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79. Matthew 16: “What
Does Jesus Believe In?”
South Woods State Prison in Bridgeton,
NJ –Men’s Evening Chapel on 9/17/2017
(edited June 2021)
Verse 1: “The Pharisees also
with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a
sign from heaven.”
The Ancient Jewish religious leaders had gathered
around Christ. The Pharisees were the more conservative group at that time and
the Sadducees more like the religious liberals of our day. Somehow, like today
I would say, Jesus always would manage to offend both groups at once!
They all wanted to see, with their own eyes, a
sign from Him. A miracle in the flesh! Not so they could believe in Him, but I
think, so they could prove Him to be a fraud and get Him out of their way. A
story was circulating that Jesus had recently fed over 4,000 people with only 7
loaves of bread and a “few little” fishes. Wow! If that was true the drudgery
of the religion both the Pharisees and Sadducees could offer would pale by
comparison in the minds and hearts of the people! And I believe this is what
they feared would happen.
Verses 2-4: “He answered and said unto them,
When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in
the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowering. O
ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the
signs of the times? A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign;
and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas.
And he left them, and departed.”
Christ did NOT BELIEVE in pandering to the “important”
people of His day. And, O my, that was starting to bother these religious
leaders! His message, His mission to go the Cross and be raised from the dead,
and everything He was saying about the Kingdom of God, was directed equally to
everyone. You know, I was born into this world kind of a “nobody” (Tell you the
truth, I still am!). But that doesn’t make me any less important to Christ. His
Love for ALL of us is the greatest miracle and the only “sign” any of us should
ever need concerning Him.
Verses 5-7: “And when his disciples were come to
the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. Then Jesus said unto them,
Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. And
they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread.”
The Disciples were focusing on practical matters, the
logistics of food, travel, and meetings. But not Christ. That was not His
focus:
Verses 8-10: “Which when Jesus perceived, he
said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because
ye have brought no bread? Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five
loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? Neither the seven
loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?”
Christ BELIEVED IN . . . well, He believed in Christ,
in Himself! He was not just a good teacher around Whom some supernatural legends
were created. Jesus is not Johnny Appleseed! Christ Himself, spoke of His own
miracles. So, if they never happened, He’s a liar. Now, here comes something
else He believed:
Verses 11-12: “How is it that ye do not
understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware
of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? Then understood they how
that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the
Pharisees and of the Sadducees.”
Jesus BELIEVED that poor doctrine about God and poor religious
practices were dangerous. That is what mattered to Him. More so than food and shelter,
and schedules, etc.
Verses 13-17: “When Jesus came into the coasts
of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I
the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John
the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He
saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said,
Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered
and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath
not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.”
Christ BELIEVED, not so much in Peter’s faith or yours
or mine, but in the faith that God can grant to a person who will take the time
to listen to the Heavenly Father before they act or speak on their own.
Verses 18-19: “And I say also unto thee, That
thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of
hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the
kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in
heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
Jesus also BELIEVED in the Church, His Church, even
before it existed in its present form! I think that Jesus has more confidence
in His Church today than most of us who belong to it. You see, He BELIVES in us!
As long as we heed the Word of God and remain sensitive to the daily leading of
the Holy Spirit within each of us! O yes, maybe you don’t or I don’t, but Jesus
still has high hopes for His Church, right now! And there’s more:
Verses 20-23: “Then charged he his disciples
that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ. From that time forth
began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and
suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed,
and be raised again the third day. Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke
him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. But
he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence
unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of
men.”
Christ BELIEVES (and KNOWS) that even the most
well-meaning believer can, at time, listen to and follow the wrong voice. Can
we really blame Peter here? What would you have said differently if Jesus told
you the way He was going to die? Peter’s just quoting common sense. But,
according to Jesus, sometimes our common sense serves the Devil.
Verses 24: “Then
said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”
Christ also BELIEVES that EACH and
EVERY BELIEVER must accept some suffering in this life. That is part of faith
and the pathway to ETERNAL life.
Verses 25-27: “For whosoever will save his life
shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For
what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own
soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man
shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward
every man according to his works.”
This all goes against common sense, doesn’t it? It
also goes against Satan and our own selfish nature. But Jesus BELIEVES that the
ETERNAL REWARDS far outweigh the sacrifices required for RIGHTEOUS living.
Verses 28: “Verily
I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death,
till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.”
It turns out that Christ does BELIEVE
in giving signs and miracles. He just doesn’t BELIEVE in allowing us to coerce
Him into doing it for our own, wrong, reasons. Three Disciples, three members
of His team on Earth at that time, are about to have an amazing experience.
It’s recorded in the opening nine verses of the next chapter, Matthew 17.
Listen to this:
“And after six days Jesus taketh
Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain
apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and
his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses
and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto
Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three
tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. While
he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out
of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased;
hear ye him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were
sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not
afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus
only. And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell
the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.”
A clear sign and proof of THE KINGDOM to come! A glimpse of the
HEAVENLY KING, Who had been present with them at that time only in His earthly
form! Wow! I think this was done to help these three Disciples with their
faith. I know Peter never forgot what he saw that day, even though it was
totally beyond his understanding when it actually took place. Look what he said
about it, years later, in the Second Letter of Peter, chapter 1, verses 11-18.
Peter was then nearing the end of his life on earth:
“For so an entrance shall
be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ. Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in
remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the
present truth. Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this
tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; Knowing that shortly
I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed
me. Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have
these things always in remembrance. For we have not followed cunningly devised
fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the
Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent
glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which
came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.”
Signs and wonders aren’t bad. Miracles aren’t bad. And we need to
look for them today, not the selfish stuff, but the TRUE MIRACLES that reveal
CHRIST to the believer and to the world, and build TRUE FAITH within the
CHURCH. That’s what they are intended to do. Let’s pray.
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