MATTHEW 16 OPPOSITION - RECOGNITION In His journey the Lord had come to Magdan, the home of Mary out of who He had cast seven demons. The opposition followed Him there only this time it was unusual. The Pharisees and Sadducees were united against the Lord Jesus Christ. Pharisees believed in the authority of the Old Testament scriptures. Sadducees only accepted the five books of Moses as scripture. Pharisees were careful in following the rules and traditions that had been added to the scriptures. Sadducees did not believe in life after death. It is not uncommon today when the Gospel is preached, for groups of people, some religious and some not, to unite against the Christian Gospel. The status quo of a society or a community seems to be more important to many people than the redemptive truth of salvation from sin.
The Lord had healed people, raised the dead, fed thousands of people miraculously and yet those religious people indicated they thought it was slight of hand or some evil power. They now wanted the Lord Jesus to do some miracle in the sky. They may have thought the sky was beyond His physical reach. People who need miracles to have proof of who the Lord Jesus is, will never be convinced of His power and deity. That is a form of humanism that will not accept God's truth by faith. "Without faith it is impossible to please God." Most people we encounter now want some kind of extra-biblical proof before they will accept Christ as their own Savior from sin.
Such false teaching as the Pharisees and Sadducees had taught the people was like a permeating form of evil spreading like yeast that doesn't appear big at first but soon leads people far astray. It will produce a misunderstanding of God, of the law, of the Word of God. It can even deceive people when it comes to sin and its consequences. For people to think they can escape the results of sin because they consider themselves basically "good people," is a terrible perversion of what the Bible teaches. "There is none good, no not one." Blind leaders leading blind people result in both having a tragic end. Some, perhaps many, consider the problem of sin, fairly insignificant because it is common to all people. Any doctrine, any teaching with its basis on the ideas of men rather than the revealed will of God is to be avoided. There are those who are followers and learners of Christ, who need to have assurance that what He was in the past, the Lord Jesus still is now. He was in the past, is now, and always will be in the future, the Eternal Son of the Eternal God.
When the Lord Jesus and His disciples got to Caesarea Philippi, He asked them plainly who people thought He was. They knew what people were saying. He was giving them opportunity to clearly say what they believed about Him. This was like an examination following the many lessons they had learned. "Who do you say that I am?" The test of being for Christ, and having genuine faith in Him personally, has to be plainly and clearly stated. There can be no middle ground. The glad recognition of Him was well stated. "Thou art the Christ (the Sent One), the Son of the Living God." The Sent One was taught in the Old Testament to be the One God would send to be the Savior and coming King. The Jews of Jesus' day thought "The Christ" would be a political leader who would free them from the power of their enemies, particularly the Romans.
Peter's confession went beyond that when he declared Him to be the "Son of the Living God." He knew the Lord Jesus' true identity. The Father had revealed this to Peter. This was not what had been taught by the rabbis. Peter was a stone now built on the bedrock of the Lord Himself. He knows now he is a part of a work the Lord Jesus was going to do. This introduction to the fact of a church going to be built must have given those disciples a little glimpse ahead as to what was going to be the result of the Lord Jesus Christ's work on earth. We may not understand the significance of all we are a part of, but as members of His body, the church, we can understand this - we are involved in a work that cannot and will not fail or be destroyed. The Church is established firmly on the bedrock of divine truths and Divine Persons. It will never fail. The Lord Jesus knew that people at that time were looking for the Christ to set them free politically. He came to set them free spiritually. He didn't want people to mistake His coming as that of a mere military leader. He came to set people free indeed. The kind of freedom that comes when one is alive spiritually, is received by faith in Christ as Savior and Lord.
That led to the Lord explaining the way redemption would really take place. The teaching of the death, burial and resurrection of Him as the Savior of sinners was new to them and they could not grasp the meaning of those words at that time. The time periods of history were not understood by the disciples then, but they soon would understand. If the Lord had not come to seek and to save individuals, there would be no hope for humanity at all. The whole problem of sin had to be dealt with once and for all before there could be any hope for the promised reign of the King on the throne of David.
We cannot avoid the temptations to keep ourselves away from suffering. But to follow the Lord means we cannot escape the consequences of teaching and preaching the truth. To hear the truth, to tell the truth and to live out the truth has a cost that we must be willing to pay. Identifying with Christ means real commitment to Him. It means that there will be a sacrifice to make that we cannot avoid. To be a disciple means we are willing in all aspects of our lives to follow Him. At the time we may seek to avoid this, but the real purpose in life is to live for Christ. That is what makes life worth living. The future shines bright and glorious.
They're there again with smiles less than genuine - Asking for what He has already give; they want another sign. They lay their traps with words and demands to suit their subtle cause - If only they would listen to His words they would understand because His words explain His actions, the actions are for a reason - The Lord is opening the door to a kingdom, in no way inciting treason. But for some people they could only see the present, then as now. They are not willing to accept what God says, and they don't intend to bow To the authority of Him who is Lord, no matter what will be the cost.
Those who refuse to yield their will to Him will be forever lost.
What happened then is going on now, the Lord is building a church. Those who want to be a part of the building can be so when they search For the Lord with all their heart; then they will be found of Him. Those who come as little children, He is waiting to welcome them. In the building not made with hands, each stone is one that is living. Every one is made to fit with the others, each by the Master's hand fitting To be what He intends as each living stone is given a place. Each one is marked and known by Him as a trophy of His grace. To build that church, a cost was paid that goes way beyond description. The death, the burial, the resurrection of Christ is the cost of our redemption.
When one is willing to follow the Lord there is a price we have to pay. There is the denial of self and anything that hinders us from taking up the cross each day. Our life is really without much meaning until we lose it for His name's sake. When that happens in reality, we will realize the worth of the cross we take. The Lord Jesus goes ahead of us, so as we follow Him, we are not alone. Anything we lose for Him will be recompensed when we get to our heavenly home. There is nothing in this lifetime that we can call our own that is of more value than our soul. To give ourselves for the glory of the Lord alone is when we finally sense we are whole. So now in this life lived for the Lord each day, and our identification with Him is real. The is not a wasted life we will have to look back to, when His glory is finally revealed.
"Father, in spite of opposition and a few difficulties on occasion, this life Thou hast called me to is all and more than I could ever have expected or deserved. I thank Thee for allowing me to be identified with the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen."