The Devil Wears: Friendship (Matt. 16:21-23)

The Devil Wears: Friendship
Matthew 16

INTRODUCTION:
When I was in junior high school, in north Georgia, my best friend was named Daren. He was my best friend… and he was my worst enemy. We did many things together that guys in the 8th, 9th, and 10th grades do together. I miss not having graduated with Daren since we moved to North Carolina just as my junior year of high school got started. But I was also glad to get away from Daren because he mocked my Christianity as badly as an enemy might. At some point I had made it known that I expected to be a virgin when I got married; Daren made up a little poem that I remember today, which made fun of me for that.

We might have friends that help us get to heaven, but we also might have friends that hinder us from getting to heaven.

In Matthew 4, Jesus went face to face with Satan and He defeated Satan. But the text says that Satan left Jesus “for a time.” But Satan would return in the person of Jesus’ enemies, the Pharisees, but Satan would also return in the person of His friend, one of His closest friends, Simon Peter.

Our very first study on Satan, from Genesis 4, pointed out that Satan came to Eve in a crafty, subtle way. Satan can even today appear to us in the person of people whom we love, trust, admire. Anyone serves as “Satan” if he or she becomes an adversary to hinder us from staying faithful to Jesus Christ and His word.

Last month, we studied that Satan wears “teamwork,” that is, he has his “team” of demons or evil spirits; that was from Matthew 12. Today, we consider the very next (and last) occasion of the use of “Satan” in the Gospel of Matthew. Where Jesus accuses Peter of serving as Satan’s mouthpiece.

Let’s study the text…

The animosity between the religious leaders, the Pharisees and Sadducees, and Jesus continues to increase in this chapter. They challenge His credulity (16:1-4); He warns His disciples about the leaders’ doctrine (16:5-12).

JESUS PREDICTS THE ESTABLISHMENT OF HIS KINGDOM IN LIGHT OF HIS DEATH - 16:13-20:
This paragraph is one of the most theologically remarkable passages in the NT. Jesus leads His apostles into Gentile territory, perhaps away from the antagonism of the Jewish leaders, and the eyes of the other crowds. He has a serious discussion with them. He begins by asking, “Who do men say that the Son of Man is?” The apostles answered with the current prevailing opinions.

Herod believed Jesus was John risen from the dead (14:2). Elijah performed some miracles, as Jesus did. The prophets had also predicted “Elijah” would return: Malachi 3:1; 4:5-6. The reference to Jeremiah is not as clear; he was an emotional prophet and preached the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. Perhaps Jesus’ preaching or His emotions recalled Jeremiah. Moses had also predicted the coming of a specific prophet: Deuteronomy 18:15-18.

Next, Jesus asked the apostles for their view: “Who do you all say that I am?” Then Peter, speaking for the group, made the “great confession:” “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” This is the first time someone has called Jesus “Christ.” Matthew identified Him as “Christ” in 1:1. Its other uses are also in the “mouth” of Matthew. Here, for the first time, someone acknowledges He is the Christ, which is the Greek translation of “Messiah.” This designation identified Jesus as the One anointed by the Spirit of God.

After Peter made such a great confession, Jesus blessed him. Jesus had given Peter his name “Cephas,” Aramaic for “rock” at John 1:42. “Cephas” is a transliteration of the Aramaic word, which might also be written “kephas.” “Flesh and blood,” or humanity or human reason, had not revealed this confession to Peter. God had revealed it in the person and works of Jesus Christ. Peter was drawing the logical conclusion of these works: Jesus is God in the flesh.

In verse 18, Jesus makes a play on Peter’s name. Presuming that Jesus spoke Aramaic, Jesus would have said, “You are kephas, and on this kephas, I will build My church.” In Aramaic, Jesus would use the same word. In Greek, Matthew wrote two words: “Petros” for “Peter” and “petra” for the rock on which the church is built. It is possible that the change only reflects proper usage of the masculine “petros” for Peter’s name.

