SAVORING THE THINGS OF GOD

“From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that He must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. Then Peter took Him, and began to rebuke Him, saying, Be it far from Thee, Lord: this shall not be unto Thee. But He [Jesus] turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind Me, Satan: thou art an offence unto Me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.” (Matthew 16:21-23).

 

Toward the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry, He began to teach His disciples about what was waiting for Him in Jerusalem at the hands of the chief priests and scribes.  The Jewish leaders’ hatred for Jesus was at the boiling point and was soon to erupt in violence and lies.  Jesus told His disciples plainly that He was to be killed soon.  He also spoke plainly about His resurrection on the third day after His death.  Without the Holy Spirit’s enlightenment, though, it was difficult for them to grasp the death of the Son of God.  He was the Messiah, the King of kings, the great I AM, the beginning and the end, and the Word of God.  How could men prevail over Him?  How could death ever take hold on Him by the hands of wicked men?  It was incomprehensible to consider such a thing!  Even more difficult to grasp was the fact that Jesus would choose to die.  It would not be until the Day of Pentecost when they would be filled with the promised Spirit of God that the scriptures would be open to them, and they would begin to understand God’s infinite plan.  Kings and priests and prophets alike had spoken of the agony of Christ’s death, but also of the ecstasy of His resurrection and glorification.  Man’s carnal mind was just too caught up in worldly wisdom to comprehend the true wisdom of God. 

 

Peter, in his zeal and concern for his Lord, took Jesus aside and rebuked Him for accepting such an outcome.  Peter was only acting out of love for his friend and teacher.  His intention was to encourage Jesus, bolster His faith, and correct His focus.  Once more, however, Peter had it wrong – totally wrong, in fact! 

 

Jesus immediately turned to Peter and said, “Get thee behind Me, Satan...”This was an issue that had to be addressed by the Lord in a direct and decisive way because it was for this very reason that Messiah had come.  Without His sacrifice there could be no atonement.  Without the spilling of His blood there could be no cleansing of sin.  Without death there could be no resurrection of the dead. I quote a line from one Bible commentator that I found thought provoking, “But so completely are men hurried on and driven headlong by inconsiderate zeal, that they do not hesitate to pass judgment on God Himself, according to their own fancy.”

 

There could be only one ultimate source of opposition and contradiction to the plan of God which Jesus had embraced.  That was Satan himself.  Peter, in his misguided zeal didn’t realize that he was opposing the will of God and voicing a temptation that Jesus didn’t dare to entertain.  Jesus had to call it out and expose the lies of His adversary.  Even His closest followers could be used to voice His enemy’s purposes.

 

Scripture tells us that,“...the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” (Romans 8:7).For this reason, those who are in the flesh cannot please God (verse 8).  According to the Apostle Paul, before we were born again we all “...walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air [Satan], the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.” (Ephesians 2:2).Our conversation was in the world, and it is the world that is the grand design of the devil.  This is why there is so much conflict, corruption, pollution, bigotry, pride, greed, etc. in the world today.  It is because Satan is engineering it all.  He is utilizing the lusts of the flesh that are inherent in every child of Adam to make them his slaves to sin.  Paul tells us later in Ephesians to “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6:11, 12).  In doing battle against our enemy, we need to remember that he may sometimes use our loved ones and friends, even Christian brothers and sisters, to derail us from the path that Christ has set us on.  When this happens, we must never make the fight with flesh and blood.  It is with Satan and his minions.  It is with spiritual wickedness in the unseen world.  So, while Jesus certainly didn’t believe that Peter was Satan in that moment, He did need to expose the ruler of darkness who was using Peter’s flesh and blood, and his ignorance of God’s plan.

 

The other thing that Jesus said to Peter was, “...thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.” (Matthew 16:23).  The word translated as “savourest” comes from the Greek word “phroneo” which means to have understanding, be wise, to feel, and to think.  The word “savour,” on the other hand, refers to taste or flavor.  So, the verse could be translated as “you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men” as the NIV Bible has it, or, paraphrasing from the KJV, it could be rendered as “…you don’t have an appetite [or taste] for the things that be of God, but those that be of men.”

 

When I was young, there were many foods that I didn’t like and would not eat (mostly vegetables).  My mother called me a “picky eater.”  As I grew older, I began to develop a taste for different things – even many of those that had once been offensive to me.  These are often referred to as “acquired tastes.”  There were other foods that I would eat because I knew they were good for me, not because I especially cared for them.  I think all of our tastes change over time – perhaps because we are exposed to new things

 

Much like when I was young, my spiritual taste buds were very picky before I came to know the Lord.  My taste was for the things of the world and not the things of God.  Pleasure, excitement, indulgence, selfishness, etc. were the things that I savored.  Church, prayer, Bible reading: these were not to my taste.  Once I made a real, heartfelt commitment to Jesus Christ, however, my tastes began to change.  I loved the Word of God and devoured its wisdom every chance I got.  I found it to be true food for my soul and manna from heaven.  I loved the fellowship of other Christians and would assemble together often: first at this home, and then at another.  One dear brother in the Lord that we met worked 2^nd shift with me at the factory.  Many times a week we would get off of work at 11 p.m., stop somewhere to buy doughnuts, go back to his house and study the Bible and share testimonies until 4 or 5 in the morning.  Prayer also became something very precious.  It was no longer a forced exercise, but a genuine cry of the heart to my heavenly Father.

