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Religion

2010-12-01 15:07:00

Why did Jesus rebuke Peter?

Question: In Luke 9:18, our Lord asked the disciples, who people said He was. They replied John the Baptist, Elijah and an old prophet that had risen. He then asked Peter who he thought He was. Peter responded that he was the Christ. Then our Lord rebuked him and the others and told them not to tell this to anyone. Why would he have rebuked Peter and the others, when He knew He would have to suffer and be rejected, be killed and be raised up on the last day, which He stated immediately after this?

Answer: Someone has said there is no such thing as bad publicity. With all the negative stories surrounding celebrities these days, I’m not so sure that statement is true. Jesus was, at least for a short time, a celebrity. Everywhere he went, people followed him. Some followed him because they were convinced that he was the promised Messiah. Others followed him convinced he was a deceiver. Those people were always looking for some weakness in his character or contradiction in his message which would discredit him. But most of those who followed Jesus simply wanted to see a miracle or receive the healing he offered. Remember that during a good part of his earthly ministry, Jesus was extremely popular due to his ability to heal people. His power to heal brought great notoriety throughout the cities and regions of Palestine. Wherever he went, large crowds pressed in around him following him from place to place. On one occasion, the people were pressing in so closely that when a woman touched his robe for healing, he felt power leave his body. You can imagine the disciples’ confusion when Jesus asked them who touched him. They must have thought, What a silly question. Everyone was touching him. At times, the crowds became so large and the demands on Jesus to heal the sick and diseased so great, that he would steal away to a secluded place to rest. During his earthly ministry, Jesus went everywhere proclaiming the coming of the Kingdom of God, but also healing all kinds of illness, and doing many mighty works. It’s easy to see why his popularity grew so rapidly. Everyone had heard of the amazing things he accomplished. They wanted him to perform a miracle in their lives. One of the many miracles Jesus performed was feeding over five thousand people from five loaves of bread and two fish. Following this event and after the crowds went home filled, Jesus was alone praying. As his disciples joined him, he asked them what people were saying about him. Who did they think he was? The answers varied, but Peter spoke for the entire group proclaiming that Jesus was “the Christ of God.” What he meant with that statement was simply that Jesus was the fulfillment of God’s promise. He was the Savior all the Jews were anticipating. Unfortunately, only a small number of people believed that Jesus was the Messiah. So why did Jesus command his disciples to be silent about who he was? That’s the question we’re trying to answer. So many people failed to understand exactly who Jesus was. Oh, they enjoyed the benefit of his healing power, but Jesus came to do more than just heal the physical body. He came to take away the sins of the entire world. He came to heal people spiritually. The disciples needed to understand that his messiahship was directly connected to his death and resurrection. Only after his resurrection did the disciples finally get it. Jesus came to establish a heavenly kingdom, not an earthly one. Many people believed that Jesus would deliver Jews from Roman oppression. Even the Apostles mistakenly thought they would be part of an earthly kingdom. Two, who were brothers, asked if they could sit at Jesus’ right and left hand when he came into power. While the crowds were happy to have their sicknesses and diseases healed, the truth of who Jesus was would be much harder for the Jewish people to accept. Had the disciples began proclaiming that Jesus was Messiah, the crowds may have risen up and called for a revolution against Rome. Another reason Jesus commanded them to be silent was that his time had not yet come. At the appropriate time, Jesus would suffer, be rejected by the religious elite of Israel, die on the cross, and arise three days later. Now, it wasn’t as if no one knew who he was. The few who did embraced him as Messiah. But the general population saw Jesus as someone who had remarkable power, unique confidence before the religious leaders, and who could meet their immediate needs. Some time later, Jesus taught the crowds what it meant to truly follow him, which resulted in a serious decline in his popularity and celebrity status. From that point on, people no longer followed him. Very much like our own day, the crowds can be extremely fickle. Who Jesus is remains a most important question. As one writer says, “It is impossible to be wrong about Jesus and right with God.” Who do you say Jesus is? Is he just a good man who did good things a long time ago or is he who he said he was – “the Christ of God?” I hope each one who reads this article will give that question serious consideration. Investigate for yourself what the bible says about Jesus and why he came to earth. The Christmas Season is upon us. It’s my prayer that when you see the babe in the manger, you will be reminded that Jesus, God’s one and only Son, came to earth for no other reason than to provide eternal healing through his suffering, his death, and his resurrection for all humanity. There just isn’t any better gift than that!