The Devil's Workshop

S - "From that time on Jesus began to show 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 on the third day. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, God forbid, Lord! This will never happen to you!” But he turned around and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a cause for stumbling to me, because you are not intent on the things of God, but the things of people!” Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life on account of me will find it. (Matthew 16:21-25 LEB)

O - Jesus is living out the words he's saying.  The good news is Peter is following Jesus. The bad news is that he's doing what religion teaches people to do: to rely on their own understanding.  The intense response of Jesus to Peter's well intended and theologically based "God forbid" helps us see how tragically pervasive and devastating this problem is. It is the place where Satan is.  Religion will teach us concepts, principles and promises from the Scriptures and then encourage us to "believe" them. We're left to apply, think through and accept the conclusions which are natural to our way of thinking in direct opposition to Scriptures instruction to NOT lean on our own understanding (cf. Proverbs 3:5-6). Heaven calls us to a person and to rely exclusively on him. Anyone can follow but everyone must follow the same way … the way Jesus followed his Father: lose your life so it can be found; deny yourself so your self will rely on a person rather than concepts, principles or promises; take up your cross for clear thinking and the life that is really life. "You search the scriptures because you think that you have eternal life in them, and it is these that testify about me. And you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life." (John 5:39-40 LEB)

A - Peter's Christology did not allow for the promised Messiah to suffer and die as a criminal or to ever leave Israel once he'd come.  Jesus did both. Peter's hope was and is a person and so is mine.  I am not called to a mission, world view, principle or cause … I am called to Jesus.  The Scriptures were not given to reveal a plan.  They were given to testify to a person.  I will rely on him and refuse the Devil's workshop.

P - Lord,

I admit my risk to lean on my own understanding of the very things you've been teaching me.  You are the point of the teaching and the only point of reliance.  I don't want to think or work for you but with you.  Today, I am very confident in you and that you already have in mind what you want to do. I say yes to you.  I'll choose to lose so I can follow, be near and really live.

I love you back,

Steve