Jun
02
2008
Which Rock are You?
“Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to Me.
For you are not setting your mind on the things of God,
but on the things of man.”
- Jesus, to Peter (Matthew 16:23)
Just moments after Peter claimed Jesus to be the Messiah, the Son of the Living God, he reprimanded Jesus for speaking of His coming suffering and death. Jesus’ rebuke of Peter’s mindset was as harsh as His commendation of Peter’s previous statement had been approving.
Peter’s confession of Jesus’ Messianic identity had been called the “rock” on which the church would be built. Now, his blatant rebuttal of Jesus’ approaching death became “the hindrance” – the stumbling block that compelled Jesus to lash out against the worldly mentality that Peter (and ultimately Satan) promoted.
Many Jews in Jesus’ day, including the disciples, expected to see their Messiah triumphantly driving the pagan Romans from the land and restoring to Israel the kingdom. Yet, God had never intended that Israel be the only receiver of His covenant promise, but to be the vehicle through which He would ultimately bring restoration and blessing for the entire world. Through Israel’s Messiah, sin would be paid for and death would be defeated, and the promise of resurrection would hold true.
Jesus knew that according to God’s plan, being the Messiah would take Him to the cross – where He would then suffer the punishment brought on by the sins of the world. At the beginning of His ministry, He was tempted by Satan to undermine His calling by settling for all the kingdoms of this world. Jesus continued on, undaunted, with the understanding that the kingdom of God was being ushered in by His ministry.
Perhaps those echoes from the temptation underlined Jesus’ sharp confrontation of Peter’s mindset. Peter’s advice sounded a lot like Satan’s temptation – to abandon the road to the cross – a temptation already faced and overcome.
For Jesus, which rock do you represent? Is your testimony of His kingship the rock on which His church is founded? Or do you shape Christ into a being that brings you fleeting comfort, but ultimately becomes a hindrance to Him? Either your testimony will be the rock on which He can build His church, or the stumbling block that stands in the path of His true purpose.