Scripture: Matthew 16: 23

²¹ From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. ²² Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”²³ Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

Scripture Commentary

Jesus prepares his disciples for what is to come when he explains that he must suffer, be killed, and on the third day be raised to life. Peter rebukes Jesus for saying this. This is the same Peter who early on says that Jesus is the Son of God; the same Peter who later denies Jesus three times.

Satan tries to use Peter to get Jesus to forsake his mission. This is Satan’s mission for us even today. Satan knows who Jesus is yet he tries to tempt him anyway. And if Satan tried to tempt Jesus, how much more will he try to tempt each of us.

Oftentimes our most difficult temptation comes from those who only try to protect us from discomfort. However, our true protector is Jesus Christ. When we give our lives in service to Christ we truly discover the real purpose of living.

Who do you serve – God or self? Where is your life taking you – to heaven or hell? Is there love in you or hate? Do you give or always take? Do you help or hinder others?

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Matthew 16: 21-23

Read Other Commentary From the Book of Matthew:

Peter Denied Jesus … “I don’t even know the man.”

How Can Anyone Walk On Water?

Scripture: John 11: 21-26

²¹ Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. ²² But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.” ²³ Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.” ²⁴ “Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.” ²⁵ Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life.^[e] Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. ²⁶ Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”

Scripture Commentary: Only Jesus is the resurrection and the life.

Jesus told Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life.^[e] Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.” Three times in the Bible, Jesus demonstrates his compassion and empathy for people while revealing his authority and power over death.

First, there was the only son of a widow who was being carried away for burial until Jesus touched him and said, “Arise.” Second, a father sought Jesus to heal his sick and only daughter but she died before he could make his request known. Jesus told him not to fear, only believe, and she shall be well. Jesus went to her home, took her hand and said, “Arise.” Third, Jesus was on his way to see Martha and Mary who had been mourning for four days over the death of Lazarus, their brother and Jesus’s beloved friend. They knew they would see their brother again in the resurrection of the last days, but Jesus, God’s only begotten son, knew differently. Jesus called out to Lazarus, commanding him to come out of the open tomb.

Don’t let fear overtake your faith.

Jesus reminds us not to let our fear overtake our faith in God. The widow was fearful about her survival with no husband or son to comfort her. The father faithfully sought Jesus, believing that only he could heal his daughter; however, fear rose in him when he heard that she had died. Jesus encouraged him not to give in to fear and doubt. The sisters also believed that Jesus could heal their sick brother, but they worried and feared each day that Jesus didn’t walk through the door.

We may become anxious and fearful over the highs and lows in life but God is faithful. He will not forsake us. Turn your fear into faith. God may not come when we want Him, but He is always right on time.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

John 11

Read Other Commentary From the Book of John:

The Old Testament Foretold of Judas

The World Will Persecute You For Jesus

Scripture: 1 John 2: 1-2, 18

My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. ² He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world. ¹⁸ Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come. 

Scripture Commentary: Jesus, our advocate, pleads our case before God.

Jesus pleads our case before God. When Satan comes to claim us because we are sinners, Jesus stands up for us and tells Satan that we have repented and that he has taken our sins to the Father and has pleaded our case. God, the Father, forgives us and we are free from sin.

Satan has lost because Jesus died on the cross for our sins. He is the advocate that pleads our case before God. If you feel guilty, condemned or lost, Jesus’s reassurance is for you.

Ask for forgiveness and forsake your life of sin. Let Jesus plead your case before the Father. The penalty of death has no hold on you. Jesus suffered and paid the price for you. When you unite with Jesus, you are forgiven. Forgive others as God forgives you. And love others.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

1 John 2

Read Other Commentary From 1 John:

Love Comes From God Because God Is Love

We Are From God and God Is Love

Scripture: Jeremiah 11: 4

⁴ For I said to your ancestors when I brought them out of the iron-smelting furnace of Egypt, “If you obey me and do whatever I command you, then you will be my people, and I will be your God.” 

Scripture Commentary: God tell us, “you will be my people.”

God’s told the people in Jeremiah’s day that if they obeyed Him, “then you will be my people, and I will be your God.”  This same covenant is still with us today. We either obey God’s laws or we don’t.

In Jeremiah 14, God tells Jeremiah, “Pray no more for these people, Jeremiah. Do not weep or pray for them, for I will not listen to them when they cry out to me in distress.” Do not be so caught up in the world that God no longer listens to you.

Repentence is the pathway to God. Stop. Turn from your sins. Ask God for forgiveness. Don’t continue to pray to God and live a sinful life. God’s blessings flow when we are committed to Him, not when we selfishly stay in the world of sin.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Jeremiah 11

Read Other Commentary From the Book of Jeremiah:

Trust God Who Can Do All Things

Blessed Is the One Who Trusts God