 

Over time, I have developed a taste for more and more of God’s truth and His ways.  This is a matter of growth and maturity.  God’s people are sometimes offended by the demands of the Lord on their lives.  “Why must I love my enemies?” or “Why must I turn the other cheek?” they ask.  These may be stumbling blocks for some until they can see the Savior’s example and be willing to follow wherever He leads. 

 

This is where Peter found himself.  He could not see the necessity of Christ’s sufferings in the great plan of God.  That was not to his taste!  He wanted an easy path for the flesh: one that would avoid all that nastiness.  He wanted an immediate deliverance for his nation and its people, and a triumphant King Who would take the throne and set things right.  He could not see God’s long-term plan for the salvation of man.

 

There is a great story in the Old Testament that illustrates the idea of savoring the things of the world over the things of God. 

 

Moses had led the Israelites out of the bondage they experienced in Egypt and was leading them toward the Promised Land.  God had shown great signs and wonders to Israel in order to demonstrate His might and power on their behalf.  After they crossed the Red Sea, they needed food to sustain their large numbers in the wilderness.  God was mindful of that need and sent them manna to collect and eat the whole time that they journeyed until the day they actually entered Canaan.  The people grew tired of the manna, however, and began to long for the foods they had enjoyed in Egypt.  They even began questioning whether they should have left Egypt in the first place!         

 

“And the mixed multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?  We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick: but now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.” (Numbers 11:4-6).

 

This story parallels the journey of every child of God.  It is recorded for our learning so that we will not fall into the same pitfalls that the children of Israel did.  Egypt represents the worldly system that makes slaves of us all and brought us into cruel bondage before we accepted Christ our Deliverer.  Pharaoh represents Satan, the god of this world.  He is the grand puppet master who pulls the strings behind the scenes and orchestrates the corruption of the world.  Moses is the savior and deliverer who brings the people out of bondage so that they can serve the Lord their God.  The manna is the Word of God, the bread of heaven.  The foods of Egypt are the enticements, the lusts of the flesh, and the temptations of the world that distract us from Christ and the things of God.  When the child of God entertains such distractions for long enough, he/she may begin to think that it was better when they could “eat” what they wanted and not have a steady diet of manna only.  “And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out [Egypt or the world], they might have had opportunity to have returned.  But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for He hath prepared for them a city.” (Hebrews 11:15, 16).  We have known too many who have found great joy in the Bread of Heaven only to grow tired of it after a time and return to their past lives to enjoy the “cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic!”

 

Writing to the church in Ephesus, the Apostle Paul said, “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, Who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come He might shew the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:1-7).  Paul was directing his words to Christians: those who were born again and quickened by the Spirit of God in their innermost being.  He writes that before we knew Christ we all walked according to the course of this world and were subject to the prince of the power of the air.  We were all slaves in Egypt!  Paul goes on to say, though, that it is this same spirit who is working in the “children of disobedience.”  Like the Israelites of old, those who have been delivered out of Egypt can later become enticed by its attractions and lured back into bondage once again.  We must always be aware of our position in Christ.  We no longer sit in the mire and pollution of this dying world, but we “sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”  This is a position of victory over the things of the flesh.  We have been given an abundance of grace and of mercy never ending.  Best of all, we who were dead in our trespasses and sins have been given the life of Jesus Christ to quicken our mortal bodies and enliven our spirits.

 

Everything about Christ is a savor of Life.  All that He was; all that He spoke; and all that He did produced a taste, a flavor, a savor of God.  “And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour.” (Ephesians 5:2).The more we progress in Christ, the more of an appetite we will develop for the things of God.  “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him.” (Psalm 34:8).We will find, as we partake of Christ, that He indeed is good: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

 

The more we put on Christ, the more His savor permeates us and flavors what we do.  It’s kind of like putting an expensive spice in a bland casserole: it elevates the taste to something altogether different!  “For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish.” (2 Corinthians 2:15).  We must always stay close to Christ and yielded to His will in order to keep the savor of our Lord alive.

 

Jesus said, “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.” (Matthew 5:13).Salt, of course, is a seasoning.  It enhances the flavor of a variety of foods that would otherwise be quite bland.  If salt were to lose its flavor, then there would be no point in adding it to our food: we would simply throw it out and replace it with some that was still good.  Jesus was using this only as an illustration, however.  Regular un-iodized table salt, sodium chloride, is very stable and will never lose its flavor.  It can draw moisture if not stored properly, but it will still hold its taste.  The “savour” that Jesus is alluding to here is, again, the flavor of Christ.  If men can no longer taste Christ in us, our purpose as Christians becomes pointless.  Our savor is then only of the world, the flesh, and the devil.  In this case we must go back to the basics of repentance, obedience, faith, and love. 

 

We know that Peter got back on track eventually.  He made some very bad decisions along the way and was greatly humbled because of them.  God in the end forged Peter into a rock, and a living stone, and delivered to him the very keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. 

 

What is it that we savor today?  The things that are of God, or the things that are of men?