The Pharisees and Sadducees were stuck! It appears that they enjoyed seeing miracles. On top of that, Jesus was quite the show if  they were looking for that. For going on three years now they had observed Jesus at work! At first glance one might conclude that these religious pros were close to salvation. Sadly, this was not the case. As a matter of fact, it appears that they were further away from the Jesus they needed, than they realized! Just a quick read through Matthew 16:1-12 proves this to be the case.

When we arrive at Matthew 16:13, Jesus begins to unfold His agenda for the next six months or so. Far be it from Jesus to mention suffering or death! But, when least expected, He does just that! On the back edge of Peter’s confession of Jesus as The Christ, Jesus unpacks some heart stopping news. He not only is going to suffer, He is going to die! Overwhelmed, Peter slides between Jesus and the other disciples and whispers some gut wrenching words into the ears of his Christ! Earlier Peter and the other disciples appear closer to understanding who Jesus was than ever before. With Peter’s rebuke, things go into an abrupt reverse!!! Within moments of Peter’s rebuke, Jesus offers His own rebuke. He’s been here before! Previously, Jesus had used His rebuke against His adversary the devil, and now it is owned by His lead disciple, Peter. Matthew 4:10 reveals it, “Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”

Incredibly enough the reels continue to roll. Within a few short months Jesus enters Jerusalem to find His reservations secured for His cross! While Jesus’ body is being desecrated as though He was a common criminal, Peter and the others run for their lives. They hide, scared for their lives… lives they had previously promised to Jesus. This sounds so much like us, doesn’t it?