The Rock Becomes the Stumbling Block.

Class Outline:

Wednesday June 4, 2025

 

Main Idea: Main idea: When Jesus Christ reveals His suffering and death, Peter reveals his misunderstanding of the suffering Messiah.  

 

Text: MAT 16:21-23

 

Jesus shows His disciples that He must suffer and die. 

 

Why reveal “from then on?” Now that He is the Christ is made clear - and it is absolutely necessary for the Christ to suffer and die. 

 

MAT 4:17 at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry indicating how He was bringing light into darkness. Now it seems that the darkness might overtake Him, but then … resurrection. 

 

We have to learn to wait for God’s victories to bloom (patience, endurance). 

 

ISA 53:10

 

He is now going to begin His final journey to Jerusalem. 

 

The entire leadership will unite in trying to kill Jesus (the Supreme Court, the General Assembly, and the Seminary: Sanhedrin and elite) (LUK 23:12).

 

His suffering was prophesied. (LUK 24:26, 44-49). 

 

His death was necessary to give us power over death (ROM 5:20-21; 1PE 2:24). 

 

The result of His victory over death will be His resurrection (PSA 16:10).

 

Peter fails to understand the foundation of the gospel. 

 

He understands the results (victory) and who is the Messiah. He is so far away from understanding the suffering and death of the Messiah that he rebukes the Lord. 

 

Peter takes Him aside and says “Mercy Lord!”

 

This teaches us that we not only err when we have our worst thoughts, but also when we have our best (or think we do). 

 

The Lord calls him Satan and a stumbling block: “Said to Peter” (The rock becomes a stumbling block; and so, metaphorically, the saint becomes a devil). 

 

Satan desires to show how great humans can be without God. God on the other hand suspects man (JOH 2:24-25; LUK 16:15). 

 

His statement, “This will not happen to you,” is similar to the devil’s temptation to jump off the pinnacle of the temple (“You are the Son of God, You won’t get hurt”). 

 

"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction." [Pascal]

 

Satan’s way of thinking (victory by might; physical and mental) enabled Peter to be used as a stumbling block. 

 

Satan’s temptations of Christ were all to avoid suffering and win (make bread, throw yourself down, take the world). 

 

Conflict: things of God vs. the things of mankind. 

 

The reason the Lord commands Satan to get behind Him is that His death is of the things of God (HEB 10:7, 10). 

 

Jesus identifies Peter as Satan because Satan has a mind for the things of man as does Peter. 

 

The reason the things of God are contrary to the things of man is because God seeks to save mankind. Satan desires to enslave man (evidenced by what we know of the Tribulation period).

 

Application: The conflict between the things of God and man still war within and without the believer. 

 

ROM 8:1-8. 

 

No condemnation: Gates of Hades has no victory. 

 

Same word (phroneo; ROM 8:5) used for the “mind set” on the flesh and on the Spirit. 

 

How do we overcome? No condemnation, understanding, faith. 

 

Minded means what you believe, essentially.

 

We can keep our minds upon what we believe. If we believe that there is some life in the flesh then we will be minded towards it and then we fail.

 

You keep your mind on the flesh because they believe that there is still life there. 

 

Christ’s life is to be minded on the Spirit, which is faith that His is the only way (not that you will be perfect, but convinced).