And Jesus Said (Part Sixteen)

The apostles of Christ were like most of us – challenging. In the last part of our series we saw Jesus address disputes among the disciples and their leadership style. As we wrote at the end of the last part:

Leadership is complicated and takes time to learn. Servant-leadership is more difficult because the leader also has the heart of a servant. How do you do that? Look to Jesus who will teach you.

The disputes the apostles had were not just with each other or other people. They also disputed with Jesus about what He wanted to do.

Just a quick reminder that we’re looking at the Words of Jesus in a particular order, which is why we’re still focused on what He said to his disciples.

Jesus’ sayings to His disciples
Jesus’ sayings to the people of Israel
Jesus’ sayings to the religious leaders of Israel
Jesus’ sayings to demons
Jesus’ sayings to His Heavenly Father
Jesus’ sayings from the Cross
Jesus’ sayings after the Resurrection

We’re also looking at the words of Jesus apologetically to address the fact that liberal and progressive ‘Christians’ are not telling the truth about Jesus and what He said. That’s a tall order, so let’s get to it.

Jesus Reveals His Plan

Jesus came from Heaven to earth with a specific and detailed plan about what He would say and do. Jesus, the Son of God, and His Father and the Holy Spirit designed the plan in eternity. It’s settled and won’t change. Jesus was preaching and teaching on earth in fulfillment of that plan. Nothing is going to deter Him from completing the plan completely and perfectly.

Jesus is God. He’s the Messiah. He’s the coming King. It’s interesting to watch the apostles respond to Jesus as the Lord revealed His plan to them. They understood He was the Messiah and future King of Israel, so you would think they’d fall in line with His plan without question. You might think that, but they sometimes didn’t. They questioned Jesus about His plan and even rebuked Him. While that may sound a bit audacious on their part, if we’re honest we would probably have done the same thing. After all, the apostles were human just like us.

This is probably a good time to bring it up. Each of the apostles had their own plan. They all came to discipleship from a different perspective that drove their ideas, hopes, dreams and plans for their own future. Their plans would, at times, run counter to Jesus’ plans. That could lead to disagreements with Jesus. How did Jesus handle those moments? He taught them.

Teachable Moments

One thing we can learn from how Jesus handled disagreements, disputes, misunderstandings and even rebukes from His disciples is that the Lord used them as “teachable moments.” Jesus is the Master Teacher. No better teacher has ever taught. The Lord never missed an opportunity to use what might appear to be an uncomfortable moment as an important lesson about His Kingdom. That was part of God’s eternal plan. We can learn from that in our own relationships and ministries. Look for teachable moments in every situation, no matter how disrespectful or dumb we might think about it.

Examples of Disagreements

Let’s take a look at a couple of examples of the disagreements the apostles had with Jesus. There are many more than what we’ll list here, but this will give us some idea about how Jesus turned disagreements into positive opportunities for growth in the apostles’ lives as well as His revealing the Eternal Plan. These are also an example for liberals, progressives and others who would say Jesus didn’t say what He said so the apostles could not have questioned anything Jesus did or said. Unlike the false gospels written in the 2nd and 3rd centuries, we see the total picture of how Jesus interacted with His apostles.

Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them.But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.’ And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them. Mark 10:13-16

The apostles followed Jesus for different reasons and reacted to other people’s interest in Jesus for different reasons. Mark’s Gospel, which is Peter’s recollection of his years with Jesus, gives us the impression that all the disciples rebuked the people who brought little children to Jesus. It was common at in the first century AD for Jewish parents to bring their children to prominent rabbis who mighty place their hands on the children to receive special blessings. However, the apostles apparently didn’t want Jesus to “waste” His precious teaching time blessing children, so they “rebuked” the parents.

The word “rebuke” is epetimēsan and means “warn, admonish, chide.” The word was often used as a warning to prevent something from going wrong. We’re not sure what the apostles thought might go wrong if the children approached Jesus for a blessing, but the strength of the word used lets us know the apostles were in a protective mode. The apostles might have thought that bringing children to Jesus would interrupt Him from teaching the adults and take away from the importance of the work He was doing. How did Jesus react to the apostles’ rebuke?

