Peter and the Rock

Copr. 2016, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. All scripture references are to the New International Version (NIV), copr. 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society, unless otherwise noted. Quotations from the NIV are used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers. Suggested answers are found within parentheses. If you normally receive this lesson by e-mail, but it is lost one week, you can find it by clicking on this link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as you study.

Introduction: Have you ever been in a situation where the solution to a problem is right in front of you, but somehow you cannot see it? Someone else will come by, point out the solution, and you cannot believe that you missed the obvious! In our study of Matthew this week, he illustrates this kind of situation with those who crossed paths with Jesus. Let's dig into our study and learn more so that we will not be oblivious and miss the spiritually obvious!

1. Sign
   1. Read Matthew 16:1. Jesus performs all sorts of miracles. Should He perform one now? (While I think Jesus' miracles have the effect of confirming who He is, texts such as Matthew 14:14 tell us that Jesus' miracles are motivated by compassion. These religious leaders are merely "testing" Jesus.)
   2. Read Matthew 16:2-3. What is the problem with the religious leaders? (They ignore the obvious: that Jesus is fulfilling prophecy.)
      1. Are we like those religious leaders? Do we ignore what the Bible says and how it applies to our life, and instead ask Jesus for a special sign?
   3. Read Matthew 16:4. Jesus says that they will be given the "sign of Jonah." What do you think that means? (The most sophisticated and obscure answer is that Jonah went down into the water and rose to life when the fish spit him out (Jonah 2). Jesus will go down into the earth, and rise to eternal life. The more obvious answer is that God-ordained events overtook Jonah. God-ordained events will overtake these religious leaders. The rejection of Jesus leads to the destruction of Jerusalem.)
2. Bread
   1. Read Matthew 16:5-11. Why is Jesus complaining about the disciples lack of faith, rather than their lack of intelligence? (No problem they faced would be due to a lack of bread - they had just seen those miracles. Yet they assumed Jesus' point had to do with a lack of bread.)
      1. When we face difficult choices, should we ever factor in the possibility that Jesus will not help us?
   2. Read Matthew 16:12. Why would Jesus use "yeast" to represent the teachings of the religious leaders? (Leviticus 2:11 forbids the use of yeast (leaven) in making any offering to God. New Unger's Bible Dictionary comments that yeast causes "disintegration and corruption, [which] symbolized evil and the energy of sin." You don't want your teaching described that way!)
3. The Rock
   1. Read Matthew 16:13-14. Would those answers discourage you if you were Jesus?
   2. Read Matthew 16:15-18. This is a much debated text. On what will Jesus build His church? (Jesus says that He will build it on Peter.)
      1. Are you less certain of this answer if I told you that Peter means "rock?" If Peter means "rock," then to what is Jesus referring when He talks about building the church on the rock? (It seems hard to give too much credit to the answer, "Peter," because Jesus says that the correct answer was given "by my Father in heaven" - not Peter. Perhaps we should conclude that the rock on which the church is built are those individuals (like Peter)who speak what God has revealed to them.)
      2. What is the revelation given to Peter? (That Jesus is "the Son of the Living God.")
      3. Wait! Does that alter what you think Jesus means by "the rock" on which He will build His church? ("The rock" is not merely those through whom the Holy Spirit gives understanding, rather, it is understanding the most important spiritual point - that Jesus is God. He is the Messiah. He is the "Son of the Living God." Jesus' church will be built on Spirit-filled individuals who understand that Jesus is God.)
      4. You know I often urge you to look at the context when trying to understand the meaning of a text. What has Matthew been doing throughout his gospel? (Proving that Jesus is the Messiah, Jesus is God.)
         1. How does that "nudge" our understanding of the rock? (Matthew has not been promoting Peter, he has been promoting the divinity of Jesus. That is another element of proof regarding what Jesus means here.)
   3. Read Matthew 16:19. Is Jesus turning judgment over to the disciples, who a few minutes ago could not even figure out whether He was talking about bread? (I hope not! If the "rock" is a Spirit-filled understanding of who Jesus is, then we can see that everyone who accepts this critical understanding is released to eternal life, and those who reject this critical understanding are bound for eternal death.)
   4. Read Matthew 16:20. Why not share this critically important news? (It was not the right time. In our evangelistic efforts we need to listen to the Holy Spirit about the right time to share.)
4. The Rebuke
   1. Read Matthew 16:21-23. One moment Peter has God speaking through him and the next moment Peter is speaking for Satan. Does that sound right? (Read James 3:10-12. In the past, I've understood James to say this is not possible. Peter shows that it is possible - and frankly, I'm grateful for Matthew's account that shows that often we send out contradictory messages. But, James is right that this "should not be.")
      1. Re-read Matthew 16:23. When Jesus tells Peter he has in mind the "things of men," what things are those?
      2. Does it seem wrong to conclude that "the Son of the Living God" cannot be killed? (Peter wanted Jesus to be the Messiah who would rule, and Jesus knew He must be the Messiah who died for His people.)
   2. Read Matthew 16:24. Does this seem grim to you? Who wants to do this? (Recall that context is important. Jesus' statement here is strong because He wants to disabuse the disciples of their vision of earthly power.)
   3. Read John 15:10-13. This is another discussion about "giving up," but in the context of "joy." How do you explain this? (Obedience to God involves giving up our own selfish way. Because God knows what is best for us, that brings joy.)
5. The Reward
   1. Read Matthew 16:25-27. Do you agree? (A sign of maturity is sacrificing now for a greater reward later. What we sacrifice now cannot compare to the eternal glory we will enjoy.)
   2. Read Matthew 16:28. Is Jesus misleading the disciples? It is now thousands of years later, and Jesus has not come! (Many try to say that Jesus is not speaking of His Second Coming, but the immediately preceding verses tell us that is what Jesus is talking about.)
   3. Read Matthew 17:1-5. What would you call this event? (Is this not a foretaste of Jesus' Second Coming? Isn't this the power of heaven being seen by some of the disciples? Context shows that this is what Jesus meant when he said some of His disciples would "see the Son of Man coming" during their lifetime.)
6. Giving Offense
   1. Read Matthew 17:24. What issues do you think Peter considered in answering this question? (Whether Jesus pays His religious obligations.)
   2. Read Matthew 17:25. What issue does Jesus suggest is at the heart of the question? (Whether Jesus is the Son of God - since this is the temple tax.)
   3. Read Matthew 17:26-27. Should Jesus compromise on the issue of who He is? Didn't we just decide that is the most important issue for humans?
      1. Why does giving "offense" matter when we are discussing the core issue of Christianity? Isn't it worse to compromise?(Jesus does not compromise the core issue. Who can catch a fish with exact change in its mouth? At the same time, Jesus makes the important point that we should not offend people who are just doing their job.)
   4. Friend, the disciples seem to often miss the obvious point. The religious leaders missed the obvious point. Jesus tells us that the Holy Spirit will reveal the obvious to us. Will you, right now, ask the Holy Spirit to give you spiritual understanding?
7. Next week: Idols of the Soul (and other Lessons From Jesus).