“Final exam”, “term project” and “mid-term” are certainly some of the most frightening words in the English language.

       Some of you are students. You have probably had that dream where you find that you have to pass a final exam in a class that you didn’t even know you were taking – and then you wander the halls in vain looking for the right room. 

       It gets better. I haven’t been in a classroom as a regular student for almost thirty years and haven’t had that dream for -- at least a month. That’s the truth.

       At least I never had a certain professor at Columbia University who had only two questions on the final:

       One:  What book did you most dislike in the course?

       Two:  What intellectual or characterological flaws in you does that dislike point to?

       Well, Peter and the other disciples are about to get a two-part question that is even more invasive. Jesus takes them to the north part of Israel on the slopes of Mt. Hermon. There, at Ceaserea Phillipi, He asks them the first question. “Who do people say that I am?”

       They all had their answers ready. They’d been out polling the people at Jerusalem Airport. “Some say John the Baptist,” they began. What a tribute that is! Jesus himself declared that a greater man than John had not been born. “Others,” they continue, “say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

       All these answers, though not correct, are very flattering! Jeremiah, Elijah, and John the Baptist are all held in high esteem.  They tactfully leave out the answers the religious establishment, the Pharisees and Sadducees, are giving about Jesus: “That Samaritan”; “that devil”; “that blasphemer”; “that glutton and drunkard.”

       Everyone has their own perspective. But Jesus now makes the question personal. “But who do you say I am?”

       Peter has the answer immediately.

       Peter doesn’t necessarily understand the question, but he always has an answer. This time he’s right.  “You are the Christ, the Messiah.” He’s so thrilled.

       He is right, of course. Jesus says, according the Matthew 16, “Blessed are you Simon, Son of Jonah, for flesh and blood didn’t tell you this. You found this out from God Himself.  

       Now Mark doesn’t include Jesus’ response -- though Matthew does. Mark’s source was Peter himself and the now humbled Peter doesn’t include the compliment.

       But Jesus said it. So can you imagine how discouraged Peter must have been to have Jesus respond immediately, “Don’t tell anyone”?

       Why not?

       We’ll see “why not”.

       Then Jesus seeks to lead Peter still further on his spiritual pilgrimage. “Since I am the Christ, what does that mean?”

       Peter is just as sure of the answer to this question as he was of his first answer. “Since you are the Christ, you are going to lead us from victory to victory. You are going to enable us to throw off the yoke of the tyrant. You are going to make it possible for us to put our foot on the neck of our foe as they have long put their foot upon our necks. You are going to bring back the golden age of David.  You are going to restore again the kingdom of Israel.”  This is Peter’s conviction.  It was also the conviction of every pious Jew who believed in the Messiah.

       But the conviction of Jesus is exactly the opposite.  “Since I am the Christ as you confess, I must suffer.  I must suffer death, even the death of the Cross.” 

       “I’m going to go up to Jerusalem.  I’m going to suffer many things.” 

       Peter starts to shake his head. 

       “And I’ll be rejected by the chief priests, elders, and scribes.”

      “What?”

       “And I’ll be killed.”

       “Oh, no, no!”

        “And on the third day I’ll rise again.”

        “NO-O-O-O!” 

       At this point Peter’s has had all he can take.  He stands in front of Jesus and says, “No way!”

       It’s clear now why Jesus tells Peter not to tell anybody.  Peter has the answer right, but he’s all wrong about what the answer means.  He knows that Jesus is the Christ, but he hasn’t the foggiest idea what kind of Christ He is.

       In fact, as Jesus tells them the facts, Peter takes Him aside and began to rebuke Him.  “You may be the Messiah, the Son of the Living God, but fella, you don’t know what you’re talking about.  There is no way that this is going to happen.  Look at your power.  Look at your loyal disciples.  Look at me.  I’m one tough guy.  I’d like to meet the man who would dare lay a finger on you while big Pete’s around.”

