I remember that snowy afternoon as if it were yesterday. It was so cold that the top layer of the snow wouldn’t even give way under the weight of my snowshoes. But then at all of 75 pounds it probably didn’t make any difference. On the other hand I must have had at least 25 pounds hanging over my shoulder, which at that moment seemed like a ton. And as that miserable wind sliced into my forehead like a cold knife I thought to myself: be very careful what you ask for.
I can’t tell you the nights I spent under the covers with a flash light reading about mountain men. They were (and to some extent still are) my heroes. I used to lay awake at night and picture myself way out there alone in the mountains, surrounded by all God’s creation, trapping beaver and fighting off those who wanted my scalp. I was always the warrior, always the victor and never without a log cabin full of fine pelts.
And all my dreams were fueled by the old man next door. The kindly old gentleman that pretty much kept to himself but always had time to share a story with a young boy. But it wasn’t the stories that spurred on my imagination as much as it was where he told them. His basement was the true vision of every mountain man’s cabin I had ever conjured up in my dreams. Guns, traps, saddles — you name it and it was all there. But nothing more captivating than those furs he collected during the winter.
Oh how I tried to pry my way along when he would check his trap lines but always it was the same answer: One of these times but not just now. I would watch him load up all his possibles with my nose pressed against the frost covered kitchen window and long to be with him as he headed out into the woods on those beautiful willow snow shoes with real catgut lacing. Ah the things that turn a young boy’s fancy!
But at this moment I wasn’t so sure that finally being asked to go along was all I had made it out to be. Those steel traps over my shoulder seemed like the weight of the whole world and trudging through the snow and trying not to fall head over apple cart on those snow shoes was a real challenge. I was cold and tired and we hadn’t even gotten to where the old man wanted to set his first traps. But one thing I knew for sure. I wasn’t about to complain — mountain men weren’t whiners.
I also vividly remember watching him set that first trap. Up to that point it had all been sort of a dream come true but when I watched him spread that trap open and set the hair trigger everything took on a new meaning. I looked at that trap laying there in the snow and vaguely remember deciding to put some bait on the flat plate out of a bottle containing some awful smelling stuff. And just at that moment as I reached down toward that menacing piece of cold steel I froze and it wasn’t from the cold. The immediate rebuke that came from the old man stung like the icy wind hitting my face.
Maybe that’s one of the reasons I so closely identify with Peter. He always seemed to be getting himself in some place he shouldn’t have been or popping off without thinking. I guess as I think about his years with the Lord I have a lot of empathy as I see myself in him on numerous occasions. And what brought up these thoughts about a trapping adventure so many years ago was the dressing down Peter got from our Lord immediately after He had blessed Peter for understanding who He was:
Matt 16:15-18 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
That’s some pretty heady stuff; look what followed:
Matt 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
I don’t know about you but if that had been me I am quite confident that my chest would have expanded several inches. And also, just like Peter, I would have become quite full of myself and been ready to pass my opinion at the drop of a hat.
You remember what happened next. Jesus began telling His disciples of the suffering He was about to endure in Jerusalem and His ultimate death and resurrection. And Peter was quick to jump right in with his valuable advice:
Matt 16:22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.
We sometimes pass over this verse a little too quickly without realizing what Peter had done. Just a bit earlier He identified Jesus as The Christ, the Son of the Living God. And then he stepped up quite full of himself and proceeded to tell the Lord that’s not how it was going to be. And we all are very familiar with Jesus’ response:
Matt 16:23 But he 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.
I have always read this verse and come away with the understanding that Jesus was rebuking Peter for presuming to give Him advice. And that may well be part of it but there was something deeper going on, and one word Jesus used opens that up. He uses the word “offence,” which in the original Greek is the word skandalon. Now you might say that’s where we get our word scandal and you would be correct but in many instances this word is also translated as “stumbling block.” Here Peter the “rock” becomes a “stumbling block” as he thinks like a man (leaning on his own understanding) and challenges Jesus.
But in this instance it goes a little deeper and carries a different meaning. It comes from the word kampto, which refers to a snare. It means the place where the “bait” is placed in a trap.
Jesus rebuked Peter for allowing Satan to use him to bait a trap for Jesus. A trap not unlike the ones Satan tried to use on Jesus in the wilderness (Luke 4). Peter had allowed his mind to do his thinking and not his heart. He quickly and rashly — seemed to be his nature — responded by looking at things in the natural and not the spiritual, presuming upon his relationship with Jesus to provide ill-conceived advice.
Haven’t we all been there?
