a bit of both.
So let’s pray, and then we’ll learn from one of the highest and one of the lowest moments of Peter’s life.
ON THIS ROCK
Today’s passage is in Matthew 16:13, Page _________.
While you’re turning there, just a quick bit of context with Matthew’s gospel. His story of Jesus is very intentional with geography. Basically, Jesus does his ministry in Galilee, up in the north, and then, here in the middle of the gospel, he begins his road south, to Jerusalem.
The tension keeps building and building now, because we know that it’s in Jerusalem where Jesus is going to be crucified. Now, the disciples don’t get this yet (as we’ll see in a moment), but as Matthew’s readers, we know where things are headed.
All that to say, here in Caesarea Philippi, Jesus is at the farthest point north in the whole gospel. After this, the road to Jerusalem begins.
Matthew 16:13-20
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.” Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 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’),a and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer 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.” Then he sternly warned the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
Ok, there’s a lot to unpack here.
First of all, look at what Jesus calls himself in verse 13. “The Son of Man”. This is far and away the most common title Jesus gives himself in the gospels. It is a reference to the Old Testament book of Daniel. Chapter 7.
In Daniel 7 we have an apocalyptic scene where mighty empires - depicted as ferocious beasts - are trampling and tearing up humanity, causing suffering for the multitudes.
Until “one like a son of man” - a.k.a. a human - is able to ascend into the presence of God. This Son of Man is then given authority to rule the world. He defeats these powerful beasts and brings peace and justice to the earth.
As we’ve said throughout this series, Matthew is a Story of Fulfillment. And this is a perfect example. Jesus is the Son of Man from Daniel 7. The one destined to rule the earth.
Ok. In v.13 Jesus asks his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” In other words, “what’s the buzz about my identity?”
The disciples’ response in v.14 - John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, etc. - makes it clear that people definitely think Jesus is a prophet. He’s a person who speaks God’s truth.
But then Jesus asks his disciples: “Who do you say I am?” The question is plural - it’s to all of them (y’all) - but Peter, as always, is the first one to speak up. “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
This word “Messiah” is a Hebrew word which is Christos or Christ in Greek. But they both mean the same thing:
Messiah/Christ - Anointed One
Very literally, a Messiah is someone who has had sacred oil poured on their head. In the Old Testament this act of anointing was a symbol of God’s endorsement for people like priests and kings.
However, by the 1st century, rather than just describing an anointed leader, people had begun looking for the anointed leader. The Messiah. The Christ. The king who would finally restore the kingdom of Israel and fulfill the promises of God.
And that Messiah - the Messiah - is exactly who Peter says Jesus is. And by the way, he’s the first person in Matthew’s gospel to do that.
So, Jesus calls him blessed because of this declaration of faith. But then he takes things a step further. But before we look at that, we’ve got to talk about Peter’s name.
His real name is actually “Simon, son of John/Jonah.” Peter is just a nickname. According to the gospel of John, it’s a nickname given to him by Jesus himself.
There Jesus calls him Cephas, the Aramaic word for “rock.” Aramaic is the language Jesus and the disciples spoke.
But in Greek, which Matthew’s gospel is written in, the word for “rock” is Petros, which is why we call him Peter. So “Peter” is really “Cephas” who is really Simon. Clear as mud?
Bottom line, Peter/Petros is a nickname. It’s like Jesus calling him “Rocky.” Which is a great name for a hotheaded, blundering kid. But here that name takes on a far deeper significance. Look at verse 18.
“Now I say to you that you are Rocky, and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.”
Woah. Things just got real. “Upon this rock I will build my church.” In other words, Peter, this bumbling and passionate young fisherman, is going to be the very foundation that Christ’s Church is built upon.
He will be given the keys of the kingdom. Can you imagine what’s going through Peter’s mind here? And then Jesus says this strange phrase: “and the powers of hell will not conquer the church.” What does that mean?
Well, I don’t actually like the NLT’s translation of this, because it obscures the original meaning. By talking about the “powers of hell,” we’re immediately thinking about demons and pitchforks and fire.
But what Jesus really says is that “The gates of Hades will not prevail against it.”
