Peter Rebukes Jesus – Out of the Heart the Mouth Speaks. Part 2 – the Longer Version
This is the longer version of a post I published a week ago. It describes part of the Apostle Peter’s journey toward true faith and holiness.
At Caesarea Philippi Peter rebukes Jesus after Jesus tells His disciples that He has to go to Jerusalem to be killed and raised on the third day. Here is what Peter says to Jesus and Jesus says to Him (and satan).
“Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. “Never Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” Then Jesus said to the disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matthew 16: 22 – 24 NIV).
In ‘Peter Rebukes Jesus – Out of the Heart the Mouth Speaks. Part 1’, I discussed Peter’s rebuke of Jesus and Jesus’ rebuke of and command to satan, In this part, I want to look more closely at the words Jesus spoke to Peter, “you are a stumbling block to me because you do not have in mind the things of God but the things of men”, because like everything else in Scripture, these words are important for us also.
(Note that there is a shorter version of my thoughts about Jesus and Peter at Caesarea Philippi titled ‘Peter Rebukes Jesus – Out of the Heart the Mouth Speaks. Part 2 – the Shorter Version’. It is half the length of this document. Due to its relative length, this document, the ‘Longer Version’, is placed in the Articles section of the blog for anyone who is interested.)
But first I need to clear up a possible misunderstanding of Jesus’ words. The text clearly says that Jesus was speaking to Peter. However, Jesus’ first words are directed at satan, not Peter –or maybe I should say the demonic power that is influencing Peter at this moment. Then, Jesus directs His words to Peter, not satan. It is easy to think that “You are a stumbling block to me and you do not have in mind the things of God”, following right after, “Get behind me satan”, that Jesus is still speaking to satan. But He is not – “Jesus turned and said to Peter . . .”
Peter, You Are a Stumbling Block to Me
This is very strange. The account of these words in Luke’s Gospel suggests that Jesus spoke them on the same day and in the same place where Peter identified Jesus as the Messiah and Jesus called Peter “the rock” on which Jesus would build His church. One second Peter is the ‘good’ rock, the next second (so to speak) he is the ‘bad’ rock that is a stumbling block. What is going on here?
The Greek word for stumbling block in Matthew 16: 23 (or stumbling stone) is scandalon (it sounds like the root word for ‘scandal’ in English). It is closely related to three other Greek words: proskopa, proskomma, and proskope which can also mean ‘stumbling block’, ‘stumble’, or ‘a stone that causes men to stumble’. In the NKJV scandalon is translated as ‘offense’ – “you are an offense to me”, Jesus tells Peter. The meaning of scandalon is not just a rock sticking up out of the ground over which one stumbles or trips, but also a snare, trap-stick or a bent sapling with bait used to catch animals. It can also mean more generally an impediment or hindrance.
Scandalon is used in three other passages in Scripture: Romans 11: 9; Romans 14: 13; and 1 Corinthians 1: 23. Most of us are familiar with the admonition in Romans 14: 13 to not put any stumbling block or obstacle in the path of our less spiritually mature brothers or sisters as they grow in Christ. In this passage Paul is speaking specifically about food, but the principle applies to most of our activities.
In Romans 11: 9 Paul describes the Jews’ rejection of Jesus as a stumbling block to salvation. In 1 Corinthians 1: 23 Paul uses the word scandalon to mean the crucified Jesus as the stumbling block to Jews and Gentiles.
“Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified; a stumbling block (scandalon) to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1: 22 – 24 NIV).
The crucified Jesus is a stumbling block to Jews (but foolishness to Gentiles). Peter makes a similar point in 1 Peter 2: 7, 8. Here Peter calls Jesus a living stone, the cornerstone so that the ones who trust in Him will never be put to shame. Peter then writes: “The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone, a stone that causes men to stumble (in this case, proskepto and proskomma) and rock that makes them fall” (1 Peter 2: 7, 8 NIV).
Romans 9: 32, 33 uses the same passage quoted in 1 Peter: “See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in Him will never be put to shame.” The stone is, of course, Jesus.
I threw 1 Peter and Romans 9, 32, 33 in here because they make the point that in Paul’s letters Jesus is the stumbling block or the stone that makes people stumble, in contrast to the Matthew 16 passage where Jesus calls Peter the stumbling block. In particular, Jews and Gentiles ‘stumbled’ over, or were offended by, the truth that: 1) Jesus needed to die for the Kingdom of God to advance. This upside down view of power was offensive; and 2) salvation or righteousness (for me, entrance into the Kingdom of God) was not by works, but only by faith – and as I have been hammering in these posts – true faith, not false or idolatrous faith.
