The Sabbath School

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Sep 29, 1881

The Sabbath School.

LESSON FOR PACIFIC COAST.—OCTOBER 8.

Peter's Confession—Christ rebukes him.—Matt. 16:13-23; Mark 8:22-33; Luke 9:18-27.

LESSON COMMENTS.

THE time drew near when Jesus was to die, and leave his disciples to face the cold and cruel world alone. He knew how bitter hate and unbelief would persecute them, and he wished to encourage and strengthen them for their trials. He accordingly went away by himself and prayed for them, interceding with the Father, that in the time of that fearful test which awaited them, their faith would prove steadfast, and his sufferings and death might not utterly overwhelm them with despair. What tender love was this, that, in view of his own approaching agony, reached forward to shield his companions from danger! When he again joined his disciples he asked them: "Whom do men say that I, the Son of man, am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist; some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets." Questioning still closer, he inquired, "But whom say ye that I am?" Peter, ever ready to speak, answered for himself and his brethren: "Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona; for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in Heaven." Notwithstanding the faith of many had utterly failed, and the power of the priests and rulers was mighty against them, the brave disciple thus boldly declared his belief. Jesus saw, in this acknowledgment, the living principle that would animate the hearts of his believers in coming ages. It is the mysterious working of God's Spirit upon the human heart, that elevates the humblest mind to a knowledge above all earthly wisdom, an acquaintance with the sacred truths of God. Ah, indeed, "blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee." Jesus continued: "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." The word Peter signifies rolling stone. Christ did not refer to Peter as being the rock upon which he would found his church. His expression, "this rock," applied to himself as the foundation of the Christian church. In Isaiah 28:16, the same reference is made: "Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion, for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation." It is the same stone to which reference is made in Luke 20:17, 18: "And he beheld them and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder." Also in Mark 12:10, 11: "And have ye not read this scripture, The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner. This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?" These texts prove conclusively that Christ is the rock upon which the church is built, and, in his address to Peter, he referred to himself as the rock which is the foundation of the church. He continues:— "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." The Roman church makes a wrong application of these words of Christ. They claim that he addressed them especially to Peter. Hence he is represented in works of art as carrying a bunch of keys, which is a symbol of trust and authority given to ambassadors and others in high position. The words of Christ: "I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of Heaven," were not addressed to Peter alone, but to the disciples, including those who compose the Christian church in all ages. Peter was given no preference nor power above that of the other disciples. Had Jesus delegated any special authority to one of them, we would not find them so frequently contending among themselves as to who should be greatest. They would have at once submitted to the wish of their Master, and paid honor to the one whom he had selected as their head.

But the Roman Catholic church claims that Christ invested Peter with supreme power over the Christian church, and that his successors are divinely authorized to rule the Christian world. In still another place Jesus acknowledges the same power to exist in all the church that is claimed to have been given to Peter alone, upon the authority of the text previously quoted: "Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven."—Mrs. E. G. White, in Great Controversy. Whatever ambiguity there may be now to us, there could have been no such ambiguity in the words of Christ to those who heard them. They must have known whether or not Jesus meant to designate Peter as the Rock—to elevate him to a peculiar and exalted position above his brethren. And yet we find that three times after this the dispute arises among them which should be the greatest—a dispute which never could have arisen had Jesus already openly and distinctly assigned the primacy to St. Peter—and a dispute, we may add, which never would have been settled as Jesus in each case settled it, had any such primacy been ever intended to be conveyed by him. Even admitting that all that is said here was said personally and peculiarly of Peter, where is the warrant to extend it to his successors? If his associates, his fellow-apostles, be excluded, how can his successors be embraced? It is ingeniously said here by Romanists that if St. Peter be the foundation of the church, then, as that foundation must abide, there ever must be one to take his place and keep up as it were the continuity of the basis of the building. But this is to have not one stone as the foundation, but a series of stones laid alongside or upon one another; and where is there a hint of such a thing? All that is said here to Peter was said twice afterwards by Christ to all the twelve and to all the church. You have but to turn to the eighteenth chapter of St. Matthew, and read there the eighteenth and nineteenth verses, and to the gospel of St. John, and read there in the twentieth chapter, from the nineteenth to the twenty-third verse, to be fully satisfied that, put what interpretation you may upon the words spoken at Cæsarea-Philippi to St. Peter, they conveyed to him no power or privilege beyond that which Jesus conferred upon the entire college of the apostles, and in its collective capacity upon the church.—Hanna's Life of Christ. The gates of hell, (pulai hudou), i. e. the machinations and powers of the invisible world. In ancient times the gates of fortified cities were used to hold councils in, and were usually places of great strength. Our Lord's expression means that neither the plots, stratagems, nor strength of Satan and his angels should ever so far prevail as to destroy the sacred truth in the above confession. Sometimes the gates are taken for the troops which issue out from them—we may firmly believe that though hell should open her gates and vomit out her devil and all his angels to fight against Christ and his saints, ruin and discomfiture must be the consequence on their part, as the Omnipotent must prevail.—Clarke's Commentaries. Verse 23. Get thee behind me, Satan. Get thee behind me, thou adversary. This is the proper translation of the Hebrew word, from which the Greek word is taken. Our blessed Lord certainly never designed that men should believe he called Peter DEVIL, because he, through erring affection, had wished him to avoid that death which he predicted to himself. This translation which is literal, takes away that harshness, which before appeared in our Lord's words. Thou art an offense unto me. Thou art a stumbling-block in my way, to impede me in the accomplishment of the great design. Thou savorest not. That is, dost not relish, (ou phroneis), or, thou dost not understand or discern the things of God—thou art wholly taken up with the vain thought that my kingdom is of this world. He who opposes the doctrine of the atonement is an adversary and offense to Christ, though he be as sincere in his profession as Peter himself was. Let us beware of false friendships. Carnal relatives, when listened to, may prove the ruin of those whom through their mistaken tenderness, they wish to save. When a man is intent on saving his own soul, his adversaries are often those of his own household.—Id.

"THE words of the Lord are pure words."