       Just about everybody is capable of producing their own Christ.  That’s why messiahs and saviors are a dime a dozen now.  Everybody’s getting out there and deciding what they need and manufacturing a Christ who fits conveniently into their area of need.  So the Christ they produce is a Christ not of reality but a Christ of fantasy. 

       Peter’s Christ was not going to suffer or be rejected or be killed.  Therefore it was not necessary for Peter’s Christ to rise again from the dead.  On every point Peter’s Christ and Jesus of Nazareth clash.  That’s why it would be wrong for Peter to go around and tell people who Jesus is because he doesn’t know what it means.  He

hadn’t even gotten to first base.

       I Peter’s voice: “What is the use of being the Christ if you take your tremendous powers and throw them away?  It is unthinkable that you should be guilty of such a wicked waste.”

       We should remember that in making his rebuke Peter is not speaking selfishly. His sense of outrage comes from his love.  He cannot endure the thought that one so great, so good, so dear, as Jesus should die.      

       Peter is not trying to turn his Lord aside from the mission He has come to accomplish.  He is only urging Jesus to find some easier way.  “Certainly it is your duty to finish the work that God has given you to do.  But to do this you must save yourself.  You must make it your first aim to bypass the cross.” 

       Seen in the light of history, this protest by Peter is really stupid.  But tested by our usual way of thinking, it is human, and full of what we call common sense.

       That’s when Jesus speaks those crushing words.  “Get behind me Satan.  You are not setting your mind on God’s interests but man’s.”

      Whoa!

       One minute Peter is being called blessed.  The next minute he’s being called Satan.

       “Out of my way, Satan!” 

       Why did Jesus employ this name, Satan?  He did so because no other name fit.  Peter’s suggestion took our Lord back at once to that forty-day battle in the wilderness.  Peter’s words were just as satanic as those used by the tempter during that lonely fight.

       What was the suggestion of the Tempter?  He suggested to Jesus that he capitalize on His deity for himself.  “Since you are the Son of God, command these stones to be made bread.  Meet all the physical needs both of yourself and of the world if you like.  Win your way by seeing that everybody is well fed, well clothed, and well housed, even though they may be well rotted at the same time.  Go ahead and win the kingdoms of this world, but do it by compromise.  How you win isn’t important as long as you skip the cross.  In this way, Peter and Satan spoke the same language.

       Not only that, but their appeal is as old as humankind and as new as our last heartbeat.  We are all religious.  Humans are religious animals.   But too often the first and supreme demand of our religion is that it be easy.

       But Jesus has declared that the Cross is a necessity for Him.  He refuses to draw back at the rebuke of this devoted friend.  In fact, Jesus adds this further word:  “The cross is a necessity for me, Peter, but if you are going to be my disciple, it is also a necessity for you.  If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross and follow.  Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.”

        Jesus is telling Peter what will be on the final exam.  He may just blown the mid-term but Jesus is determined that he pass the class.

       And, in the same way, Jesus asks us “Who do you say that I am?”

       Each time we do a new member class, I start out by asking the question Jesus asks us.  I ask the participants to write on the topic, “I believe Jesus is…”

       I am struck, delightfully so, by how many people answered the question using the pronoun “my”.  Not just “He is Savior of the world”… but “He is my Savior.”  That is the answer that brings joy to His heart…and the answer that really begins to affect all of life.

       It is one thing to say Jesus is the rock…yet another thing to say, “Jesus, You are my rock.”  Can you say that?

       It is one thing to say Jesus died for the sins of the world.  It is another thing to say, “Jesus, You died for my sins; by Your stripes I am forgiven.”  Can you say that?

      It is one thing to say Jesus holds all things together.  It is another thing to say to Him,  “Jesus, You are the One who holds me together.”  Can you say that?

       It is one thing to say that Jesus is the Light of the world who breaks the spell of darkness.  But it is a very different thing to be able to say to Him, “Jesus, you are the Light who has broken through the terror of my darkness.”  Can you say that?

       It is one thing to say that Jesus is coming back to make all things new.  But how wonderful to say, “Jesus, You are the one who is coming back to make me new.”  Can you say that?

       If you can, then he invites you to His table.