WTM JOURNAL
by Yuri Solomon Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. (Matthew 16:22) In Matthew 16, Peter on one hand has just confessed Jesus as the Christ, Son of a living God; on the other hand, when Jesus then speaks of His coming suffering, Peter finds it difficult to accept such a notion. Peter exclaims, "Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee." At first it may seem innocent, sincere and in fact noble; however, the sharp rebuke of Jesus, "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" hints at something deeper. Yuri Solomon holds degrees from Gospel Ministry Outreach Theological Institute and the College of Biblical Studies. He is author of the book Biblical Masculinity. More info @ www.wordtalkonline.org
Saving Christ from Sinners
7/18/2007 / Devotionals
Peter is not concerned with the preservation of Christ, but self-preservation. While it may appear that Peter is seeking to save Jesus, he in fact is seeking to savor his temporal experience with Jesus at the expense of faith in the Christ he has just confessed. This shows us the discontinuity between justification and sanctification that is prevalent in the immature believer. It is a failure to understand the implications of our confession. The fact is that the source of Peter's apparent boldness is fear: fear of no longer having Jesus with him, fear that he has followed a movement that will end in disappointment, and fear that such a demise of Jesus is at the failure of His disciples to protect Him. He seeks to defend Jesus rather than to defend his faith in Jesus. He believes that the suffering of Christ will leave him empty, rather than lead to his fulfillment. Yet the eternal fulfillment and perpetual dwelling in the presence of Christ which Peter longs for is bound up in the suffering of Christ. Being led by fear will always result in self-preservation and a denial of the suffering of Christ. It is only faith that leads to the embrace and exaltation of the suffering of Christ.
Many people abandon the church; because, they don't think it represents Christ. They seek to save Christ from suffering the imperfection of those who claim Him as Savior. They say to Jesus "Be it far from you, Lord: this will not happen to you." They do not understand that Jesus is the Savior of sinners, and does not need to be saved from sinners. At His expense, Jesus mercifully allows our sinfulness that He may graciously save us from our sinfulness. It may seem honorable to aspire to be the savior of Christ from sinners; however, such a notion can only logically infer your failure to view Christ as your own Savior. Be careful to note, that the bible never calls us to the defense of Christ, but to the defense of our faith in Christ. One need not defend a lion; a lion is quite capable of self-defense, and so it is with our Lord. It is not our defense of the person of Christ, but the defense of our faith in Christ that compels unbelievers to a closer examination of our religious affections and consequently of our Savior, and His suffering love for sinners.