Slideshow image

Oh how quickly we can get off just a bit in our Christian walk. Maybe walking with one foot firm and the other turned out. In Matthew 13:16 we find Peter declaring Jesus as the Messiah, promised and sent by God and then in Matthew 13:23 we find Peter being used by Satan to try and discourage Jesus from going to Jerusalem to provide a path where sinful man could be declared accepted by God and allowed into His kingdom.

 

So how did this happen? Peter became distracted by his understanding of what Jesus was sent to accomplish while on earth. To Peter, the Messiah was to physically establish their earthly kingdom and rule from it. They would fulfill all God’s promises to the Nation of Israel. Jesus came the first time to provide. He will come a second time to rule. So you see, Peter was distracted. It was not what he expected or wanted to hear.

 

Matthew 13:22 NIV, 22 Peter took him (Jesus) aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” Peter placed himself in a position of authority over Jesus, presuming to correct the Master's path. This just blows my mind. The arrogance of sinful man trying to tell God what is correct or the best. Don’t think it is just Peter who does this. We still do this today every time we say, “No”, to God’s way for our lives. Every time we don’t like or understand or want the path laid out in front of us. We shake our little fists at Jesus, stomp our foot and firmly say, “Never, Lord”.

 

Matthew 13:3 NIV, 23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “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.”

 

Jesus is not saying Peter is possessed by Satan or even speaking for Satan. Jesus is telling Peter and us today there may be times when, “You are not looking at this correctly. You think you understand completely what God is doing but you are way off base. You are operating out of what Peter wants and not God’s purpose and will. So take your human finite opinions and get behind me because I’m moving forward with God’s plan for Me, which by the way, will benefit you greatly.”

 

Jesus called Peter’s response a stumbling block. The words stumbling block in Aramaic meant the trigger-stick or bait-holder on an animal trap. When an animal touched the bait, the trap snapped shut. It means an obstacle, a trap, or a hindrance that causes someone to trip, fall into error, or turn away from God's path. Did you notice this trap came from a close friend and believer in Jesus as the Messiah. So often we give so much attention to the monstrous adversaries that we fail to see the distractions from those closest to us.

 

We hear a lot about “Fake News” today. Sometimes this can be outright manipulation but most of the time the information being reported comes from a trusted source, so much so that it is reported as truth without further verification. If something contradicts their trusted source, they will set it aside because they believe their source over all other voices and believe they would never purposefully mislead them.

 

The words “Get thee behind me Satan” in Aramaic means to conceal or hide. Literally, Jesus was saying: “Hide or conceal your knowledge you think you have for you are misinformed.” It has been noted that a father in the first century often used this term for correcting their sons. Peter was generally worried about Jesus’ safety in going back to Jerusalem. They tried to stone Him the last time He was there, and the animosity has only become more inflamed. Peter thought he knew the best path to setup Jesus’ earthly kingdom. So as a trusted disciple, renamed by Jesus, Peter assumed a leadership and friend position he had not been given. Jesus is Lord and not Peter or anyone else.

 

I think we all as Christians at some time or another have picked up on misinformation and sort of ran with it not realizing that we were hindering the Gospel of Jesus.  Maybe it is how dogmatic we can be in our interpretation of Scriptures. It is so easy to just assume we are absolutely correct in all our understanding and others are simply missing the boat. Or maybe it is the application of Scripture in the lives of others. God might have to whisper in our hearts a tender rebuke “Hey, conceal those thoughts of yours. It is misinformation and you are hindering the spread of the Gospel.”

 

Randy Harwood, Pastor, Spokane First Baptist Church