So, in this passage in Matthew 16, Jesus calls Peter the stumbling block. Based on the meaning of the word scandalon, Jesus is really telling Peter, “you are a hindrance to me, you are in my way to the cross, and you are a trap and a snare to me. Peter, you have baited a trap for me, one that I will not step into” (and of course, it is really satan, working through Peter, who wants to trap Jesus, just like he tried to do during Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness). I can understand how Jesus is a stumbling block to us – He calls us to be the slave and servant of all and tells us that we must die to ourselves, one of the costs of following Him. These are offensive words that cause many people to stumble. But how is Peter a stumbling block to Jesus? He is Jesus – nothing can stop him, right? Especially Peter!
Good question. Here are three possible answers:
First, Jesus is fully God, but He is also fully human. The human part of Jesus might be asking Himself in His quieter moments the same thing that Peter is arguing for. “Really Father, if I am God why do I have to die? Can’t I just use my power and get the job done without going to the cross? Of course, the answer is no. But what if Peter kept telling or suggesting to Jesus, “You don’t have to die”, would Jesus find that distracting at the least, and demoralizing or subversive at worst? Add to this the meaning of the words, “Never Lord, you will not die.” Peter wants to lead! Jesus will never fall into that trap.
Second, Jesus has said that He will build His church on Peter, the rock. The operative word is ‘will’ – future tense. What if Peter never understands the necessity for the cross, self-sacrifice, and the real cost of discipleship? What if Peter brings that perspective into the Church Jesus is going to build upon Peter? Then the necessity of ‘dying to self’ could be lost, humanism and a ‘works’ mentality might reign in the Church, ensuring that darkness will rule the world, making the work of the cross to no effect. And sadly, to some extent, this is happening today in corners of the Church.
Finally, it seems to me that Jesus has chosen the 12 because He needs them or at least He will need them. They have been chosen to carry on His work – God is going to redeem and restore the world, but He will work through His faithful followers in the Church. Jesus might be frustrated with Peter’s lack of understanding and true faith. “This is the guy I have chosen to lead the way, and he still does not understand? Urrgghh!” That might be a hindrance or an impediment. I might be tempted to step into the trap of discouragement or even despair. That would be a big stumbling block.
Peter is a stumbling block to Jesus. Later Jesus will be a stumbling block to many in the world. I like the way the Message translates 1 Peter 2:
“Look! I’m setting a stone in Zion, a cornerstone in the place of honor. Whoever trusts in this stone as a foundation will never have cause to regret it . . . For the untrusting it’s a stone to trip over, a boulder blocking the way. They trip and fall because they refuse to obey, just as predicted” (1 Peter 2: 7, 8 MSG).
Trust and obey: two of the elements of true faith. So far, Peter is traveling in his own orbit around Jesus, exhibiting not much of either.
You Have In Mind the Things of Men
Each of these reasons can be summarized by what Jesus says next to Peter: “You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” I think we can make the same point with slightly different words: “You do not have in mind the things of the Spirit, but the things of the flesh.” These are Kingdom words. Peter is a stumbling block to Jesus, and because in the most basic sense Jesus is the Kingdom of God, Peters’ words are a stumbling block to the Kingdom’s advance.
Once again, I find Jesus’ words perplexing. Didn’t Peter already affirm the words of life Jesus spoke in John 6: 63, “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and they are life”? In response, Peter agreed and said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life (referring to John 6: 63). We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God” (John 6: 68, 69 NIV). (I have already discussed what I think these words signify in a previous post – if you are interested see, “Who Is This Man?” Peter Answers the Question. Two Times.”
I thought Peter had already crossed that bridge. “Yes Jesus, I understand. It is all about the Spirit, the things of the flesh count for nothing.” But here is Jesus telling Peter, “You are still focused on the flesh.” In other words, “Peter you are still thinking like a resident of the kingdom of the world, not a resident of the Kingdom of God.” Because “out of the heart the mouth speaks”, Peter does not appear to have the words of life imprinted on his heart.
Jesus’ rebuke of Peter focusing on the flesh and not the things of God (or the Spirit) reminds me of Paul’s words in Romans 8:
“There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit . . . For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit . . . But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His” (Romans 8: 1 – 9 NKJV).
Apparently, according to Jesus and Paul, Peter’s mind is still set on the things of the flesh, which means, if I have read the Romans passage correctly, that Peter does not yet have the Spirit. And if he does not have the Spirit, he does not belong to Jesus. Yet!
