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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness Gal 5:22 |
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Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Friday, May 20, 2022
Today's Passage : Today's Passage :Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection Bible Verse:Matthew 16:21-23 (ESV) "From that time* Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “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.” *Note: “that time” means the moment when Peter recognized Jesus as the son of God, in Matt. 16:15-17." Message:
In the preceding verse, Jesus told his disciples not to tell people He was the Messiah, and today's Scripture shows why. Peter is the greatest and holiest of the apostles, and yet, his reaction shows how far he is from understanding Christ's teachings.
Jesus has taught them many things, and specifically, the difficult lesson of Matthew 5:38-48. It is this teaching — not to resist evil people — which Christ intends to put into action, to demonstrate with his life what He has said with his words.
“Elders and chief priests and scribes” describe members of the Sanhedrin, the theocratic governing body of the Hebrews. The chief priests were the head men, and the position was firmly in the hands of Sadducees. A man named Annas, who could have given lessons to Machiavelli, held the reins of power over the office; the five chief priests following him were all his family. (Caiaphas, the chief priest who will rule over Jesus’ trial, was Annas’ son-in-law.) Scribes sat by virtue of their learning and wisdom; elders by their general reputation.
Jesus healer
When Peter first hears that Jesus will allow these people to kill him, Peter catches hold of him. It is an instinctive protective move, for Peter loves him, and the idea of Jesus being killed horrifies him.
The ultimate temptation of the flesh is self-preservation. So when Peter shows a protective instinct, Christ (and Matthew) remind us that Christ has faced temptation of the flesh and resisted it fully. Peter is not what we would call an evil man; he is only human, reacting with the human instinct for survival.
But he has not fully digested the Sermon on the Mount. The words are clear, but hard to incorporate in one’s mind, much less in one’s actions; for the temptation of self-defense is powerful. So when Jesus repeats the words “get behind me, Satan,” (Matthew 4:8-11), He is not saying Peter is Satan incarnate; rather, that Peter has not resisted the temptation that Jesus has faced and overcome.
The lesson is so difficult that Peter will not incorporate it until long after Christ’s death. He will famously deny Christ three times before the cock crows; he will use his sword to attack Christ’s persecutors; and he will hide from the Jewish authorities, during and after the crucifixion. Consider: Peter is perhaps the holiest man in Christian history; if he struggles so terribly to understand Christ’s message, why should we be surprised at our own failings? It is a bumpy road to Calvary!
fellowship in Christ
To get back to today’s passage, Peter unwittingly argues Satan’s position. He urges Christ to hypocrisy. It is the voice that we all hear, telling us to compromise our faith with the world.
The life of Peter, and his relationship with Jesus, holds a great lesson for every Christian, because Peter is us. At this point in time, he is going through a period of growth and acceptance that we all face. Every one of us, no matter how zealous we be (and few of us are as zealous as Peter!), ignores or rationalizes away the more difficult teachings of Christianity at some point. The pull of the flesh is intransigent. Even a man as holy as Peter will undergo tremendous strain before he overcomes it, and it will not occur until the Pentecost.
Meditation : Prayer : God of mercy, swift to help: as my lips pour forth your praise, fill my heart with the peace you give to those who wait for your salvation in Jesus Christ our Lord...........Amen |
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