this rock peter

We begin in the middle and the middle begins this way. Mattew 16:1
And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 2He answered them, "When it is evening, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.' 3And in the morning, 'It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. 4An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah." So he left them and departed.

This is similar to the passage not too long ago in mattew 12. But there is a primary diference in what Jesus says. He says you can tell what the weather will be, because you recognize the signs and know the behavior but you can't recognize the signs of God because you don't know God. You cannot interpret the signs that God has sent because you are too focused on yourselves. (Jesus is talking to the pahrisees and sadducees). God sent John the baptist as one huge sign to the generation and they called him insane. Jesus, the christ, the messiah, is now walking with these people and they cannot recognize it. Jesus fulfils ALL the old testament prophecies of the coming messiah. Signs? These people ask for signs? They have recieved signs for the past centuries as to the coming of christ.

But its interesting isnt it? These where the people who new the scriptures inside and out, forewards and backwards. To be a pharisee one had to go through intense training and had the entire old testament memorized. Memorized. These people knew the signs they just didnt want to look at them.

How easy it is to just play the religious game and live under the law and not pay any attention to God. God gives us signs all the time as to which way we should go. He plants desires and ambitions deep within us. But society (even society then) says these things are irrational, or that theres no way you could do that. Throughout my life God has givin me signs time and time again. Most of the time I didn't pay much attention to it. When I moved back home was when I became super desperate and finally said "God, I know this is you. I know you've put this inside me." and out of anger and frustration I said next "What am i supposed to do with it?!" Soon after I prayed that my mother and and her friend were talking and my mother's friend said "Go tell him to apply at hunter's", and my mother had just had the same thought a day earlier. Well, when she approached me with the idea she said she thinks God wants me to work at hunter's and the her friend had the same feeling. I was like "sure, whatever." I applied and got the job and now it is so easy to see how much of a blessing this job really is.

Its not always that God uses other people to give us signs. I had a feeling deep down in the pit of my stomach that if I left connecticut, things wouldn't work out so well. I started thinking about all the reasons not to stay in ct. The list, at that time, was exaustive. Then I started thinking about why I whould stay in ct, and the only thing on that list....was family. Now I generally never cared much for my family,I always felt to be an independant person. But at that point, my little niece had just been born and was only a few months old. So I was thinking about it more about how much I'd like to be there while she grows up and about my father. My father and I never had a good relationship. I was thinking of how interesting it would be if we ever could have a good relationship, but quickly brushed it to the side remembering all the scars and mistakes of the past.

But in all of this, the feeling in the pit of my stomach, I realize that now that God had huge plans for me in ct. My father and I have the best, most amazing relationship we've ever had in my life. It was rare if I ever spoke of my father, and when I did it was usualy not kindly, but now...I talk about him all the time. There has been rediculous amounts of healing, and theres still some to go, but it all came from listening to that "gut feeling" that God put inside me.

I know that was a lot but bear with me...
Now Jesus and his disciples are on a boat and Jesus warns them of the teaching of the pharisees. Earlier Jesus says " a little leaven, leavens the whole lump." Or, one bad apple ruins the barrel. The teaching of the pharisees will cause you to rot. We're gonna come back to this in a second.

In verse 13, Peter....my buddy....confesses that Jesus....my main buddy.....is the messiah, Jesus is the christ. Now knowing a little bit of Peters past, Peter always seems to be the one with the most questions. Jesus I wanna walk on water, Jesus what did that parible mean, Jesus the boats sinking we're all gonna die. Jesus says be blessed, God has revealed this to you. And up until this point Peter's name was actually Simon. Jesus changes his name to Peter here in v18 he says
18And 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. 19I 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."waoh.

Jesus goes on to tell them about how he will die and be resurreected. Peter's like, no way, that cant happen. Jesus says "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." Huh?

Jesus just told Peter hes gonna give him the keys to heaven and now he says get behind me satan? I can only imagine what Jesus was thinking when he told the disciples how he was going to die. I'm sure he wasn't comfortable with the thought. I fact, I'm sure that he was deeply troubled and upset. But he knew what he had to do. In matthew 26:39 he says "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will." To try and tell his disciples for the first time about the cross must have been a hard experience. Here is Peter, probably thinking Jesus can't die hes the son of God, hes the messiah, thinking selfishly, I don't want him to go, and justifying it with, but your the messiah. Jesus in his troubled heart immediatly sees the attack and says get behind me satan. If he had said, yeah, maybe your right peter, maybe we can just see what happens and maybe I wont have to go to the cross, how much of a messiah would he look like then?

Peter allowed the leaven of the pharisees to begin to leaven his heart. He began thinking selfishly and justifying it spiritually. This is so easy for us christians to do. I'm almost tempted to say the more scripture you know, the easier it will be to attempt to turn it inwardly and focus entirely on ourselves, and the more dificult it will be to actually walk out the life of Love that Jesus calls us to lead.

I hate that feeling I get when the possibility for me to be wrong sky rockets from a mere 5% to 95%. You know what I'm saying? To go from absolutly sure of something to completely confused. I may have just caused this to happen to you. I will do everything in my power to stay completely sure of it, even if I have to start manipulating truths to get it to fit where I want it to. It is an easy web to get caught into.

But Jesus calls us not to keep our strength of knowledge within, but to rely on him for it. Which is why he says next "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." In order to follow Jesus, we must have no wordly desires...money, sex, fame, or even life itself. Thats the only way this works. There is nothing that we can do to preserve ourselves...as hard as we try. Jesus is calling these people to live for a cause, not for a posession. A cause will continue to cause before, during, and after your stay here on Earth. Jesus is saying to Peter, the life in Heaven is eternal, do not be selfish in this life, it all fades away. Ever heard that saying "He who dies with the most toys, wins"? It is a drastic misconception. The way it should be worded is "He who dies with the most toys, is still dead"