So, in Galilee Peter has correctly identified Jesus as the Messiah, the Holy One of God, and has even acknowledged that the things of the Spirit are life and the things of the flesh are death (John 6: 68, 69). Yet, at Caesarea Philippi Jesus tells Peter, “Peter you are focused on the flesh and not the Spirit.” There are at least 2 ways to interpret this situation:
First, Peter really walked in true faith when he made these statements, but somehow when he rebuked Jesus he was speaking out of a place in his heart where his true faith had not yet penetrated.
Or second, Peter’s claim about who Jesus is and his agreement with Jesus’ words of life were from his mind, and not from Peter’s heart, where true faith must reside. Peter assented to Jesus’ words, but has not yet surrendered his entire personality to Christ. Unwittingly, Peter is walking in a faith that most fundamentally depends upon himself – I call this false faith.
Which is it? Based on Peter’s rebuke of Jesus, and his actions on the Mount of Transfiguration, at the Last Supper when he refused to let Jesus wash his feet, Peter’s promise to never deny Jesus, and of course his denial of Jesus three times, I lean toward the latter interpretation.
Peter loved Jesus like we love our best friend. Peter believed Jesus was the Messiah, he believed that in Jesus he would find life. But Peter held on to his own view of reality, his own understanding of power and how the world works; and the sufficiency of his own skills, abilities, and experiences – his entire personality – to follow Jesus (and even lead sometimes). Peter believed that he had, in himself, what he needed to be an effective disciple, both at that moment and into the future. Peter was not yet walking in true faith.
Peter got part of it right. But he missed the most important part – he had not learned to give up the right to himself, and that to ‘give up the right to himself’ there must be a breaking of the outward man. That is part of the cost of discipleship. Just as a seed falls to the ground, and the hard shell that surrounds the inner core of the seed must be broken for the tender shoot that will grow into the plant or tree to break out – to grow into an “oak of righteousness” – so must the hard shell of the human heart be broken for the spirit of the inward man to be released into the world. It seems to me that Peter wanted an intimate relationship with Jesus as His Chief disciple, without paying the cost.
Jesus was telling Peter, “You are still not seeing the world clearly. You are still looking at what is happening through the lens of the kingdom of the world, your flesh — and your own worldly understanding of who the Messiah is and what He has come to accomplish.” Although Jesus does not say it here, He promises Peter that one day he will see it clearly. When Jesus bends down to wash Peter’s feet in the Upper Room, one more way that Jesus points to the cross, He tells Peter, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand” (John 13: 7 NIV). And just like Peter’s rebuke, “Lord, you will never die” at Caesarea Philippi, Peter speaks words to Jesus that indicate he is still living in the kingdom of the world: “No”, said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet”. Jesus answered, “unless I wash your feet, you have no part with me” (John 13: 8 NIV). Jesus offended Peter at Caesarea Philippi and He offends him in the Upper Room also. Jesus’ view of what faith looks like is a stumbling block to Peter because Peter is still living in the kingdom of the world.
Jesus’ did not rebuke Peter at Caesarea Philippi to shatter Peter’s soul. And He didn’t. Peter is a tough guy. Even after the words that Jesus spoke to him, he still followed Jesus up the Mount of Transfiguration. Most people would probably have abandoned Jesus after that rebuke. “Who does He think He is, speaking to me like that? Haven’t I followed him for all this time? I have had it with that guy. He just doesn’t get it.” Not Peter. He persevered and kept following Jesus.
The Necessity of Giving Up the Right to Myself
After rebuking Peter as Caesarea Philippi, Jesus turns to His disciples and speaks these powerful words that summarize what He wants Peter and the others to understand:
“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it” (Matthew 16: 24 NIV).
Here is the Message translation of the same verse:
“Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat: I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way to finding yourself, your true self.”
The reality is that at that time Peter and the other disciples could not fully understand what Jesus was telling them. It wasn’t until Jesus breathed on them in the Upper Room after He was resurrected saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit”, and the Holy Spirit fell on them at Pentecost, could they fully get what He was telling them. That is because these radical words of Jesus are completely opposite and upside down to the ways men think and act in the kingdom of the world – these words are offensive and to many foolishness. They are Kingdom words, and they can only be understood and lived in the power of the Holy Spirit as it is given to men and women living with Christ in the Kingdom of God. These are words satan does not want us to understand or believe, because these are words that lead to the abundant life and the only type of power that can truly change the world.