Hades, remember, is the realm of the dead in ancient thought. Where we - humans - are all destined to go because of our sin - locked and chained by death forever. Or at least we were, until Jesus came on the scene.
Jesus, who would go on to give up his innocent life on the cross for us, descend into the realm of death firsthand, and perform the most spectacular jailbreak of all time.
Do you want to know what it looks like for the gates of Hades to not prevail against Christ’s church?
It’s the Anastasis fresco we looked at all last month. Through his resurrection, Jesus shattered the gates of Hades and pulled humanity out of death to live with him forever.
Look at all the broken locks and keys. Those doors aren’t getting put back on their hinges.
The gates of Hades will not prevail against the Church because we are resurrection people. We’re a community of life and abundance and New Creation thanks to Jesus.
This is our confidence: that our redeemer lives. That the Son of Man rules the world. That the Messiah has finally come.
Peter - Rocky - obviously had no idea at this point where things were headed. But his seedling of faith was destined to grow into a world-spanning movement of life that includes you and me today.
What a high point for this young man. “Upon this rock I will build my church.”
GET BEHIND ME
Of course, it doesn’t take long for Peter to find himself at the opposite extreme. Let’s read about it.
Matthew 16:21-23
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. But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. “Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to you!” 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.”
Yikes. These are some of the harshest words of Jesus toward his followers anywhere in the Bible.
A moment ago we saw Jesus celebrating Peter for listening to God’s voice. Now he’s accusing him of listening to the voice of Satan.
What’s going on here? Isn’t Peter just looking out for his rabbi? “Hey, don’t worry, Jesus. You’re not going to die! You’re the Messiah!”
But Jesus is having none of it. “Get away from me, Satan. You are a dangerous trap to me.” Why the sudden change of tone?
To answer that, it’s helpful to remember that this isn’t the first time in Matthew that Jesus tells Satan to take a hike. He says almost the exact same phrase in chapter 4 when he’s being tested by the Devil in the wilderness.
Matthew 4:8
Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”
“Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the LORD your God and serve only him.’
From the very beginning, the Evil One has been tempting Jesus with the allure of power. To take his rightful throne as king of the world, but to do it the easy way.
Just bow to Satan. That’s all it takes. It’s a shortcut for the Son of Man to rule the world. For the Messiah to be king without any suffering.
Now, in that story we see Jesus telling Satan to scram, but I’m sure this was a constant temptation for the human side of Jesus. Later we see him weeping and grieving what the cross is going to cost him, asking his Father if there is any other way. Absolutely he was tempted.
Making matters worse, everyone seemed to expect the Messiah, when he came, to look a lot more like Satan’s vision of world domination.
The people, including Peter, apparently, believed the Messiah would raise an army, dominate the other nations of the world, kick the Romans out and force all the other nations to bow. The Messiah would bring peace with a sword so Israel would finally be back on top.
This is why in verse 20 Jesus tells his disciples not to spread the word about who he really is because he knows the people would try to make him that kind of king.
But that is not the kind of Messiah that Jesus was. His victory and rule would come not through domination, but through self-sacrifice and death.
He was a Messiah of self-giving love who didn’t use death as a threat to his enemies; He went through death to bring his enemies life. To shatter the gates of Hades once and for all. For everyone, even the Romans.
This was the true destiny for the Son of Man. For any of Jesus’ disciples, even Peter, to stand in the way of that mission, was to threaten the very basis of the gospel.
So, “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.”
As we’ve said multiple times, Matthew is a Kingdom Manifesto. Well, Christ’s kingdom does not play by the rules of this world. Jesus will not take the easy way out.
TAKE UP YOUR CROSS
So Peter is undoubtedly licking his wounds from this stern rebuke when Jesus explains a bit more of where he’s coming from:
Matthew 16:24-28
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds. And I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”
In other words, the Son of Man will rule the world just like Daniel 7 predicted. The kingdom of God will be established on the earth. Just not the way you’re expecting it.
To paraphrase, “If you want to follow me and actually be a part of all that, you’ve got to do things my way. And that means picking up your cross. Dying to yourself. Giving up your own way.”
