Day 293 (Matthew 16, Mark 8) - Year 8
00:01Hey Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble, and I'm your host for the Bible Recap.Today's episode may not be suited for young ears, so use your own discretion as you listen.After abuking the Pharisees and Sadducees, two groups of leaders in the religious community,Jesus turns the experience into a teaching tool for his disciples.As he often does, Jesus uses the things around them as metaphors,but sometimes, like today, it can be confusing for the disciples because they think he's talking about the physical thing,not the spiritual thing. Jesus compares the teachings of the Pharisees and the Sadducees to leaven.For those of us who don't spend much time in the kitchen or on the cooking channel,
00:43here's a quick leaven lesson. It makes bread rise, and a tiny amount leavened the whole loaf.The Jews have a long-standing tie to unleavened bread, and they even have a feast that featuresit. The feast of unleavened to bread, also known as Passover. Back to the illustration.Jesus says the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees is like leaven. In other words, just getting a little bit oftheir teaching mixed in with what you believe will impact the way everything pans out.These two groups have some major differences with each other, and we'll link to a short articleabout those differences in the show notes today, but the thing they have in common is thattheir teachings are primarily focused on morality. You can probably see how this could have the
01:21veneer of religion, but without the heart behind it, and you can probably also see how that wouldimpact every area of your life, like Jesus points out. The minute morality becomes the goal,we start to fix our eyes on our actions instead of on the saving action of Christ.When we focus too much on being good people, whatever that means,it can actually begin to negatively impact the way we view others and treat others.We can become self-righteous, looking down on others who haven't gotten their act together like we have.When we're primarily concerned with looking like good, upstanding citizens,then it's offensive to be confronted with the truth that we're actually sinners in need of a savior.
01:59You can see how morality can easily hijack.the gospel while wearing the same Sunday suit. So Jesus warns his disciples to watch out for thatteaching and that mentality because it will impact everything. It will leaven the whole loaf of yourfaith. Jesus points to the two food multiplications to remind his disciples that what he offers,the gospel, is always enough. There were 12 baskets left over after multiplication number one with theJews, one for each of the disciples, and there were seven baskets left over after multiplicationnumber two with the Gentiles, representing perfection and completion.Jesus wants his disciples to understand that he is sufficient,
02:37for each of them individually and for all the people of the world.But they miss the symbolism he's pointing to until he explains it.I find it interesting that Jesus fills his disciples in on the truth,but he doesn't feel the Pharisees and the Sadducees in on it here.Remember how he warned his disciples in Matthew 7,Do not throw your pearls before pigs lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.He demonstrates that here.Going to battle against a hardened heart is a waste of your time and energy.
03:05Not even a good and true argument can change someone's mind.Only God can soften hearts and open eyes to see the truth.Then in Mark 8, Jesus heals a blind man by using his own spit.We know he can heal immediately and without even touching a person, so why is he using spit?Probably because spit is considered disgusting in Jewish culture and most cultures.So for Jesus to be able to heal using something people considered to be contaminating only goes to show his power all the more.If I could make the best meal you've ever eaten out of the trash in your garbage can, you'd know I'm a great chef.Jesus can use even the things the world looks down on as a means of blessing.
03:45It's also interesting that this man's healing is a two-step process for Jesus.It's his only healing recorded in scripture that isn't immediate.Why did Jesus need a round two?It's not like he has a low battery or a weak signal.What's the deal?Lots of scholars think Jesus intentionally made this a two-step processso he could illustrate something to his disciples.This healing happens immediately after the disciples demonstrate their own partial vision.
04:10They're starting to see and understand who Jesus is, but not fully.It will take more time.But Jesus will bear with them until they see clearly.He's not giving up on them.After this, they take a trip to Caesarea Philippi,about a 50-mile round trip on foot.It's in a nature reserve at the foot of the mountainswith a huge cave entrance in the middle of a rock face
04:29and there's a river running through it.We go here on our Israel trips and it's beautiful.But in Jesus Day, it was associated with extreme wickedness and debauchery.It was the site of lots of pagan worship rituals,everything from bestiality,because they worshipped goats, to child sacrifice.People would throw their babies into the mouth of the cave,and if the river carried their blood in it,
04:52the gods had rejected their sacrificeand they had to try again to appease them.People believed the mouth of the cavewas the gate to the underworld.They called it the gates of hell.In the show notes, we'll link to a picture ofCaesarea Philippi, as well as an article about it.Why would Jesus take his disciples
05:08on a field trip here, of all places?Why not apple picking,or a nice round of golf, maybe?Why the gates of hell?As we already know, Jesus is all about object lessons.So he takes them there to make a statement.And just as they're approaching the site,he sets up that statement by asking a question.
