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 2nd 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?
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