First, we see that Jesus was “greatly displeased.” The Greek word is ēganaktēsen and means “angry, incensed, indignant, grieved.” That’s a very strong reaction from Jesus toward His disciples. Why? Because they were opposing His plan. Jesus came to earth from Heaven with a plan that included access by all types of people. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. It was not in the apostles’ job description to determine who could and could not have access to Jesus.

Jesus could have chewed out the disciples for their bad choice, but He did something else. He used the event as a teachable moment – “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.” Remember that Jesus had come to earth to preach the “gospel of the kingdom of God” (Mark 1:14). Jesus was Gospel and Kingdom focused. We should follow His example and look for opportunities to turn a negative situation into a teachable moment to focus on the Gospel of Christ.

The Apostle Peter was often the first apostle to speak out on a variety of issues. One example is found in Mark 8. Jesus asked His disciples “who do you say that I am?” Peter answered – “You are the Christ.”

Jesus then began to teach the disciples that “the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again” (Mark 8:31). As we know the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus was central to God’s eternal plan. However, Peter went into protective mode and actually rebuked Jesus for saying that.

The Greek word for “rebuke” in Mark 8:32 is epitiman, which is the same word Luke used when describing how the apostles rebuked the parents who brought their children to Jesus. It’s hard to imagine that Peter would “warn, chide, admonish” Jesus. Yes, Peter did it privately (he took Jesus “aside and began to rebuke Him), but it was still a disciple rebuking the Messiah. How did Jesus respond? He used the event as a teachable moment for all the disciples.

But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men. Mark 8:33

While this sounds harsh, keep in mind that Peter had just declared in front of the other apostles that Jesus was the Christ (Messiah). Matthew’s version of the same event gives us a little more information about how Jesus responded to Peter’s declaration:

Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:17-19

Jesus told Peter that he was “blessed” because God the Father had revealed to him that Jesus was the Messiah. Peter spoke the words of God under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Moments later Jesus rebuked Peter because he spoke the words of Satan. Peter experienced both pride and humility within a matter of minutes because of the words he spoke.

So, what’s the lesson here? What’s the “teachable moment” for the disciples in these two events? There are two powerful forces at work in the spiritual realm and followers of Jesus must be careful who influences their thinking and their words. It was just as easy for Peter to speak what was Satanic as what God had revealed to him. Jesus was the promised Messiah and He was going to die and rise from the dead. Both statements are true. Peter had no business rebuking anything Jesus claimed to be true, especially when it came to the Lord’s plan to go to Jerusalem and give His life as a ransom for many. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is at the very heart of the Gospel. Anyone who claims to be a follower of Jesus Christ but says otherwise is not hearing from God.

Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time. 1 Corinthians 15:1-8

The Liberal/Progressive Problem

While it’s easy to read about Peter’s error, it’s more difficult for us to see that we often do the same thing. We agree with things with which we agree and disagree with things with which we disagree. We’ve all done it because we’re human. However, the liberal/progressive wing of ‘Christianity’ does it all the time – not just from time to time.

Liberals and Progressives who think they’re followers of Jesus say that much of what we read in the Bible is not true or that we ‘misunderstand’ what the Bible really means. Many believe that the teachings of Jesus provide just one of many ways to God even though Jesus clearly said that He is the only Way to God. Many Liberal and Progressive ‘Christians’ don’t believe that Jesus is the eternal Son of God. Many deny the basics of the Gospel as preached by Christ and His apostles. They are “not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” Satan has influenced their thinking.

[You can read more about the problems with the Liberal/Progressive group here.]

Next Time

Receiving a direct rebuke from Jesus must have devastated Peter, especially when the other disciples heard what Jesus said to him. What Peter didn’t know at the time was he would receive something from Jesus within a matter of days that would turn his world upside down and set his heart and mind on fire for the Gospel. We’ll look at that as we continue our special series, And Jesus Said.

Faith & Self Defense

Building Confidence Through Evidence

And Jesus Said (Part Sixteen)