“So, yes, Peter. I am going to die. It’s the only way for you - and everyone else - to find true life. Join me in that death to self and you will also join me in resurrection.” Put simply,
The way of Jesus is the way of self-sacrifice.
Obviously, it took Peter time to truly understand this. The whole narrative around the crucifixion shows him flailing and miserable. Hardly the rock-solid man of faith you’d want to build your church upon.
Maybe Jesus was a bit overzealous with ol’ Rocky when he called him blessed… “Him? This guy? The one who goes on to deny he even knows you three times?”
Well, that’s how it appears, until you read the book of Acts and see how Peter, with the Spirit of Christ’s help, became a strong leader of the early Church.
He healed people and cast out demons in the name of Jesus. He even raised the dead. The gates of Hades couldn’t stand against him.
After the resurrection, Peter got it. He proclaimed the Son of Man exalted to the throne, not because of power, but because of self-giving love.
And it was that same self-sacrifice that defined Peter for the rest of his life. Ultimately, he did “take up his own cross.” Literally. As the story goes, Peter was willingly crucified by the Romans just like Jesus. That’s what his faith had become.
In the end, good ol’ Rocky became exactly the foundation of the Church that Jesus said he would be. And to this day, the faith of this boisterous young man remains a cornerstone for our own.
FOLLOW ME
Ok, so what do we take away from these two extreme moments in Peter’s story? Again, Matthew is a Discipleship Manual. What are we meant to learn about following Jesus from this passage?
Well, first, I hope you’re encouraged to realize that Peter, the Rock, was really just a knuckleheaded kid when Jesus saw his potential. “Upon this rock I will build my church.”
Peter clearly didn’t have everything figured out at this point. He didn’t understand the path of self-sacrifice that Jesus was on. But he did believe that Jesus was the Messiah.
His faith was incomplete, but it was genuine. And that was enough for Jesus to give him a much greater call.
You may feel in over your head half the time like Peter did. You may feel like you don’t know anything when it comes to the Bible. Or like your faith is tiny and weak.
But let me ask you: Do you believe that Jesus is Lord? Have you given your life to him as your Savior?
Because Simple faith is the foundation of the Church. That’s what I think Matthew wants us to see in this passage.
That you don’t have to have everything figured out. Peter sure didn’t! Simply put your trust in Christ and follow him the best you can. He will take you the rest of the way.
Who knows what powerful, world-changing work Christ has prepared for you to do, even if right now you feel like a bumbling, teenage Rocky. Simple faith is where it begins.
Second, I hope we all feel appropriately challenged by second half of today’s passage.
Obviously, we all cheer at the sentiment that Jesus is the Messiah, because we know the end of the story. We know it’s true. The Son of Man does rule the world.
But how often does that truth get twisted up with lies from the Evil One about how that rule is meant to happen in our lives? How often are we actually in the way of Jesus’ purposes?
For example, how easy is it for us to treat the risen Christ like some kind of health and wealth genie who’s only here to make our lives more comfortable and successful? How often do we say we’re following Jesus when we’re really bowing to the god of Self?
Matthew 16:25
If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.
The mission of Jesus involves you and me dying to ourselves. If my Christian faith is all about me - my needs, my wants, my comfort - then I am just standing in the way of Jesus, and I need to hear, like Peter, “Get behind me, Satan.”
Another example, how often do we buy the lie that following Jesus is for winners? That we’re the ones meant to be on top in this world. How often do we, like Peter, stand in the way of Jesus’ self-giving love because we’re worshipping the god of Domination?
Matthew 16:24, 26
If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me… what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?
My point is, The way of Jesus is the way of self-sacrifice.
We don’t heal this broken world by winning. We heal it by losing - losing our selfish desires, our self-importance. By following the example of our Savior - our Messiah - giving up these earthly lives for the sake of something more.
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Peter didn’t get it immediately, but he got it in the end.
What a gift we have in his story. Imperfect and flawed like all of us, he is an example of faith we would all do well to model our lives upon.
“You are Rocky, and upon this rock I will build my church.”
[PRAY]