Reading: Matthew 15-18
Then Peter took Him, and began to rebuke Him, saying, Be it far from Thee, Lord: this shall not be unto Thee. But He turned, and said unto Peter, Get Thee behind Me, Satan: Thou art an offence unto Me: for Thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men(Matt. 16:22-23).
Peter loved Jesus with a deep and abiding love. He knew and accepted Him as his Master, his Savior, and His friend. And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matt.16:16). He took his role as Jesus’ trusted servant very seriously. Peter lived his faith daily and always sought to be what Jesus desired him to be. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (16:17-18). Yet it was not love, but rather fear, that led Peter to react with horror and disbelief when Jesus began openly speaking of the ordeal that was to come. From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day (16:21).
As Jesus explained to His disciples what would happen in Jerusalem, Peter reacted with dismay that the Son of the living God would be subjected to such torturous treatment. Peter did comprehend that Jesus was speaking of His Father's perfect plan, and he immediately spoke out against what he felt was an unnecessary humiliation for his Lord. Peter felt his words were motivated by love, but Jesus saw the devil's hand guiding Peter's reaction, tempting Him to turn from God's plan.
As we move forward in our service to God, we must guard against falling prey to the same worldly influences as did Peter. When we view our lives and the lives of those around us through the lens of fleshly comfort, we succumb to the devil’s trap of believing that it is our welfare and security in the here and now that matters, and we exert pressure on those we care about to focus on their own welfare instead of on the will of God.
Conversely, the greatest temptation we will ever face as a child of God will come not from our enemies but our friends and family. Because they love us, they do not want us to suffer. At times, that will mean that they will encourage us towards a course of action that goes against the will of God just so that we can avoid physical or emotional pain. They mean well, but they don't realize that they have given in to the devil's temptation by offering that encouragement. God does not want us to suffer, but it is sometimes an unavoidable consequence of following the Lord in our imperfect world. We must learn to follow the example of Jesus; we must walk in the will of our heavenly Father, regardless of earthly consequences.
O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps(Jer. 10:23).
Thought for Today: God must come first in all matters, or we risk straying from the path He has set.
Cross Reference: For Matt. 15:4: See Ex. 20:12; 21:17; Lev. 20:9; Deut. 5:16. Matt. 15:8-9: See Is. 29:13. Matt. 16:27: See Ps. 62:12; Prov. 24:12.
Word Studies:16:6 leaven = false teaching; 16:18 gates of hell = the powers of Satan; 17:25 prevented him = anticipated what Peter would say and spoke before Peter could.
Pray for StaffKevin Jennings • Government Official: Rep. Bill Foster (IL), Rick McCormick (GA) • Country: Cuba (11,047,251) Caribbean • Major Language: English • Restricted Religious Freedom • 85% Roman Catholic; 15% Other • Prayer Suggestion: Pray and praise God with a spirit of thankfulness for His goodness (Ps. 107:1,21).