But Peter will not live in the kingdom of the world much longer. Jesus loves him too much to let him stay there. Within a few hours of the foot washing, Peter will experience his own crucifixion, which is, paradoxically, a great gift from Jesus. Peter wanted to save Jesus from death, but it is the death of Jesus that will give life to Peter. He will follow Jesus right up to the end, but then in a dark courtyard lit by the flickering flames of a fire, he will reach the end of the road – the end of himself. He will deny Jesus three times. In that moment when Peter sees what he has done, he will break down. Peter, a broken man, weeping tears of shame and guilt, realizes that his power and the force of his personality are like a vapor. The ground shifts under his feet, and Peter is left with nothing. Or so he thinks. His whole world is about to change, but first Peter must experience the breaking of his outward man so that his inward man can enter into a new life of real faith. Peter is about to experience the full meaning of grace and the transforming power of love – he will be restored to the true man that God created Peter to be before the foundations of the world were laid.
What About Me? What Will It Cost?
That is Peter. But what should I learn from his life with Jesus? Here are a few thoughts:
True faith is more than “I believe”, if that word means “I agree with what you are saying or who you claim to be.” I will never totally surrender to Jesus if I don’t believe that He is the Messiah and that He has the power to change my life – this type of belief is essential to true faith. But belief like that is only the beginning. True faith goes deeper. True faith involves total surrender, commitment, and submission to Jesus leading to trust, dependency, and obedience. True faith also requires brokenness, repentance, and a repentant heart. Am I willing to go down that road? Then I must step into the ‘unknown’, but trusting that Jesus will lead me. My work is to accept and receive what He has for me and follow Him. I must choose Jesus and the Jesus life. I will never do this perfectly, but I must choose intentionally, seriously, and go all in every day, even minute by minute.
If we try to walk with Jesus, as Peter did as Caesarea Philippi, with our faith in ourselves still intact – our false faith – we are a stumbling block to Jesus. When we still have our mind focused on the things of the flesh, we do not belong to Him. False faith is very deceptive – we say “Of course I have faith. I have always attended church. I read my Bible.” But have we truly repented, surrendered, and let go of all the ways we try to manage our lives? If we have not we are a target for satan to invade our hearts and minds, influencing us in ways we might not even notice –and he will. True faith always begins with serious, true repentance, which I believe is synonymous with ‘being born again’ – and is undergirded by obedience.
Peter wants a powerful relationship with Jesus, but without the cost. Do we want that too? What is the cost? It is nothing less than death – the death of my dependence upon that thing, whatever it is, that has been my ‘life’, the ultimate source of my value as a human being, or the thing that I use to medicate my pain and woundedness. The thing that I turn to when I hear that voice in my head saying, “You are not good enough”. What is the ultimate thing that gives life to Peter at Caesarea Philippi? It is his relationship with Jesus and the power that Peter derives from that relationship. Peter serves and follows Jesus – he is relevant and important to Jesus, he thinks. He is the right-hand man of the Man who does miracles, feeds 5000, calms the raging sea with a word, and raises the dead. His relationship with Jesus is Peter’s way of feeding his self-life, feeling important and consequential. Peter’s life has meaning and value. Serving Jesus – what could be more valuable and significant than that? Most basically Peter is serving Jesus for Peter’s sake, not Jesus’.
True discipleship always has a cost!
Many people will say, “That cost is too high. I cannot let go of my addiction, my unhealthy sexual activities, my relevance and fame, or the value I derive from my accomplishments. I cannot live without the honor of men and the feeling of significance that their honor gives me. I cannot live without alcohol, drugs of one type or another, pornography; sports, which I believe can be a type of drug for many, or my digital devices. I cannot live without the feeling of relevance and importance that my work gives me. And I cannot imagine giving up worldly power to follow Jesus. That way is foolishness, for sure.”
Yet, we cannot be a real disciple with true faith and still live in the kingdom of the world in our own strength – we cannot have Jesus and a life that derives its ultimate (note – ultimate! If it makes more sense, substitute the word “idol”) satisfaction and meaning from the things of the world (aka pride) both at the same time. We must repent of that life, leave it behind, and enter into the new world – the Kingdom of God – where we find our value in Jesus, which means being so filled with Him that Jesus in us becomes our value.
But as I wrote above, for many of us, that turning, that repudiation, can come with great cost and pain. It might cost friends or family; it might require a painful giving up and letting go of patterns of thought and behavior that we have used to medicate our brokenness, and it usually involves some emotional anguish, at least for a time. And it often makes us vulnerable. For a few, it might cost them their lives. For many of us, repenting of the things of the world that give us our value and turning to Jesus draws us into intense spiritual warfare.