The reference to the “church” is its first usage in the NT and suggests a people of God and, perhaps, a place of worship to God or a new temple. Jesus claimed to raise up a new temple, which the Jews used against Him at His trial. The fact that Jesus uses the future tense: “I will build…” shows that it was not yet in existence. This word, “church,” translates the Greek word for “assembly.” While “kingdom” and “church” are not completely interchangeable, they have considerable overlap. The “kingdom” in heaven will compose those saints who died under the OT law but also include those who are in the church. It will be the church which receives the benefits of Christ’s sacrifice.

The “gates of hades” would not stop Jesus from establishing that church. He will go into the grave, into the unseen world, into hades: Acts 2:27, 31. Hades would not keep Jesus in its clutches. He will return to the visible world and establish His church. Then, in verse 19, Jesus promises to give Peter (and the rest of the apostles: 18:17-18) the keys to open that church / kingdom to others by sharing the gospel message. As a part of opening the kingdom to others, the apostles will only be exercising authority given to them from above. That is the force of the perfect tense of the verbs translated: “will have been bound” and “will have been loosed.” The apostles will only be binding and loosing, as terms of entrance and membership in the church of Christ, what God had already bound and loosed in heaven.

Having made such an important promise, Jesus commands HIs disciples, at that particular point, not to tell others about His identity. He would reveal Himself openly at the right time, which He knew, would lead to His crucifixion. The Father wanted everything to work at the appropriate time.

PETER STANDS IN FOR SATAN TO HINDER JESUS’ WORK - 16:21-28:
With the apostles acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah, they were now prepared to hear the total message: Jesus was going to Jerusalem. It was necessary for Him to go to Jerusalem. As plainly as He could say it, Jesus tells His apostles that He will suffer much at the hands of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish council composed of the elders and chief priests and scribes. He would be killed, but He would be raised by the Father after three days.

Peter had just confessed Jesus’ identity but he cannot accept the idea that Jesus would suffer and die. Peter likely has no idea what the resurrection refers to. Peter takes Jesus aside and began to rebuke Him with a sharp negative statement: “Mercy to you, Lord.” That is, “May God be gracious to you and not allow this to happen.” He is very emphatic that it will not happen.

Then Jesus gets very blunt with Peter and refers to him as His adversary: Satan. He commands Peter to get behind Him and quit trying to prevent Him from going to Jerusalem. He was not physically hindering Him, but discouraging Him through His words. Jesus states that Peter is a stumbling block to Jesus through his misguided zeal. To put it simply, Peter was thinking in earthly, physical terms and not looking at these events from God’s perspective.

So in verse 24, Jesus gives a series of clear warnings to His apostles. If someone wants to follow Christ, he needs to be prepared, as Jesus is, to carry his own cross to suffer, perhaps to die. The condemned criminals would carry the crosspiece for their crucifixion, the patibulum (John 19:17). The way of Christ might lead to persecution and death.

Secondly, Jesus promises that if His disciples love their physical lives above His call, they will destroy their own lives. If, on the other hand, they willingly give their lives in life and / or in death to the service of Christ, they will win their lives. When it comes to balancing the soul against earthly allurements, there is nothing more worthy than the soul.

Thirdly, Jesus promises that He will return again one day. When he says, “The Son of Man is about to come,” he uses a verb (is about to) that shows that the Son of Man is on His way! There is no doubt that Jesus will come again!

Finally, in verse 28, Jesus states that before He returns (verse 27), His kingdom will be established. It will be established, in fact, within the lifetime of His audience. Jesus will be present in His kingdom when He establishes it (Acts 2:33-36).

Peter makes it clear that he did not, at all, expect Jesus to rise from the dead. That point makes his testimony to the resurrection all the more inspiring, encouraging, and credible!

Take home message: In light of Peter’s adversarial stance against Jesus, our Master stays focused on what the Father wants Him to do! When others try to stop us from being faithful to Christ, we need to stay focused on doing the right thing.