05:26Who do people say that I am?Do they think I'm the son of man?By the way, that phrase son of man comes from Daniel 713,and it's a reference to the Messiah.It's actually Jesus' favorite way of referring to himself.We'll link to a short article about that name in the show notes.Then Jesus gets personal.He asks them who they think he is.
05:45We already know he's a mind reader.He's not asking this question for himself.He doesn't need affirmation or validation from teenagers.He's asking this question for them.Peter says, you are the Christ, the son of the living God.And Jesus says, God has blessed Peter with that informationbecause there's no way he would have figured it out on his own.God opened his eyes to the truth.
06:06That's what God does.Then Jesus makes a big statement.Here's the first half of it.Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah,for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you,but my father who is in heaven, and I tell you, you are Peter.And on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.I picture him gesturing to the cave when he references the gates of hell.
06:29The part just before that, where he talks about building his church,is interpreted one of two primary ways, depending on which faith tradition you come from.The first view says Jesus is building his church on Peter.The second view is that Jesus is building his church on the truth of Peter's statementthat Jesus is the Messiah.My primary concern anytime we hit potentially divisive text is that I always want to be faithfulto each specific text in particular and how it fits into the rest of scripture as a whole.So I'll point out a few things I think might be noteworthy, and we'll link to a short article
07:00with more info in the show notes, as well as two very long articles for those of you who want togeek out on this topic. The name Peter, as we've talked about before, is the word Petrus,which refers to a fragment of loose rock, like a pebble. And the word Jesus uses for rock here is the wordPetra, which refers to a mass of rock that is earth, like a mountain. The whole sentence basicallytranslates to, you are a pebble, and on this mountain, I will build my church. In my opinion,it doesn't sound like he's saying Peter is the foundation of everything. In fact, that runscontrary to what we see elsewhere in Scripture. We see it in Matthew 21 and Ephesians 2 and Acts 4,and 1st Corinthians 311 says, no one can lay any other foundation than what is laid, which is Christ Jesus.
07:44In stone masonry, the cornerstone is the most important piece.If it's removed, the whole thing collapses.Jesus says his church will outlast everything,but things built on people don't last.They have an expiration date.That's not to say that Peter and his role in the early church aren't important.He plays a huge role.In fact, in the very next sentence,
08:07Jesus gives him a significant amount of authority,but he's just not a sufficient foundation for the church.We see immediately and repeatedly that he isn't infallible.When Jesus tells them he's going to have to die soon, Peter pulls Jesus aside like a parentand rebukes him. Then Jesus says, get behind me, Satan. Some say he's just making acomparison between Peter and Satan. And others say Satan is working through Peter here and Jesusis actually addressing Satan. Regardless of which it is, we get the point. Jesus has to go tothe cross. And when he tells the disciples that they will have to take up their own
08:42cross and follow him, it lets us know that he knows exactly what kind of death he's going to die.In fact, John 184 tells us that explicitly. Jesus knows. Satan knows the prophecies about the Messiah too,and he wants to stop it all from happening because Jesus's victory seals Satan's defeat.But regardless of whether he tempts Jesus directly, like in the wilderness, or through themisguided concern of one of Jesus' closest friends, Satan is not going to stop God's plan for,redemption. According to Revelation 138, the cross has been the plan since before the world was created.My Godshot was from the conversation in Sendown Central. It felt like a pep talk with some visualaids that these guys would really need based on all they're about to endure. Jesus knows he'll be
09:29going to the cross soon, and he's starting to prep them for his death. Not only that, but he'sprepping them for when he raises from the dead and then ascends to heaven, leaving them to carry onhis mission on earth. He knows they'll be tempted to think this was all for nothing.He knows they'll face oppression and doesn't want them to shrink back.He takes this trip to the worst place imaginable to basically say to them,See all this wickedness?Not even this can stop my kingdom.Not even this is a threat to my church.
09:56My kingdom will outlast everything.In addition to that, he's giving them a charge.He wants them to storm the gates of hell, so to speak.After all, they went to Caesarea Philippi.They sought it out.And by the way, gates, the gates of hell?Gates are defensive. No one attacks with their gates. So this isn't just a promise that the enemywon't defeat them. It's a call to go on the offense because we win. And he's giving them hope
10:22in advance so it can serve them well during times of fear, uncertainty, doubt, and oppression. And wecarry that same hope with us too. Nothing you encounter today can stop his kingdom. You can be boldin your faith because he's our king and he's where the joy is.Have the kids in your life heard about TBR Kids?It's our free daily podcast hosted by Emily Pichel or Miss Emily,and it's specifically designed to guide younger readers through the Bible Recap plan in a way they can actually understand.TBR Kids is available anywhere you listen to podcasts on YouTube and the Bible app.It's one of the many tools we've created to help kids read, understand, and love the Bible.
11:06Check it out at the Biblerecap.com forward slash kids or click the link in the show notes.Thank you.
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