And Jesus explained His rebuke by stating that Peter didn’t understand the ways of God (thou savourest not; froneis). He said to Peter that “you think the things that God wants done shouldn’t be done.” It was a real dangerous spot for Peter to find himself in and so it is with us.
If we don’t press into Jesus to learn the ways of God we can easily find ourselves right where Peter was. It’s as easy as making false friendships or listening to our carnal friends and relatives. It’s a troubling fact but when a person is committed to Jesus he often finds that his strongest adversaries are those nearest to him in his own family. It’s wise for us to remember that the term Satan, as used by Jesus here, is translated “adversary.” If we don’t want to be an adversary to Jesus then the key to this verse and this article is found in verse 24:
Matt 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Dying-to-self is probably the hardest challenge we face as Christians. It presupposes living a life that is the complete opposite of the world.
- Deny yourself instead of living for yourself.
- Take up your own in cross and follow Jesus’ as opposed to ignoring the cross.
- Follow Jesus rather than following the world’s system.
- Lose your life for His sake instead of saving your life for your own sake
- Forsake the world rather than embracing the world.
- Keep your soul rather than losing your soul.
- Share His reward and glory instead of losing His reward and glory.
It’s all about giving yourself totally to Jesus and that means also sharing in His suffering and pain. The suffering and pain that always leads to glory; His glory. But our suffering is nothing compared to His.
He asks us to set aside whatever comes in competition with Him; with His love and service. This is not, as many have professed, refusing pleasures and joys. The Word tells us in 1 Tim 6:17 that God gives us richly in all things to enjoy. Remember how the Pharisees got all upset because Jesus went to parties? Think for a moment of Joseph. He did not refuse to become the governor of Egypt as it was an honor bestowed upon him for which he was well qualified. The subtle difference here is that Jesus and Joseph never let their position come between them and their God.
It’s really all about denying sin in our life; all the things the world allows and embraces. When we fail to deny the world we are falling prey to the “bait” that Jesus so perfectly refused when He rebuked Peter. Denying bitterness, anger, pride, competitiveness, self-pity and a host of other sins is what Jesus was referring to. And note that Jesus asks us to do it daily.
Why did he identify “our” cross and not “His” cross? Because as Jesus took up His cross He was telling God that He was submitting to God’s will for Him. That’s why Jesus commands us to take up “our” cross. It’s an individual action by each of us. My cross is not yours and vice versa, but they are the same in that they represent our willingness to make those daily choices according to God’s will for each of us; being obedient.
But in taking up our cross Jesus has not set us alone on our own path. Look at the last words in verse 24: and follow me. In the Greek that’s akoloutheitoo moi: to be in the same way with or to accompany as a disciple. Walking with Him as did His disciples allows us to share His guidance every day by His Spirit.
Choosing the Father’s will by dying-to-self and keeping close to Jesus is the essence of discipleship; it’s going forward with Him. It’s following Him and not leading Him as Peter tried to do. When was the last time you saw the sheep leading the shepherd? We must make the willing decision to forsake our fleshly desires for His life and be willing to face any trouble that comes our way; suffering is part of the deal. Matthew Henry puts it this way:
It is as if Christ had said, “If any of the people that are not my disciples, be steadfastly minded to come to me, and if you that are, be in like manner minded to adhere to me, it is upon these terms, these and no other; you must follow me in sufferings as well as in other things, and therefore when you sit down to count the cost, reckon upon it.”
Jesus set the pattern and all we have to do is follow:
Phil 2:6-8 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Our crosses are our own individual burdens that we have to “walk out” in this life. Those individual burdens that are keeping us from drawing closer to Jesus; becoming more like Him every day. That is what sanctification is all about. God sees us as “sanctified” because He views us through Christ. We, on the other hand, are as Paul puts it; still working it out. That’s all part of carrying our cross down the public streets and facing the ridicule and affliction that comes our way. But we take heart in the process because Jesus’ Spirit is there walking through it all with us.
Yes, as a young lad I had my heart broken by the sharp words of my boyhood hero. But like Jesus, he was rebuking me to keep me from hurting myself. Jesus didn’t want Peter to fall into the trap of following his human reasoning. He wanted him to turn to the wisdom of the Father and submit to His plans.
The old man was doing the same for me and thank God he did as I can still count 5 fingers on each hand. But I still remember his harsh words and the way he snatched those traps away from me and didn’t say another word the rest of the day. I moped and followed along like a whipped dog, but I never forgot the lesson.
I suggest that Peter never forgot that lesson either. Every time we lift ourselves up and begin to worship at the soulish altar we can rest assured that someone walking beside us will have a hard word for us sooner or later.
Perhaps it’s best if we just don’t fool with the bait in the trap in the first place.