Jesus tells Peter, and over 2000 years later, me also: “Empty yourself, lose the desire to be independent and significant; become totally and completely free from needing to feel valuable at all and follow Me”. Jesus is the most ‘valuable one’, and Jesus is telling us, “Totally align yourself with Me so that all of your value is Me in you. When you do, you will find true freedom!”
But how do I do this? It is difficult, because too often the death-grip of these ultimate things or idols on our hearts is the result of our woundedness — deep hurt and pain.
Turning from life in the kingdom of the world to living with Jesus in the Kingdom of God – called repentance or “being born again” – often requires being healed and made whole. Healing can be complicated by our distrust of Jesus. Distrust of Jesus comes from deep trauma in our lives – “where were you Jesus when . . . ?” Also, some of us are fearful of healing, thinking, “Where will I find that ‘medication’ I have depended upon for so many years? How will I survive?”
And we have a role to play in our healing. Jesus can just heal us. Pow. It’s done. But generally He doesn’t work that way. We must put in our own work. When we do, He will work with us, empowering us, and bringing us to a place of healing and wholeness that we could never get to apart from Him.
Finally, many of us cannot accept or receive the Father’s love. Our lives have been too shattered. We have built walls of self-protection that even love cannot penetrate. Jesus will only go where He is invited, that is His way. Put another way, Jesus will not enter places where we have not welcomed Him in. As I have written many times, it is one thing to know intellectually “God loves me”, it is another to receive and accept that love into my heart. And many cannot.
All of these reasons can keep us in bondage with false faith. The ‘way’ out of the darkness for many of us is the healing and wholeness that only Jesus can provide. And that is part of Jesus’ manifesto – to heal the brokenhearted and release the prisoner from darkness.
People tell me that I will make that choice to pay the cost because I know life with Jesus will be better. Well, yes and no. Yes, by faith – true faith, which is a gift – I believe that life will be better because, just like Peter, I believe that Jesus is who He says He is and if anyone can give me this life it is Him. And yes, because I might have reached a point where anything is better that this non-life I am living now. No, because I have never done this before and really, I have no idea what that life with Jesus will be like. I don’t know for sure life will be better, I just think it can’t be any worse than the life I am living now. But that is part of the meaning of faith, “faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11: 1 NIV). I am sure because of hope, and certain even though I have no idea of what the future will look like for me.
I see some of myself in Peter. He is not walking in true faith. He believes but He does not trust; he follows but has not surrendered his self-life. Not yet. His value is still in the things of the flesh.
Many have held Peter up as the first follower of Jesus to have true faith. I don’t see that, at least not at Caesarea Philippi. Jesus is telling Peter he is focused on the things of the world, the flesh. Jesus goes on to tell Peter that Peter should be serving Jesus by emptying himself, not becoming more relevant; and following, not trying to lead. Peter should be losing himself – not losing the essential, unique Peter, the man God created him to be and become – but losing the false self, that man that needs to be seen and heard. Jesus is telling Peter to lose the desire to be independent and significant; to become totally and completely free from needing to feel valuable at all. Jesus is the most ‘valuable one’, and Jesus is telling Peter to “totally align yourself with Me so that all of your value is Me in you”. Jesus is describing for Peter and the other disciples a spirit of humility – the life in the Kingdom of God. This life begins with belief and deepens with trust and radical obedience.
These are words for me also. Jesus is telling me, through Peter’s journey to true faith, that I must so totally align myself with Him, that my ultimate value is Him in me. Then I will do nothing, except the will of Jesus in me. This will be my greatest and highest desire – my ultimate goal – because in this place I will find my greatest joy, peace, hope, and freedom; and where I will be of most use to Him. When this happens my inward man will be alive and in control of my outward man – I will be filled with light and life, and out of the abundance of my heart, my mouth will speak healing and wholeness into a broken, bleeding, and hurting world.
Many will say, “Stirring words, but impossible in this life. Sounds like heaven.” But it is possible, although not completely. When we choose life in the Kingdom of God – and Jesus will not force us to enter the Kingdom or reach through the door and drag us in, we must enter freely – we embark on the journey toward holiness, which is what I am describing here. Obviously, we will never journey perfectly. And Jesus knows this – that is why daily He gives us the gift of repentance. But we also have been given freedom. We must make good choices – there will always be two trees – and He will jealously guard our right to freely choose. Jesus will be with us to empower us and give us the victories – large and small. This is exactly the life Jesus died for us to have. But it will cost. However, the cost is insignificant compared to eternal life, which begins now.
Asking Him for more humility,
John