So I plead because He bled.

This is the third post of a chain starting with "Not for our sake, but for His" I recommend starting there. Thanks.

Let us pray.

-Glorious exalted God. Prepare our hearts for the conviction that is from the Spirit. Rekindle the fire of our first love passion for Jesus, and give us great clarity. Clarity that we, by your esteemed grace, will accept the truth of your Scriptures, and repent of all that is unpleasing to you.
For your glory, and in your Name. Jesus.
Amen.

Matthew 16:13
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"
- Notice that Jesus is not asking any one disciple, but rather asking all of his disciples.
16:14-16
And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
- Hahaha aww... I love Peter. Amen!
Matthew 16:17-19
And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
- So the disciples told him. "Well Jesus, people are talking, and no one really knows who the Son of Man is." So Jesus gets to the heart of the matter. "..who do you say that I am?" Notice that Peter replied. He was asking all the disciples but here we see the heart of Peter, so eager to please and so child-like in faith.
- "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!"
Amen! Praise be to God!
- Then Jesus' does not bless Peter, but rather reveals that Peter is blessed. Jesus tells Peter that man did not reveal this to him, but rather God the Father did! Can you imagine that? I can only imagine that Peter looked around at the disciples with a smirk on his face. "Did you hear that guys? Blessed am I. Take a look at me, Simon Bar-Jonah, you guys could learn a little something by paying attention to me."
- I'll tell you what guys. Jesus is LORD! Jesus is the Son of the living God, and He alone is the Christ. Only through him can we be saved. And another thing, this has been revealed to me by God the Father! I have not come to know this apart from His grace! No one has. Let's read on though.
16:20
Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
- Is not that a weird thing to say? "Yes! Praise be to my Father, that He has blessed you Peter. But now, do not tell anyone the truth." Not only does Jesus say not to speak of this revelation, he strictly charged them not to. You see, the Hebrew people had an idea of what the Messiah was to be like. They thought he was supposed to come and be king! Rule on the throne of David, destroy the Romans, and establish the country of Israel forever, and walk with them! But as we are to find out...this was not the plan of God's Christ. We are far from the point, let us go on.
Matthew 16:21
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.
- Jesus began to preach the gospel to his disciples! He's already laid the foundation of repentance (Hebrews 6) Now, he's preaching the truth of the gospel, before it has even happened.
16:22
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."
- And Peter, who had just recently been so esteemed before the rest of the disciples is utterly rebuked. First let me set this up. In those days, it was impossible to even think, that a disciple would correct his teacher, let alone rebuke him. It would never happen, because it was considered a vicious insult.
- Yet this is exactly what happens. Now it has been often taught, that this is the worst rebuke that Jesus ever gave to anyone (even considering the Pharisees), and it is. That is true. But what is often left out, is that Jesus rebukes Peter in love. I have heard this verse read with a scream "Get BEHIND ME SATAN!" and I have heard it proclaimed in a harsh dry voice "Ghet Thee BeeHyyndth ME Sayton!"
- But let me submit this to you. Jesus spoke it in a whisper, but stressed it in a plea! As if to say "Why would you say that to me, don't you see Peter!? I don't want to suffer! But I must! For the sake of the Father! And for you! For all of you! Don't try and stop me Peter please!" It was spoken with such love, that Peter did not flee for the hills, or utterly turn from Christ. But we find instead that he pursued him all the more.
- Now, we come to the climax of what God was showing me. I am Peter. This is me. For surely even in pride I can not say that I am Christ in this passage. I know that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Yet I am trying to take him down from the cross! "Don't go there Jesus!" "Don't get on that cross, you will suffer." Why am I admitting this you might ask? Well listen to what Jesus says next.
Matthew 16:24-25
Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
- I have been calling Christ down from the cross, since he told me I had to pick it up and follow him. All of us have at some point. Many of you still are! In Matthew 27:42 it says "He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him." You see!? Come down Jesus, it will make it easier on us, if we don't have to follow you in this way. The way of Christ, the path of the disciple is one of great suffering and pain. For it is the way of the cross. I am not saying we will be without joy and peace! But these two things do not depend on our comfort or happiness. Be aware! Jesus says 'he who does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.' To bear the cross is to deny yourself! And so I urge you, as Christ the Son of the living God has urged me, take up your cross brothers! Take up your cross, not for your sake, not for your life, but that others might live! That others might see Jesus alive in you! Not for our happiness, but for the glory of God!