Matt 16- False Images of Jesus
Exodus 3: 1-15; Matthew 16: 21-28 Last week Jesus asked his disciples who they say he is. And Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the son of the living God." And in response to this answer Jesus says, "Blessed are you Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it." It's hard to imagine getting higher praise from Jesus. He is telling him that he has heard the voice of God, and that is how he knew how to answer Jesus's question. He then sternly orders the disciples not to tell anyone that he is the Messiah. This is sometimes called the Messianic Secret. This is the idea that Jesus wanted to keep the fact that he was the Messiah under wraps for the time being. And then in our reading for this week it says that Jesus began to show his disciples that he must "go to Jerusalem and und...