Day 23
Jesus said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven"
Matthew 16:15-17
My Prayer
Yahweh, my Heavenly Father, thank You for this scripture.Y I praise You for the power that is in it and thank You for what You will do through it (Isaiah 55:11). Please reveal its meaning to our minds (Psalm 119:18)...
Heavenly Father, what if I had lived 2000 years ago when Your Son Jesus Christ walked the earth during the ministry of His incarnation? What if I actually heard Him speak, claiming to be the Son of God? What if I saw Him drive the money changers from the Temple with a whip and call the religious leaders sons of Satan (John 8:13, 44)?
If I had looked Him in the eyes would I have known that He was Your Son, the Son of God, the Messiah? Could I have proved beyond a doubt that Jesus's miracles were not a fraud? Moses, Elijah and Elisha performed miracles and they were not the Christ. The apostle Peter recognized Jesus before His resurrection. But, the apostle Paul didn't.
Some say that the Holy Spirit does not reveal information of a subjective nature but only reveals the meaning of scripture. If that is true, then how did Peter know that Jesus was the Christ? This was a subjective determination for him and for me as well.
If anyone wants to know who I am, they can determine that objectively. By looking at my driver's license, passport or fingerprint, my identity can be determined objectively.
Father, the revelation that Peter received in verse
17 was subjective. Your scriptures said so: "Blessed
are you, Simon Bar Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this
to you, but my Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 16:15-17). Peter didn't figure it out objectively by a logical examination
of the facts. Peter didn't know who Jesus was by examining the scriptures. He
didn't study the prophesies and conclude objectively that Jesus met all of the
Old Testament criteria. In Peter's spirit, he just knew who Jesus was.
Jesus's identity was "revealed" by You, the "Father who is in heaven." Lord, You may have revealed Jesus to Peter
as Peter considered the prophecies about the Messiah. But, Jesus's identity was
"revealed", by You. I have not looked Jesus in the eyes, heard Him
speak or seen Him heal. So, it is even more subjective for me than it was for
Peter.
Your word in Matthew 16:17 makes it clear Father. We
don't figure You out with our wisdom and then chose You (1 Corinthians 1:21).
Other scriptures reveal that You take the first steps in conversion by arranging circumstances in our lives to cause us to seek You.A7e After hearing the Gospel, You reveal Yourself, unbelievers choose faith, You grant faith and unbelievers become believers, through grace.A7p This is the conversion corridor in the scriptures.A7
Jesus said, "No
one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise
him up in the last day. It is written in the prophets, 'They will all be
taught by God.' Therefore everyone who hears from the
Father and has learned, comes to me.' (John 6:44-45).A7g
Your Son draws all men to Himself
(John 12:32). But not all come to Jesus (Revelation 20:15). But everyone who has "heard" and "learned"
from You Father, will come to Jesus (John 6:45).
So, when I present the Gospel as the
apostle Paul did in 1 Corinthians 15:1-8... when I say that You sent Your Son
to die on the cross for our sins, was buried, rose from the dead and appeared to many... it's not up to me
to make anyone believe.
I merely pray and repeat the words of scripture from the Bible to the unbeliever. You reveal and they chose. With this additional understanding of what happens in the invisible spiritual realm, it is easier for me to walk by the Spirit. Praise to Your name!
In this passage, Matthew 16:17, You revealed just one of the conditions for understanding the Bible... supernatural revelation! Thank you for revealing this in Your word! For, how can we walk by the Spirit, if we don't know how to understand scripture?
Heavenly Father, teach us how to understand scripture. By Your Spirit, lead Your children to click this link: "Conditions for Understanding the Word"
You deserve all praise!
Amen.
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