From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”
But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”
Matthew 16:21-23
As I was recently pondering the statement Jesus made in Verse 23 I saw just how much it applies to us today. The word used as 'satan' in verse 23 comes from the Hebrew word which means "opponent" or "adversary". The word that is translated "offence" describes a snare or trap. It literally comes from the word which describes the trap stick that would be used to ensnare an animal when hunting. In other words, an offence is something which causes us to fall or stumble into sin unsuspectingly, or under the guise of something else. And the word given as "mindful" has to do with setting the mind and affections on something, with regard to disposition, concern, or obedience.
Peter was attempting to persuade Jesus to take a course of action that was contrary to God's will for His life. He did so because he was seeking worldly things that pertain to man (perhaps earthly rule, kingdom and status) and this was opposed to the will of God for Jesus' life. Jesus' rebuke makes it clear that this was no slight matter. If we would look at the situation above with our human reasoning we may think that Jesus over-reacted. But we know that He didn't over-react and that this incident is in Scripture because it conveys something which is important for us to know and understand. Traps on our path may involve some very obvious people and things, as well as other more veiled and insidious plots, but all of them lead us into destruction - always leading us out of the will of God. We must be careful to separate ourselves from any thing or person leading, enticing, or counseling us contrary to the will of God.
There is danger in giving our ear and time to listening to counsel that is contrary to God's will, and perhaps more so when it comes through a friendly vessel, someone we trust or have a relationship with. The Scripture speaks of having "ears to hear what the Spirit says (Matt. 11:15, Rev. 2:29)" and warns against "giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons (1 Tim 4:1)". Yes, it matters greatly what our ears hear and give heed to. What we hear can have such an effect as to cause us to stray from the path of God's will, either by misleading us or enticing us to rebellion by doing things our own way.
In a time when everyone seems to have an opinion and wants to be heard, or wants to give their free advice, we are bound to have acquaintances who may well be the ones to set these stumbling blocks in our way. If this is the case, we should interrupt those who are giving their advice or opinions contrary to the will of God and not allow them to continue. We do not have to be mean, but we cannot afford to be politically correct and tolerant of something that is dangerous to our spirit and soul. Christ didn't. We must let Jesus be our example in recognizing and resisting such stumbling blocks because these are obstacles on the narrow path that leads to eternal life.
Good message, Shulamite! A lot of people can say things that sound good but do they line up with God's word? We have to remember as the days grow short that the enemy will be trying to deceive us even more. He is going to pull up all the stops as the truth will be traded for a lie. We must be cautious as to what we watch and what or who we listen to. I am now saddened as I see believers promoting others to leave the church system and gain a greater spirituality. There are a number of bloggers now espousing that fallacy. If everyone left the church system, satan wins. He wants to get everyone alone to themself - it makes it easier for him to take them down!
ReplyDelete