Once when Jesus forewarned his disciples that he would suffer, die, and rise again, the apostle Peter objected and gave Jesus what he felt was some much needed counsel.
And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” Matthew 16:22 (ESV)
Jesus’ response to his words must have shocked everyone present.
But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” 24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Matthew 16:23-25 (ESV)
Why did Jesus react so angrily to Peter’s words? Our Lord actually addressed Satan, which we might find strange, unless we realize that Satan was using Peter as a mouthpiece at that moment to tempt Jesus to turn away from his God-given mission to die as the Lamb of God. How could Satan so influence Peter without his being aware of it? I believe it was because in this matter Peter’s human desire for his and his Lord’s self-preservation meshed perfectly with Satan’s desire to manipulate Jesus away from the suffering and glory awaiting him. Our Lord came to give his life away, not to protect himself from harm. Peter could not fathom how it possibly could be advantageous for the leader of the movement to die, but going to the cross was the key to everything God had in mind. Our Lord knew that the cross was absolutely necessary and the only route to victory over sin, Satan, and death. Without the cross there could be no resurrection, and, without the resurrection, there would be no salvation for us or the restoration of the creation to God. Peter unwittingly asked Jesus to forsake his mission and disobey the Father’s will, all the while thinking that he was being considerate of Jesus’ best interests. It was a powerful temptation, which accounts for why Jesus reacted so strongly. No one wants to die an agonizing death, not even the Lamb of God.
Temptations to avoid God’s appointed suffering must be firmly rejected.
God’s Puzzling Ways
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9 (ESV)
God’s ways are very unlike ours. One of his ways that is hard for us to wrap our minds around is that God often makes his most dedicated followers pass through what some have called the “death of a vision.”
Between the mountain top experience of receiving a promise from God and the exhilaration of seeing its fulfillment there may be a period of contradiction and waiting, which is very difficult to endure.
We can call it “the cross” or the “valley of the shadow of death,” or, as it is described in Genesis, “a horror of great darkness.”
God tells us what he will do, and then requires us to wait. Only God knows for how long. As we wait for God to fulfill his promises, the Lord may allow something to come against us that seemingly threatens to destroy the promise, something we cannot run from or otherwise avoid. In such cases, God requires us to face down such adversity and contradiction by faith, go through the darkness of delay and disappointment, and come out the other side into victory and the fulfillment of the promise. We can only do this if we completely release the outcome to the Lord and fully trust in his faithfulness and love.
God asks us to place everything in his loving hands in order to gain the promise.
Some Biblical Examples
Abraham
After God promised that he would make him, a childless man, into a great nation and inherit the land of Canaan, he told our forefather of faith to divide some animals for a covenant cutting ceremony. As Abraham waited, the Bible says that a “horror (or terror) of great darkness” fell upon him (Genesis 15:12). Abraham fought off the birds of prey which attempted to steal the sacrificial animals, and God appeared in the darkness to seal the unilateral covenant and validate the promise. Abraham is a great example of fighting through every form of resistance in order to “press into God.”
We too must be prepared to be “horrified” by God in order to receive his wonderful promises.
Later God required him to endure the horror of surrendering his only begotten son to God as a human sacrifice. By faith he was willing to give back to God the one whom he had waited so long. It is one thing to wait patiently for a promise to be fulfilled, but quite another to surrender the promise back to God. Abraham, the father of our faith, did both.
Jacob
Jacob is one of my favorite people in the Bible. If God could use this deceptive rascal, there is hope for us all. God promised him all that he had pledged to his fathers, Abraham and Isaac. After Jacob fled from Canaan out of fear for his life and after having lived with relatives for years, God told him to return to the land of his inheritance. One major obstacle stood in his way – his estranged brother Esau, who had previously promised to murder him for stealing his birthright and inheritance. When Jacob and his family and all his possessions arrived at Canaan, Esau came with a party of 400 armed men to “greet” him. Jacob was terrified as he expected the worst. He wrestled with God all night (Sounds like prayer to me.), as he prepared to confront his worst fear. God blessed him at the end of that struggle. The next morning he faced Esau and found that God had given him favor with his brother and safe passage into Canaan. We learn from Jacob’s story that we can only run from our fears for so long.
For Jacob, receiving the promises required him to endure the horror of facing his fears with faith and courage.
Joseph
This great man of faith received the promise that he would have authority over his brothers and parents, but he had to endure the horrors of false accusation, betrayal, abandonment, and imprisonment for years before the promise was fulfilled. He never seemed to lose heart during the ordeal. The psalmist wrote: “Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the LORD tested Joseph’s character.” [Psalm 105:19 (NLT)]
The “horror of darkness” and testing reveals our character and our faithfulness toward God, which illustrate whether we truly believe that He is faithful and loving.
Our faithlessness is an indictment against God’s character, as much as it is against our own. Unbelief is an insult to God and a disgrace to us. God is glorified when people hang on to their promises in the face of great contradiction.
David
King David received the amazing promise that God had ordained him to be the next king, but he spent the next several years of his life in a living “horror.” King Saul made it his goal to ferret him out of hiding and kill him. In addition, God did not permit David to take matters into his own hands. Instead he had to patiently wait for the Lord to act on his behalf.
The time of testing, the terrible interim between the promise and the fulfillment, forged David and his followers into mighty men of faith.
David is a great example of patiently waiting for God to work, in the face of external pressure to take matters into our own hands.
The Principle of the Resurrection
Each example above illustrates that before resurrection life can emerge, death first must take place, which is the principle of the resurrection. Jesus taught this to his disciples.
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. John 12:24-25 (ESV)
God sometimes tests our faith because allegiance to him in the midst of suffering glorifies and pleases him and opens the door to amazing blessings.
If we choose to run away from the terror of the cross, we may miss out on experiencing the fulfillment of his promises that waits on the other side. This can interfere with our being able to share in God’s glory as we could have.
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. Romans 8:16-17 (ESV)
Since Jesus’ main goal in life was to please his Father in heaven, it is no wonder that he was so upset with Peter in our opening passage. Peter was voicing Satan’s attempt to derail Jesus and keep him from obeying God’s will and experiencing the resurrection with all the glory that would follow.
Application
Practically speaking, what does this mean for us? Has God promised to be your provider? Then you may go through a dark time of having no apparent provision. Has God promised to be your healer? Then you may be required to endure sickness through which you will experience healing.
Everyone likes the idea of resurrection, but few are volunteering to die. No death… no resurrection. No test… no testimony.
If God has given you some wonderful promises, and you find yourself in a situation that seems to contradict everything God has said, rejoice! You are in the midst of the cross. Hang on to God, be patient, and watch how he comes through for you. If you have the promise, but have not yet encountered the test, be patient. It is surely coming, and in Christ God has already given to you the necessary faith and courage to endure.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:3-7 (ESV)
If you have received the promise, endured the test, and experienced the resurrection side of things, encourage your brothers and sisters who are in the middle of their “horror of darkness.” We and God are in this together.
